Brussels, a Forerunner to Gernika (1695-1937)

The south of the Netherlands was attacked on numerous occasions in the middle of the 17th century, as Louis XIV, the ‘Sun King’, was determined to overpower these lands ruled by the Spanish Crown.

In 1695, the capital city of principate of Netherlands endured a severely cruel war. French troops viciously assailed Brussels with their missiles from August 13th through 15th. Although the attack dates back to the 17th century, it can be put down as a forerunner of what would eventually happen many years later (1937) in Gernika.