On This Day
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Dutch and English troops occupy Lille (Rijsel)

Lille is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the...

Lille is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the Nord department, and the main city of the European Metropolis of Lille.

The city of Lille proper had a population of 236,234 in 2020 within its small municipal territory of 35 km2 (14 sq mi), but together with its French suburbs and exurbs the Lille metropolitan area (French part only), which extends over 1,666 km2 (643 sq mi), had a population of 1,515,061 that same year (January 2020 census), the fourth most populated in France after Paris, Lyon, and Marseille.

Historical Significance

Lille is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders.

Events Before

  1. John V succeeds his father, Peter II, as King of Portugal

    Dom John V (Portuguese: João Francisco António José Bento Bernardo; 22 October 1689 – 31 July 1750), known as the Magnanimous (o Magnânimo) and the Portuguese Sun King (o Rei-Sol Português), was King…

  2. Acts of Union come into force, uniting England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain

    Great Britain, officially the Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in Western Europe from 1707 to the end of 1800.

  3. German composer Johann Sebastian Bach marries for the 1st time his cousin Maria Barbara Bach

    German composer Johann Sebastian Bach marries for the 1st time his cousin Maria Barbara Bach

  4. The Act of Union is ratified by the Scottish Parliament

    The Treaty of Union is the name usually now given to the treaty which led to the creation of the new political state of Great Britain.

  5. Battle of Almansa; Franco-Spanish forces defeat British and Portuguese

    The Battle of Almansa took place on 25 April 1707, during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Events After

  1. Frisian Stadtholder and Prince of Orange John William Friso (21) weds Dutch Countess Maria Louise van Hessen-Kassel (21)

    Frisian Stadtholder and Prince of Orange John William Friso (21) weds Dutch Countess Maria Louise van Hessen-Kassel (21), until his death in 1702

  2. Great Northern War: Peter the Great of Russia defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava; Charles goes into

    Great Northern War: Peter the Great of Russia defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava; Charles goes into exile in Bender, Ottoman Empire

  3. Dike at Hardinxveld breaks, flooding Alblasserwaard in the Netherlands

    Dike at Hardinxveld breaks, flooding Alblasserwaard in the Netherlands

  4. Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe first opens its doors in Mexico City on the site of two apparitions of the Virgin - no

    Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe first opens its doors in Mexico City on the site of two apparitions of the Virgin - now a basilica and the holiest church in Mexico

  5. Battle of Poltava; Russians defeat Swedes, end of Swedish empire as a major power

    The Battle of Poltava fought on 8 July 1709, was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War.

More from the 1700s

Protestant Western Europe, except England, begins to use the Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it...

John V succeeds his father, Peter II, as King of Portugal

Dom John V (Portuguese: João Francisco António José Bento Bernardo; 22 October 1689 – 31 July 1750), known as the Magnanimous (o Magnânimo) and the Portuguese Sun King (o Rei-Sol Português), was King…

Great Northern War begins in Northern Europe between Denmark–Norway, Saxony, Russia, and the Swedish Empire

Great Northern War begins in Northern Europe between Denmark–Norway, Saxony, Russia, and the Swedish Empire

Queen Anne of England knights scientist Isaac Newton at Trinity College, Cambridge

Sir Isaac Newton (4 January [O.S. 25 December] 1643 – 31 March [O.S. 20 March] 1727) was an English polymath who was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, author and…

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 21, 1708?
Lille is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the Nord department, and the main city of the European Metropolis of Lille. The city of Lille proper had a population of 236,234 in 2020 within its small municipal territory of 35 km2 (14 sq mi), but together with its French suburbs and exurbs the Lille metropolitan area (French part only), which extends over 1,666 km2 (643 sq mi), had a population of 1,515,061 that same year (January 2020 census), the fourth most populated in France after Paris, Lyon, and Marseille.
Why is Dutch and English troops occupy Lille (Rijsel) significant?
Lille is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders.

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October 21 in HistoryYear 1708