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he city of Leuven appears in historical documents for the first time in the year 884. In that year, the plundering Vikings settled around an old fortification at the Dijle river, called 'Luvanium' in Latin or 'Lovon' in the local vernacular. They were conquered here by Arnulf of Carinthia in 891. After this victory, Arnulf had a new castle built on an island in the river. Furthermore he founded a chapter of canons in the already existing St. Peter's Church. This became the home of the Counts of Leuven who later also acquired the county of Brussels. In 1190 the counts of Leuven  came in the possession of the important title 'Dukes of Lower Lorraine', a title that give them the right to rule over the middle part of what is now Belgium.
rom then onwards Leuven became an important administrative and commercial center, and more or less the capital of the Duchy of Brabant. A stone wall was built around the city as well as the necessary meat, fish and bread halls. The cloth trade became the corner stone of Leuven's wealth and prosperity.
he 14th century became the turning point of Leuven's destiny. The cloth trade lost its importance and Brussels aspired more and more successfully to the title of 'capital of the Duchy of Brabant'. By this time, the Dukes of Brabant  (or Dukes of Lower Lorraine) had moved their permanent residence from Leuven to the Coudenberg Hill in Brussels. The group of rich people that ruled over Leuven in the 14th century had not yet understood that their city was henceforth to play a secondary role. They continued to spend the city's financial means as if Leuven would continue to prosper. Between 1360 and 1383 the Guild of cloth manufacturers, led by mayor Pieter Couthereel, continued to oppose the policy of the 'happy few', which resulted in numerous uprisings of the population. In 1383, Duke Wenceslas rearranged the power balance between the rich families and the guilds. From then on, the guilds became a bit more powerful than the traditional rich families. This situation was to remain virtually unchanged until the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century.

lthough Leuven had lost its leading role in the 15th century, the city would witness some great events during that century. In 1425 Duke John IV founded the University of Leuven, which until today has remained the most important university in Belgium, and one of the leading catholic universities in the world. A few decades after its foundation it already counted with more than a thousand students. In the 16th century some important humanists and scientists would help spread the fame of the Leuven University over the rest of the world: Erasmus, Mercator, Jansenius, Vesalius, and others.Also, between 1439 and 1468 one of the most splendid gothic buildings in the world was constructed here : the town hall of Leuven (see picture on the right).

rom the middle of the 16th century onwards, Leuven did not escape the fate of most cities in the Low Countries : devastating religious wars, the plague and famine resulted in a decreasing number of inhabitants and a down-spiraling commercial and industrial activity. Furthermore, in the period of Austrian domination, the Austrian Emperor Joseph II moved the university from Leuven to Brussels and ordered many monasteries to be closed. The monasteries which continued to exist were later plundered during the French occupation  between 1794 and 1804. Only after the Belgian independence in 1830, the University of Leuven regained again its former importance.

ur century proved to be the most devastating era for the city. During the First World War, the city center (including the University Library) was burned by the German occupants. After the war the city was meticulously rebuilt. In the Second World War Leuven suffered again from heavy bombardments.Until the 1960's the Leuven University had been bilingual (French and Dutch). Between 1966 and 1968 the Flemish movement  demanded a separation of the University. This resulted in frequent student demonstrations (from both pro-Flemish student groups as well as from pro-francophone student groups). To end this deadpan situation the Belgian government and the University authorities decided to split the University. The Dutch-speaking part remained in Leuven and for the French-speaking students a new university campus was built in the new city of Louvain-La-Neuve (= 'New Leuven', south of Brussels).

ince the middle of the 1990's it looks as if Leuven has regained its role of capital of Brabant, a role it lost in the Middle-Ages. The former Belgian province of Brabant has been split in two parts: Flemish Brabant (with Leuven as capital city), and Walloon Brabant (with Wavre as capital city).

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