The Battle of the Golden Spurs (Dutch: De Guldensporenslag, French: "bataille des éperons d'or") was fought on July 11, 1302, near Kortrijk in Flanders. The battle is also called "The Battle of Courtrai" after the French name for Kortrijk. July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... Events July 11 - Battle of the Golden Spurs (Guldensporenslag in Dutch), major victory of Flanders over the French occupier. ... Kortrijk (French: Courtrai) is a city and municipality located in West Flanders, Belgium. ... This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ... This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ... Robert II of Artois (September 1250 – July 11, 1302) was the posthumous son and heir of Robert I of Artois and Matilda of Brabant. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... Events July 11 - Battle of the Golden Spurs (Guldensporenslag in Dutch), major victory of Flanders over the French occupier. ... Kortrijk (French: Courtrai) is a city and municipality located in West Flanders, Belgium. ... This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ...

Background

The reason for the battle was a French attempt to annex the country of Flanders. In 1300, the French king Philip IV appointed Jacques de Châtillon as governor of Flanders and took the Count of Flanders, Gwijde van Dampierre hostage. This instigated considerable unrest among Flemish urban guilds, who were quite influential. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ... Events Beginning of the Renaissance. ... Philippe IV, recumbent statue on his tomb, Royal Necropolis, Saint Denis Basilica Philip IV the Fair (French: Philippe IV le Bel) (1268 – November 29, 1314) was King of France from 1285 until his death. ... Guy of Dampierre (Dutch: Gwijde van Dampierre) was the count of Flanders during the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302. ... A guild is an association of people of the same trade or pursuits, formed to protect mutual interests and maintain standards of morality or conduct. ...

After being exiled from their homes by French troops, the citizens of Bruges went back to their own city and murdered every Frenchman they could find there on May 18 1302. They identified the French by asking them to pronounce a Dutch phrase schild en vriend (shield and friend). Everyone who had a problem pronouncing that, was killed. Sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North, Bruges has many waterways that run through the city. ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ...

The French king could not let this go unpunished, so he sent a powerful force, led by Count Robert II of Artois. The Flemish response consisted of two groups; one was led by Willem van Gullik, grandson of Count Gwijde, and Pieter de Coninc, one of the leaders of the uprising in Bruges. The other was headed by Gwijde van Namen, son of Count Gwijde, with the two sons of Gwijde van Dampierre, the two groups met near Kortrijk. Robert II of Artois (September 1250 – July 11, 1302) was the posthumous son and heir of Robert I of Artois and Matilda of Brabant. ...

Forces

The Flemish was primarily made of town militia that was well equipped and organized; the urban militias of the time prided themselves on their regular training and preparation. They numbered about 9000, of which 400 were nobles. The biggest difference from the French and other feudal armies was that the army only consisted of infantry. Infantry of the 36th Ulster Division, in the First World War Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot, mainly with small arms and operate within organized military units. ...

The French was by contrast a classic feudal army made up of core of 2,500 noble cavalry, both knights and squires. They were supported by 1,000 crossbowmen, 1,000 pike men and up to 3,500 other light infantry, totaling around 8,000 soldiers.^[1] Contemporary military theory put each knight's worth equal to roughly ten infantry.^[2] Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ... A crossbow is a weapon that fires projectiles called crossbow bolts or quarrels. ... A pike is a pole weapon once used extensively by infantry principally as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. ...

The battle

After the Flemish unsuccessfully tried to take Kortrijk on July 9 and July 10, the two forces clashed on 11 July in an open field near the city. July 9 is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 175 days remaining. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ...

The layout of the field, crossed by numerous ditches and streams, made it difficult for the French cavalry to charge the Flemish lines. They sent the servants to place some wood in the streams but didn't wait for this to be done. The large French infantry force led the initial attack, which went well, but French commander Count Robert II of Artois recalled them so that the noble cavalry could claim the victory. Hindered by their own infantry and the tactically sound position of the Flemish militia, the French cavalry were an easy target for the heavily-armed infantry. When they realized the battle was lost, the surviving French fled, only to be pursued over 10 km by the Flemish. Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ... Robert II of Artois (September 1250 – July 11, 1302) was the posthumous son and heir of Robert I of Artois and Matilda of Brabant. ... Infantry of the 36th Ulster Division, in the First World War Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot, mainly with small arms and operate within organized military units. ... Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ...

Prior to the battle, the Flemish militia had been ordered to take no prisoners; Robert of Artois was surrounded and killed on the field.

Aftermath

The large numbers of golden spurs that were collected from the French knights gave the battle its name; at least a thousand noble cavalry were killed, some contemporary accounts placing the total casualties at over ten thousand dead and wounded. The French spurs were hung in the Church of Our Lady in Kortrijk to commemorate the victory, and were taken back by the French two years later after the battle of Mons-en-Pévèle. A spur is a metal instrument composed of a shank, neck, and prick, rowel (sharp-toothed wheel), or blunted end fastened to the heel of a horseman. ...

