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. ... Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, political and cultural community of the Flemings, through its social and political organizations, its media, universities, ... ; some prefer to call this the Flemish community, other refers to this as the Flemish nation; a constituent governing institution of the federal Belgian... Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, political and cultural community of the Flemings, through its social and political organizations, its media, universities, ... ; some prefer to call this the Flemish community, other refers to this as the Flemish nation; a constituent governing institution of the federal Belgian... Guy of Namur (died October 1311 in Pavia), a younger son of Guy, Count of Flanders and Isabelle of Luxembourg, was Lord of Ronse. ... 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. ... Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, political and cultural community of the Flemings, through its social and political organizations, its media, universities, ... ; some prefer to call this the Flemish community, other refers to this as the Flemish nation; a constituent governing institution of the federal Belgian...

Background

The reason for the battle was a French attempt to subdue the county of Flanders, which was formally part of the French kingdom and added to the crown lands in 1297, but resisted centralist French policies. 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. Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, political and cultural community of the Flemings, through its social and political organizations, its media, universities, ... ; some prefer to call this the Flemish community, other refers to this as the Flemish nation; a constituent governing institution of the federal Belgian... Crown land is a designated land belonging to the Crown, the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it. ... Events February 22 - Jubilee of Pope Boniface VIII. March 10 - Wardrobe accounts of King Edward I of Englanddo (aka Edward Longshanks) include a reference to a game called creag being played at the town of Newenden in Kent. ... 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 (with a similar skill or craft), 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 ende 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. ... Guy of Namur (died October 1311 in Pavia), a younger son of Guy, Count of Flanders and Isabelle of Luxembourg, was Lord of Ronse. ...

Forces

The Flemish were primarily town militia who were well equipped and organised; the urban militias of the time prided themselves on their regular training and preparation. They numbered about 9,000, including 400 nobles. The biggest difference from the French and other feudal armies was that the Flemish force consisted solely of infantry. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. An infantry is a body of soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other...

The French were by contrast a classic feudal army made up of a core of 2,500 nobles cavalry, including knights and squires. They were supported by 1,000 crossbowmen, 1,000 pikemen and up to 3,500 other light infantry, totaling around 8,000.^[1] Contemporary military theory valued each knight as equal to roughly ten infantry.^[2] Kircholm, a 1925 painting by Wojciech Kossak. ... A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that fires arrow-like projectiles. ... A modern recreation of a company of pikemen. ...

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. Kircholm, a 1925 painting by Wojciech Kossak. ... 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 Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. An infantry is a body of soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other... Kircholm, a 1925 painting by Wojciech Kossak. ...

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^[3]; at least a thousand noble cavaliers 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. ... The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle was fought on August 17, 1304 between French forces and Lowland Rebels. ...

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
• Pierre de Flotte, Chief Advisor to Philip IV the Fair.

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... Breteuil may refer to: Places Breteuil is the name of two communes in France: Breteuil, in the Eure département Breteuil, in the Oise département People Baron de Breteuil Emilie de Breteuil, marquise du Chatelet This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... 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. ... 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. ... Philippe IV, recumbent statue on his tomb, Royal Necropolis, Saint Denis Basilica Philip IV (French: Philippe IV; 1268–November 29, 1314) was King of France from 1285 until his death. ...

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. Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, political and cultural community of the Flemings, through its social and political organizations, its media, universities, ... ; some prefer to call this the Flemish community, other refers to this as the Flemish nation; a constituent governing institution of the federal Belgian... The term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings: culturally and sociologically, it refers to Flemish organisations, media, social and cultural life; alternative expressions for this concept might be the Flemish people or the Flemish nation (in a similar sense as the Scottish nation, the Basque or Catalan); politically...

The battle is romanticised in 1838 by Flemish writer Hendrik Conscience in his book "The Lion of Flanders" (Dutch: "De leeuw van Vlaenderen"). | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 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. ... 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 is 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.

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.^[4]

Barbara Tuchman describes this as a peasant uprising in A Distant Mirror. Though the winning army was well armed, the initial uprising was nonetheless 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. 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. ...

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. ^ KORTRIJK : Battle of the Golden Spurs.. Belgium Travel Network. Retrieved on 2006-03-04.
4. ^ The Battle of Courtrai or the Battle of the Golden Spurs — July 11th 1302. De Liebaart. Retrieved on 2006-03-04.

1. Verbruggen, J.F. The Battle of the Golden Spurs: Courtrai, 11 July 1302 ISBN 085115888

2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ...

External links

• contemporary account from the Annales Gandenses (Annals of Ghent)