The
Battle of the Golden Spurs (Dutch:
, French:
, or
Battle of Courtrai) was fought on July 11, 1302, near
KortrijkKortrijk is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders. The wider municipality comprises the city of Kortrijk proper and the towns of Aalbeke, Bellegem, Bissegem, Heule, Kooigem, Marke, and Rollegem.The city is situated on the Leie River, 42 km southwest of...
in
FlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands...
. The date of the battle is the official celebration day of the
Flemish communityThe term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings:# Culturally and sociologically, it refers to Flemish organizations, media, social and cultural life; alternative expressions for this concept might be the "Flemish people" or the "Flemish nation"...
in
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
.
Background
The reason for the battle was a French attempt to subdue the county of
FlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands...
, which was formally part of the French kingdom and added to the
crown landCrown land is a designated area belonging to the Crown, the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it....
s in 1297, but resisted centralist French policies. In 1300, the French king
Philip IVPhilip IV , called the Fair , son and successor of Philip III, reigned as King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305...
appointed
Jacques de ChâtillonJacques de Châtillon was Seigneur de Leuze, de Condé, de Carency, de Huquoy et d'Aubigny, the son of Guy III, Count of Saint-Pol and Matilda of Brabant....
as governor of Flanders and took the Count of Flanders,
Guy of DampierreGuy of Dampierre was the count of Flanders during the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302.-History:...
, hostage. This instigated considerable unrest among the influential Flemish urban
guildA guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade.The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel and a secret society...
s.
After being exiled from their homes by French troops, the citizens of
BrugesBruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
went back to their own city and
murderMurder, as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed every Frenchman they could find there on May 18, 1302, known as the
Brugse MettenThe Bruges Matins or Brugse Metten was the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by the members of the local Flemish militia on 18 May, 1302. The title of the massacre was an analogy to the Sicilian Vespers. The massacre has been compared to the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre...
. According to legend, they identified the French by asking them to pronounce a Dutch phrase,
(shield and friend), and everyone who had a problem pronouncing this
shibbolethShibboleth is any distinguishing practice which is indicative of one's social or regional origin.It usually refers to features of language, and particularly to a word whose pronunciation identifies its speaker as being a member or not a member of a particular group.-Origin:The term originates from...
was killed.
Forces
The French king could not let this go unpunished, so he sent a powerful force, led by Count
Robert II of ArtoisRobert II was the Count of Artois, the posthumous son and heir of Robert I and Matilda of Brabant.An experienced soldier, he took part in the Aragonese Crusade and attempted an invasion of Sicily in 1287. He defeated the Flemings in 1297 at the Battle of Furnes...
. The Flemish response consisted of two groups; one group which consisted of 3,000 men from the city militia of
BrugesBruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
, was led by
William of JülichWilliam of Jülich was one of the Flemish noblemen that opposed the annexation policies of the French king Philip IV - together with Pieter de Coninck....
, grandson of Count Guy, and Pieter de Coninck, one of the leaders of the uprising in Bruges. The other group, which consisted of about 2,500 men from the suburbs of Bruges and the coastal areas, was headed by
Guy of NamurGuy of Dampierre, Count of Zeeland, also called Guy of Namur , a younger son of Guy, Count of Flanders and Isabelle of Luxembourg, was Lord of Ronse....
, son of Count Guy, with the two sons of Guy of Dampierre; the two groups met near
KortrijkKortrijk is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders. The wider municipality comprises the city of Kortrijk proper and the towns of Aalbeke, Bellegem, Bissegem, Heule, Kooigem, Marke, and Rollegem.The city is situated on the Leie River, 42 km southwest of...
. From the East came another 2,500 men, led by
Jan BorluutJan Borluut was a patrician from Ghent.Jan Borluut was born into a rich patrician family of wool merchants, members of which continuously held magistrate positions in the city of Ghent from the 13th to the 16th century.After committing manslaughter in a feud with another patrician, he was banned ,...
from
GhentGhent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, and yet another 1,000 men from
YpresYpres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
, led by Jan van Renesse from
ZeelandZeeland , also called Zealand in English and Zeelandic, is a province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg...
