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Bruges Matins (May 1302)
On 18 May 1302 the citizens of Bruges rose against the French garrison occupying their city, killing many French soldiers and officials in a dawn att…
Timeline
- 1302Bruges · FlandersA French garrison under Pieter de Coninck's rival authority and royal bailiffs enforced Philip IV's rule in Bruges, imposing taxes and quartering troops among a population already angered by the imprisonment of Count Guy.
- 1302Bruges · FlandersBruges militiamen and townspeople, reportedly tipped off that French soldiers planned to disarm them, launched a surprise attack at dawn, slaughtering French troops who could not pronounce the Flemish password 'schild en vriend'.
- 1302Bruges · FlandersThe massacre united Flemish cities in open rebellion, prompting Philip IV to dispatch Robert of Artois with a large army, which the Flemish militia would confront at Kortrijk in July.
Sources
- Bruges Matins https://www.britannica.com/event/Bruges-Matins
- The Murder of the French Garrison in Bruges, 18 May 1302 https://www.medievalists.net/2014/05/murder-french-garrison-bruges-18-may-1302/