An infantry militia defeating a French cavalry force, the battle became a lasting symbol of Flemish identity and inspired the official Flemish Community holiday.
Key Facts
- Date
- 11 July 1302
- French force size
- 8,000 troops, including 2,500 men-at-arms
- Flemish militia size
- 9,400 men from civic militias
- Spurs captured
- 500 pairs, giving the battle its name
- Flemish holiday
- 11 July chosen as official Flemish Community holiday in 1973
- Context
- Part of the 1297–1305 Franco-Flemish War
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After two years of French military occupation and prolonged unrest, Flemish cities revolted against French rule on 18 May 1302, massacring many Frenchmen in Bruges. King Philip IV of France dispatched an army under Count Robert II of Artois to suppress the rebellion, prompting Flemish civic militias to mobilize in defense.
On 11 July 1302, near Kortrijk, the French royal army's cavalry charges repeatedly failed to break the pike formations of the Flemish infantry militia, who were well-trained and fought in favorable terrain. The French men-at-arms suffered a decisive rout, and 500 pairs of golden spurs were stripped from fallen French knights as trophies.
Although France ultimately won the broader Franco-Flemish War, the Flemish victory at Kortrijk became a powerful cultural and political symbol. It was invoked by the Flemish Movement in the 19th and 20th centuries, and in 1973 Belgium designated 11 July as the official holiday of the Flemish Community.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Robert II, Count of Artois.
Side B
1 belligerent