page_title: Mons
section_title: People born in Mons
hierarchical_section_title: Mons / People born in Mons
caption_attribution_description: English: Lithograph of François-Joseph Fétis by Charles Baugniet offered "by her admirer" to Louise Farrenc (1804–1875).
context_page_description: Mons is a Belgian city and municipality, and the capital of the province of Hainaut in the Walloon region.
  Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. The population grew quickly, trade flourished, and several commercial buildings were erected near the Grand’Place. In 1814, King William I of the Netherlands increased the fortifications, following the fall of the First French Empire. The Industrial Revolution and coal mining made Mons a center of heavy industry. In 1830, Belgium gained its independence and the decision was made to dismantle the fortifications, allowing the creation of large boulevards and other urban projects.
  On 23–24 August 1914, Mons was the location of the Battle of Mons. The British were forced to retreat and the town remained occupied by the Germans until its liberation by the Canadian Corps during the final days of the war. There are several memorial placards related to the WW1 battles. Today, the city is an important university town and commercial centre. The main square is the centre of the old city.
context_section_description: Gilles Binchois, composer (15th century, birth in Mons is uncertain)
  Guido de Bres, theologian (1522 to 31 May 1567)
  Jacques du Broeucq, painter and architect (16th century, birth in Mons is uncertain)
  François-Joseph Fétis, musicologist, composer, critic, and teacher (18th century)
  Giuseppe Grisoni, painter and sculptor (17th century)
  François-Philippe de Haussy, first governor of the National Bank of Belgium (18th century)
  Orlande de Lassus, composer (16th century)
  Eugène Lafont, S.J., Jesuit missionary to India, educator and leading figure in the field of science in that nation
  Émile Motte, painter (19th century)
  Davide Moscardelli, Italian Footballer
  Nicolas Neufchatel, painter (16th century)
  Charles Plisnier, Walloon writer, Prix Goncourt and Walloon movement activist
  Jan Provoost, painter (15th-16th century)
  Paul Émile de Puydt, botanist, economist, and writer (19th century)
  Vincent Rousseau, long distance athlete
  Jean Yeuwain, writer (16th - 18th century)
caption: Francois-Joseph Fetis
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