In 1695, Brussels was attacked by King Louis XIV of France and some 4,000 houses were destroyed, as well as the monumental Grand Place. Only the city hall remained standing. The Austrian emperors took over the city in the early 1700s. In its quest for independence, Brussels was often the site of heavy battles, which continued until the time of Charles de Lorraine.

The War of Austrian Succession (1740–48), which involved most of Europe, drained Brussels of its assets and caused an era of poverty. However, the court of Brussels attracted intellectuals and artists under the influence of the Enlightenment in the 18th Century, thus restoring its glamour, as Parc de Bruxelles and the Place Royale testify.

In 1789–90, the Brabant Revolt, an uprising against Habsburg rule and reforms of Emperor Joseph II, led to the establishment of the United Belgian States in 1790. However, after several attacks by the Austrians, the revolutionary French government came into power, with Brussels under its rule. Brussels’ economic potential grew after the city was granted access to the Scheldt and Rupel rivers.

The French Revolution (1789–99) led the working class of Brussels to revolt. The turmoil peaked with the War of Independence in 1830, when the Belgian nation was incorporated in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (Holland), a turning point in the history of the city. Outrageous scenes were a regular feature of 19th-Century operas. One particular opera, Auber’s 'La Muette de Portici' (The mute girl of Portici), was showcasing in Brussels on August 25, 1830. The opera’s hero, Masaniello, led a revolt at Naples in 1648 against Spanish domination. At this time, Brussels was a shelter for political refugees, ready for any excuse to protest, and the opera’s revolutionary songs excited the audience’s passions. They took to the streets in riot. The last foreign emperor over Brussels, Dutch William I, fled when the conflict escalated.