1466: Dinant destroyed
In the 15th century, Dinant was a prosperous town, enriched by the working and trading of copper. But it had long maintained a fierce rivalry with neighbouring Bouvignes, now under the authority of the powerful Dukes of Burgundy.
In 1465, the conflict escalated. People from Dinant insulted Duke Philip the Good and his son, calling the latter a bastard. Should the culprits be handed over to avert his revenge? The town was divided and the most uncompromising refused.
The following year, Charles the Bold came to punish Dinant. On 18 August 1466, his army laid siege to the town. A week later Dinant surrendered. It was looted and burned. Tradition says that 800 people from Dinant, tied together in pairs, were thrown into the Meuse. The number is probably legendary, but it conveys the scale of the trauma left in the town’s memory.
The collegiate church also burned. Its roof structure and furnishings disappeared and its vaults collapsed. Only the walls survived. Even the relics of Saint Perpetuus were carried away.