Aarhus

In the 15th century the town outgrew its Viking-age defences. Christopher of Bavaria granted Aarhus a market-town charter in 1441, and in 1477 Christian I let the burghers build over the old ramparts, which had long lost their military use; new streets ran along the line of the earthwork and its moat, and the cathedral was remodelled in the Gothic style and given its tall tower. The wars of the 17th century brought imperial troops in 1627 and repeated Swedish occupations in 1657–59, yet trade with Norway, Lübeck, Amsterdam and England kept the town prosperous, and by mid-century about a hundred of its ships carried grain abroad. Decline came in the 18th century, when trade dwindled and the river harbour began to silt up, and by 1768 the merchant fleet had shrunk to a third of its former size.