The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle (or Pevelenberg) was fought on 18 August 1304 between the French and the
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
. The French were led by their king,
Philip IV.
Prelude
The French king wanted revenge for the defeat in
Battle of the Golden Spurs
The Battle of the Golden Spurs ( nl, Guldensporenslag; french: Bataille des éperons d'or) was a military confrontation between the royal army of France and rebellious forces of the County of Flanders on 11 July 1302 during the Franco-Flemis ...
in 1302, after which the Flemish had retaken
Douai
Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...
and
Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
. By the beginning of 1304, the French king was ready to attack the Flemish rebels. While the French army, led by the king himself and
Foulques du Merle
Foulques or Foucaud du Merle (died 1314) was a Marshal of France, Seigneur of Gacé and Bellou-en-Houlme, and Baron of Le Merlerault, Briouze and Messei.
Du Merle was the son of Guillaume VI du Merle and Marie de Nollent. He served Philip III ...
, marched north to attack William of Julich's force, the French navy sailed to
Zeeland
, nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge")
, anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem")
, image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg
, map_alt =
, m ...
to unite with the army of Hainault and Holland. It was this combined northern force in Zeeland which struck the first blow on 10–11 August when it soundly defeated Guy of Namur's army and navy at the
Battle of Zierikzee
The battle of Zierikzee was a naval battle between a Flemish fleet and an allied Franco-Hollandic fleet which took place on 10 and 11 August 1304. The battle, fought near the town of Zierikzee, ended in a Franco-Dutch victory. The battle is part of ...
; Guy was captured and the Flemish conquest of Holland was halted.
Philip of Chieti
{{no footnotes, date=November 2012
Philip of Chieti (1263–1308) was the 8th and youngest child of Guy, Count of Flanders and his first wife Matilda of Béthune.
Philip was destined for a career in the church and studied for that purpose in Paris ...
, son of
Guy, Count of Flanders
Guy of Dampierre (french: Gui de Dampierre; nl, Gwijde van Dampierre) ( – 7 March 1305, Compiègne) was the Count of Flanders (1251–1305) and Marquis of Namur (1264–1305). He was a prisoner of the French when his Flemings defeated th ...
, had gathered a strong Flemish army to stop the French invasion and taken up positions on the
Pévèle hill.
The battle
After a day of fighting the outcome was undecided and negotiations were opened between 17:00 and 18:30. When a French force under
Guy de Saint-Pol tried to surround the Flemish, he was pushed back. Now the furious Flemish decided to launch a frontal attack, and surprised the French, who thought the battle was over for the day.
The Flemish had reached the royal tent, attacking
Philip IV. He only escaped because some knights around him covered his flight, paying for this act with their lives. Assisted with mounting his horse, Philip counterattacked, but had his horse killed under him. By then
William of Jülich
William of Jülich, called the Younger (Dutch: ''Willem van Gulik de Jongere''; died August 18, 1304), was one of the Flemish noblemen that opposed the annexation policies of the French king Philip IV, together with Pieter de Coninck.
He was al ...
was killed in a counterattack that Philip had managed to launch.
As only the Flemish right wing had attacked, and the left wing under
John I, Marquis of Namur
John I (1267 – 31 January 1330) was the count of Namur from 1305 to 1330. He was a member of the House of Dampierre, the son of Guy of Dampierre, Count of Flanders and Marquis of Namur, and his second wife Isabelle of Luxembourg. John was the f ...
was already leaving the battlefield, the Flemish right wing also withdrew.
The French chose not to pursue the Flemish.
During the Flemish attack on Philip, the
oriflamme
The Oriflamme (from Latin ''aurea flamma'', "golden flame"), a pointed, blood-red banner flown from a gilded lance, was the battle standard of the King of France in the Middle Ages. The oriflamme originated as the sacred banner of the Abbey of St ...
, a hugely symbolic and significant flag, was lost.
Aftermath
Both sides claimed victory: but the French remained in possession of the battlefield, while the Flemish marched back to Lille. The French also captured
Douai
Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...
and
Orchies
Orchies (; nl, Oorschie) is a commune in the department of Nord in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.
Orchies is the biggest town of the Pévèle. It is especially known for its ''Musée de la chicorée'', the museum of chicory.
...
and burned down
Seclin
Seclin () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille.
Population
Notable residents
* Andre Ayew, Ghana national football team footballer
*Victor Mollet, architect
*Jonathan Rouss ...
.
After further minor battles, eventually the
Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge
The Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge was a peace treaty signed on 23 June 1305 between King Philip IV of France and Robert III of Flanders. The treaty was signed at Athis-sur-Orge after the Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle and concluded the Franco-Flemish War ...
was signed on 23 June 1305 which recognized Flemish independence, at the cost of the cities of
Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
,
Douai
Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...
and
Béthune
Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department.
Geography
Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated south-east of Calais, ...
, which were transferred to France, and the paying of exorbitant fines to King
Philip IV.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Mons-en-Pevele
1304 in Europe
1300s in France
Mons en Pevele
Mons en Pevele
Mons en Pevele
Mons en Pevele
Franco-Flemish War
14th century in the county of Flanders