Early history Various flint and bone fragments, as well as
Roman coins, were found in this area, attesting to the early settlements in the region. In the 4th century, the Romans had to deal with a constant push of Germanic tribes coming from the east. Successful at first at containing them, they finally had to concede defeat, allowing
Clovis's
Salian Franks to occupy the region at the end of the 5th century. The Verviers area was covered with forests and became a hunting ground for the
Merovingian kings, who maintained a
vicus in neighbouring
Theux. It was also slowly Christianized by the monks of the nearby Abbey of
Stavelot. Late in the 10th century,
Charles the Simple ceded the
Marquisate of Franchimont to
Notker of Liège, one of Notker's final steps in consolidating the
Prince-Bishopric of Liège. Liège took direct control of the
marquisate in 1014, an act which was confirmed by emperor
Frederick Barbarossa and by
Pope Adrian IV in 1155.
15th century to the present The first mention of a textile industry in this area dates from the 15th century. One century later, the cloth industry took the place of the older metallurgical works, thanks in part to the
Eighty Years War raging in the neighbouring
Netherlands. The size of the town, however, remained relatively modest. It was only in 1651 that the expansion of the
fulleries led to Verviers being recognized as one of the
prince-bishopric's
bonnes villes (main cities). The end of the 18th century was troubled by the
French Revolution. The annexation of Liège to France in 1795 caused a steep economic decline and unprecedented poverty. The city's fortunes rose again after the
Battle of Waterloo (1815). Verviers was at the eastern end of the
sillon industriel, the industrial backbone of Wallonia. Although the Napoleonic wars brought economic uncertainty, the textile industry continued to grow throughout this period. Industrialist
William Cockerill brought his knowledge of the machines already in British industry and introduced mechanization to the factories of
Iwan Simonis starting a new era in the Verviers textile industry. Thereafter, roads were paved, gas lighting was installed, and the city doubled in size thanks to the
Industrial Revolution. After
World War I, Verviers could share with
Bradford the title of "Wool Capital of the World". on 3 November 1944 in Verviers == 2021 floods ==