.
The Flemish were primarily town militia who were well equipped, with such weapons as the
GoedendagThe goedendag was a weapon originally used by the militias of Medieval Flanders in the 14th. Century. It was a wooden staff roughly five feet long with a diameter of roughly four inches. It was wider at one end, and at this end a sharp metal spike was inserted by a tang...
and a long spear known as the
Geldon. They were also well organized; the urban militias of the time prided themselves on their regular training and preparation, which allowed them to use the Geldon effectively. 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
infantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of the Combat Arms they are the backbone of armies...
, with only the leaders mounted, more to express their leadership as for actual combat.
The French were by contrast a classic feudal army made up of a core of 2,500 noble
cavalryCavalry were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. Cavalry were historically the second oldest and most mobile of the combat arms...
, including knights and squires. They were supported by 1,000
crossbowA crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a siege engine resembling a crossbow in mechanism and appearance.Crossbows historically played a...
men, 1,000
spearA spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a sharpened head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be of another material fastened to the shaft, such as obsidian, iron or bronze...
men and up to 3,500 other light infantry, totaling around 8,000. Contemporary military theory valued each knight as equal to roughly ten infantry.
The Battle
After the Flemish unsuccessfully tried to take
KortrijkKortrijk is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders. The wider municipality comprises the city of Kortrijk proper and the towns of Aalbeke, Bellegem, Bissegem, Heule, Kooigem, Marke, and Rollegem.The city is situated on the Leie River, 42 km southwest of...
on July 9 and July 10, the two forces clashed on 11 July in an open field near the city.
The layout of the field, crossed by numerous ditches and streams, made it difficult for the French
cavalryCavalry were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. Cavalry were historically the second oldest and most mobile of the combat arms...
to charge the Flemish lines. They sent servants to place wood in the streams but did not 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 ArtoisRobert II was the Count of Artois, the posthumous son and heir of Robert I and Matilda of Brabant.An experienced soldier, he took part in the Aragonese Crusade and attempted an invasion of Sicily in 1287. He defeated the Flemings in 1297 at the Battle of Furnes...
recalled them so that the noble cavalry could claim the victory. Hindered by their own
infantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of the Combat Arms they are the backbone of armies...
and the tactically sound position of the Flemish militia, the French
cavalryCavalry were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. Cavalry were historically the second oldest and most mobile of the combat arms...
were an easy target for the heavily-armed Flemish. When they realized the battle was lost, the surviving French fled, only to be pursued over by the Flemish.
Prior to the battle, the Flemish militia had either been ordered to take no prisoners or did not care for the military custom of asking for a ransom for captured knights or nobles; modern theory is that there was a clear order that forbade them to take prisoners as long as the battle was as yet undecided (this was to avoid the possibility of their ranks being broken when the Flemish infantry brought their hostages behind the Flemish lines). Robert of Artois was surrounded and killed on the field.
Aftermath
The large numbers of golden
spurA spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids and to back up the natural aids . The spur is used in every equestrian discipline...
s that were collected from the French knights gave the battle its name; 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 eighty years later after the Battle of Westrozebeke.
Some of the notable casualties:
- Robert II
Robert II was the Count of Artois, the posthumous son and heir of Robert I and Matilda of Brabant.An experienced soldier, he took part in the Aragonese Crusade and attempted an invasion of Sicily in 1287. He defeated the Flemings in 1297 at the Battle of Furnes...
, Count of Artois, the French commander
- Raoul II of Clermont, Lord of Nesle
Nesle is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France.-Geography:Situated at the junction of the D930 and D337 roads, some southwest of Saint-Quentin. The Ingon, a small stream, passes through the commune.-Population:...
, Constable of FranceThe Constable of France , as the First Officer of the Crown, was one of the original five Great Officers of the Crown of France and Commander in Chief of the army...
- Guy I of Clermont, Lord of Breteuil
-Places:Breteuil is the name of two communes in France:*Breteuil, in the Eure département*Breteuil, in the Oise département...
