The Four Days of Ghent (Dutch: Vier Dagen van Gent, French: Quatre Journées de Gand) refers to a battle in Ghent, the capital of Flanders, 13–16 November 1789, in which the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire was driven out of the city. It was a crucial event during the Brabant Revolution: the Patriots received a major boost by taking this first large city, and the authority of the Austrian Netherlands was beginning to disintegrate. Within two weeks, the Treaty of Union was drafted, which established the independent republic of the United Belgian States on 11 January 1790. On 4 January 1790, Flanders declared its independence from the Habsburg monarchy by the Manifesto of the Province of Flanders.
Background
Ghent was not a bulwark of Patriot activity. Therefore, the Austrian military governor Richard d'Alton judged it useful to concentrate his troops in De Kempen and around Liège, and leave only a garrison of 300 men in Ghent (two companies of the Vierset regiment). According to his expectations, the Committee of Breda, which had retreated its small Patriot army after its victory in the Battle of Turnhout (27 October 1789), would focus its attention again on Brabant. Patriot leader Jan Frans Vonck, who had always been advocating an attack on Flanders, was now able to gather support for this plan, especially after notary Jan Baptist Cammaert had crossed the border in the beginning of November to confirm the information on the small Ghent garrison.
On 4 November, the French major Philippe Devaux advanced from Roosendaal with 800 soldiers to the Waasland. After crossing the river Scheldt on 7 November at the former fort Frederik Hendrik in Berendrecht with some difficulties, and being reinforced with 200 Patriots from the camp of Hulst, he encamped in Sint-Niklaas on 9 November. The population reacted with caution rather than enthusiasm. The Waasland volunteers who joined the Patriot army were fewer than hoped for, but in his justification after the fact, d'Alton reported them to have numbered 500. The rebels put themselves in motion, and picked up several small cannons at the D'Ursel Castle, as promised by Duchess d'Ursel. Meanwhile, the Austrian response was rather slow. D'Alton was not informed of the movements until 8 November, at which point he urgently sent reinforcements under Gontroeul and Gottfried von Schröder; however, because of lingering, they lost three more valuable days, and were no longer able to cut off the road to Ghent. Then d'Alton also sent a regiment (c. 2,400 infantrymen) led by Nicolas Antoine d'Arberg to Ghent, where the garrison was also strengthened by the 600 men advancing from Aalst under colonel Jacques-Henri de Lunden. Only Lunden would arrive in time, meaning that Ghent was defended by about 900 men when the Patriots appeared before the city gates on Friday 13 November.
Course
On the morning of 13 November, just before 7 a.m., Devaux ordered a charge on the Bruges Gate (Brugse Poort) and the Sas Gate (Saspoort). A simultaneous attack on the Antwerp Gate (Antwerpse Poort) was carried out to distract the enemy. Noting that a handful of gate guards spread great confusion amongst his inexperienced troops, Devaux simply gave up. He departed back to the Netherlands, together with Louis de Ligne, his staff and all eight dragoons of the army. However, the Patriots would not yield so easily, and continued under the command of captain Jean-Baptiste Davaine. They took the Bruges Gate, and the Sas Gate with some difficulty as well, and advanced towards the Kouter square in the centre. There they clashed with the barricades put up by Lunden at strategic locations in the city (Madou Bridge, Ketel Bridge, Muink Bridge, Heuver Gate and Kortrijk Gate). His main force was garrisoned inside Saint Peter's Abbey, and the Spanjaardenkasteel ('Spaniards' Castle') also had a small occupation force. The Patriots pushed the Imperials back far beyond the Madou and Ketel bridges.