Complex sentence: During the second half of the 16th century, Eeklo was in the unfortunate position of being on the border between the Catholic South and the Protestant North, which resulted in so much destruction that the city was nearly abandoned by its inhabitants.
Split into simpler sentences: During the second half of the 16th century, Eeklo was in the unfortunate position of being on the border between the Catholic South and the Protestant North. This resulted in so much destruction that the city was nearly abandoned by its inhabitants.