, Marshal of FranceThe Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
- Simon de Melun, Lord of La Loupe and Marcheville, Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
- John I of Ponthieu, Count of Aumale
- John of Trie, Count of Dammartin
- John II of Brienne
John II of Brienne was the son of John I of Brienne, Count of Eu and Beatrice of Saint-Pol. He succeeded his father as Count of Eu in 1294....
, Count of Eu
- John d'Avesnes, Count of Ostrevant
- Godfrey of Brabant, Lord of Aarschot
The Duke of Aarschot was one of the most important titles in the Low Countries, named after the Flemish city of Aarschot. The title was held by the House of Croÿ and the House of Arenberg...
- Jacques de Châtillon
Jacques de Châtillon was Seigneur de Leuze, de Condé, de Carency, de Huquoy et d'Aubigny, the son of Guy III, Count of Saint-Pol and Matilda of Brabant....
, Lord of LeuzeLeuze-en-Hainaut is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Hainaut. It consists of the former municipalities of Leuze-en-Hainaut, Grandmetz, Thieulain, Blicquy, Chapelle-à-Oie, Chapelle-à-Wattines, Pipaix, Tourpes, Willaupuis and Gallaix....
- Pierre de Flotte
Pierre Flote or Pierre Flotte was a French legalist, Chancellor and Keeper of the Seals of Philip IV the Fair....
, Chief Advisor to Philip IV the Fair.
Historical consequences
The battle was one in a string during the 14th century (started as early as 1297 by the battle of
Stirling BridgeThe Battle of Stirling Bridge was a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence. On 11 September 1297, the forces of Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated the combined English forces of John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey and Hugh de Cressingham near Stirling, on the River Forth.-The...
) that showed that knights could be defeated by disciplined and well-equipped infantry (one other example is the
Battle of SempachThe Battle of Sempach was fought on July 9, 1386 between Leopold III, Duke of Austria, and the Old Swiss Confederacy.Duke Leopold III, after he unsuccessfully tried to establish a cheap peace, decided to assemble his forces in order to save possessions and honor of his house...
in 1386). The Scots then applied this idea of attacking infantry and brought it to the battlefield at
BannockburnThe Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence. It was the decisive battle in the First War of Scottish Independence.-Prelude:...
, where the Scottish
schiltronA schiltron is a group of soldiers wielding outward-pointing pikes or other polearms, to ward off cavalry attacks...
charged English cavalry and routed them. It is also a landmark in the development of Flemish political independence and the day is remembered every year in Flanders as the
Flemish CommunityThe term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings:# Culturally and sociologically, it refers to Flemish organizations, media, social and cultural life; alternative expressions for this concept might be the "Flemish people" or the "Flemish nation"...
's
official holidayThe Day of the Flemish Community of Belgium, also known as the Flemish Community Day, is celebrated every year on 11 July in remembrance for the Battle of Golden Spurs or Guldensporenslag and is observed only by the Flemish Community of Belgium.- History :...
.
The battle was romanticised in 1838 by Flemish writer
Hendrik ConscienceHenri "Hendrik" Conscience was a Flemish writer. He was a pioneer in writing in Dutch after the secession from the Netherlands in 1830 left Belgium a mostly French speaking country....
in his book
The Lion of Flanders (Dutch: "
"). 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.
Barbara TuchmanBarbara Wertheim Tuchman was an American self-trained historian and author. She became best known for top-selling book The Guns of August, a history of the prelude and first month of World War I which won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction.As an author, Tuchman focused on producing...
describes this as a peasant uprising in
A Distant MirrorA Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, published in 1978, is a work by American historian Barbara Tuchman, focusing on life in 14th century Europe....
. 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.
The outcome of the battle - the fact that a large cavalry force, thought invincible, had been annihilated by a relatively modest but well-armed and tactically intelligent infantry - was a shock to the military leaders of Europe. It contributed to the end of the perceived supremacy of cavalry and led to a deep re-thinking of military strategies.
External links
- http://www.liebaart.org/gulden_e.htm