The Bruges Matins (Brugse Metten) and the Flemish Revolt Against France (1302)

On the night of May 18, 1302, a Flemish insurrection, led by Pieter de Coninck and Jan Breydel, launched a coordinated attack against the French garrison in Bruges. This event, later known as the Bruges Matins (Brugse Metten), marked the beginning of the Flemish Revolt against French rule and played a pivotal role in the events leading to the Battle of the Golden Spurs.

The Attack on the French Garrison

• Under cover of darkness, Flemish rebels stormed houses where French troops were stationed.
• According to tradition, to distinguish between French occupiers and native Flemings, they forced suspected French speakers to pronounce a shibboleth:
  • "Schild en vriend" ("Shield and friend")—a phrase difficult for French speakers to pronounce correctly.
  • An alternative version suggests the phrase "Des gildens vriend" ("Friend of the guilds").
• French governor Jacques de Châtillon and a few survivors managed to escape, but the majority of the French troops in Bruges were slaughtered.

Aftermath and Flemish Resistance

• The massacre galvanized popular support for the Count of Flanders, Guy of Dampierre, who had been imprisoned by Philip IV of France since 1299.
• In response to the insurrection, Philip IV sent a large army to crush the rebellion, leading to the Battle of the Golden Spurs (July 11, 1302), where the Flemish forces decisively defeated the French knights.
• The Bruges Matins drew comparisons to the Sicilian Vespers (1282), another popular uprising against foreign rule.

Legacy and Commemoration

• Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck became celebrated as national heroes in Flanders for their role in the rebellion.
• Their statues, commissioned through the efforts of Julius Sabbe, were erected in the market square of Bruges in 1887, symbolizing Flemish resistance and independence.
• The Bruges Matins remains a defining moment in Flemish history, symbolizing the struggle against foreign domination and the assertion of regional autonomy.

The Bruges Matins of 1302 was not just a violent insurrection but a turning point in Flemish resistance against French rule, laying the groundwork for one of the most significant battles in medieval European history.