Some of the notable casualties:

• Robert II, Count of Artois, the French commander
• Raoul II of Clermont, Lord of Nesle, Constable of France
• Guy I of Clermont, Lord of Breteuil, Marshal of France
• Simon de Melun, Lord of La Loupe and Marcheville, Marshal of France
• John I of Ponthieu, Count of Aumale
• John of Trie, Count of Dammartin
• John II of Brienne, Count of Eu
• John d'Avesnes, Count of Ostrevant
• Godfrey of Brabant, Lord of Aarschot
• Jacques de Châtillon, Lord of Leuze

Robert II of Artois (September 1250 – July 11, 1302) was the posthumous son and heir of Robert I of Artois and Matilda of Brabant. ... The County of Artois was a Carolingian county, established by the counts Odalric and Ecfrid of Artois, then integrated into the County of Flanders, first by Baldwin II of Flanders around 898, then by Arnulf I of Flanders. ... Nesle is a commune of the Somme département, in northern France. ... The Constable of France (French connétable de France, from Latin comes stabulari for count of the stables), as the First Officer of the Crown, was one of the original five Great Officers of the Crown of France (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and chancellor) and Commander in Chief of... There are four things that have the name Breteuil in France: Communes: Breteuil, in the Eure département Breteuil, in the Oise département Persons: Baron de Breteuil Emilie de Breteuil, marquise du Chatelet This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same... The Marshal of France (maréchal de France) was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. ... The Marshal of France (maréchal de France) was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. ... John I of Ponthieu (c. ... Counts of Aumale: Guerinfroi, lord before 996-? Guerinfroi Aymard (son) ?-1048 Berta of Aumale (daugther) 1048-1052 Hug of Ponthieu (count Hug II of Pontieu) 1048-1052 (married with Berta) Enguerran I of Aumale, lord (son) ?-1053 Aelis I of Normandy (wife) 1053-1063 (sister of William I the Conqueror... Dammartin is a small town and commune of France, in the département of Seine-et-Marne, 22 mi. ... John II of Brienne (d. ... This is a list of the counts of Eu, a French fief in the Middle Ages. ... Aarschot is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. ... Leuze-en-Hainaut is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. ...

Consequence

The battle was one in a string during the 14th century that showed that knights could be defeated by disciplined and well equipped infantry. It is also a landmark in the development of Flemish political independence. It is considered one of the main reasons that Dutch is the language spoken in Flanders today. The day is remembered every year in Flanders as the Flemish Community's official holiday. This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ... The term Flemish Community has two distinctive, but closely related meanings: sociologically, politically and culturally, it refers to the Flemish people and all their organisations, media, social and cultural life; one might also speak of the Flemish nation (in a very similar sense as the Scottish nation, the Basque, Catalan...

The battle is romanticised in 1838 by Flemish writer Hendrik Conscience in his book "The Lion of Flanders" (Dutch: "De leeuw van Vlaenderen"). 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Hendrik Conscience (born December 3, 1812 in Antwerp – died September 10, 1883 in Antwerp) was a Flemish writer. ...

Peasant uprising

Another unusual feature of this battle is that it often cited as one of the few successful uprisings of peasants and townsmen, given that at the time most peasant uprisings in Europe were quelled. To quote De Liebaart:

The uprising originated from the people themselves, without being provoked by a lord (the Flemish count and his most important lords were in French captivity). Only when the uprising became widespread, the count's relatives who still were free rushed in to aid. But in the first place this was a struggle of people against a lord (the French king), not the struggle between two lords.

Barbara Tuchman describes this as a peasant uprising in A Distant Mirror. Barbara Wertheim Tuchman (January 30, 1912 – February 6, 1989) was an American historian and author. ... A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, published in 1978, is a work by American historian Barbara Tuchman, focusing on life in 14th century Europe. ...

Even if the army that won was well armed, the initial uprising was still a folk uprising. Eventually however, the Flemish nobles did take their part in the battle - each of the Flemish leaders were of the nobility or descended from nobility, and some 400 of noble blood did fight on the Flemish side.

References

1. ^  Rogers, Clifford J. "The Age of the Hundred Years War." Maurice Keen, ed. Medieval Warfare: A History 136-160. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
2. ^  TeBrake, William H. A Plague of Insurrection: Popular Politics and Peasant Revolt in Flanders, 1323-1328. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993.
3. ^  Verbruggen, J.F. The Battle of the Golden Spurs: Courtrai, 11 July 1302 ISBN 085115888

External links

• Battle of the Golden Spurs
• contemporary account from the Annales Gandenses (Annals of Ghent)
• The Battle of Courtrai