The Battle of Roosebeke (sometimes referred by its contemporary name as Battle of Westrozebeke) took place on 27 November 1382 on the Goudberg between a
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 ...
army under
Philip van Artevelde and a French army under
Louis II of Flanders who had called upon the help of the French king
Charles VI after he had suffered a defeat during the
Battle of Beverhoutsveld. The Flemish army was defeated, Philip van Artevelde was slain and his corpse was put on display.
Prelude
Philip the Bold
Philip II the Bold (; ; 17 January 1342 – 27 April 1404) was Duke of Burgundy and ''jure uxoris'' Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg.
Philip II was ...
had ruled the council of regents from 1380 till 1388, and ruled France during the childhood years of Charles VI, who was Philip's nephew. He deployed the French army in
Westrozebeke to suppress a Flemish rebellion led by Philip van Artevelde, who intended to dispose of Louis II of Flanders. Philip II was married to
Margaret of Flanders, Louis' daughter.
Ghent
Ghent had rebelled against Count Louis II of Flanders. The Count surrounded the city, and when the citizens of Ghent asked for terms, Louis demanded that all men between the ages of 15 and 60 must present themselves with halters around their necks. The count would then decide whom he would pardon and whom he would execute. The men of Ghent determined to fight and on 3 May 1382, under the leadership of Philip Van Artevelde, they issued from their city and smashed Louis' overconfident army at the
Battle of Beverhoutsveld.
Opposing forces
The French nobility, facing an incipient peasant revolt at home, felt forced to move against the upstart Flemish commoners. The French royal party patched up its differences with the unruly citizens of
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
and mounted an expedition on behalf of the Count of Flanders. The French put together a force of 10,000 men south of
Arras
Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the ...
in early November. It contained 6,500 men-at-arms, 2,000 pikemen and 1,500 crossbowmen and archers. Philip the Bold financed and provided one fifth of the force. The army included King Charles VI and the dukes of Burgundy, Bourbon and Berry, lords Clisson, Sancerre,
Coucy, and other notables. 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 ...
was carried for the first time since the
Battle of Poitiers
The Battle of Poitiers was fought on 19September 1356 between a French army commanded by King JohnII and an Anglo- Gascon force under Edward, the Black Prince, during the Hundred Years' War. It took place in western France, south of Poit ...
. A second army, smaller than the first, was assembled to the north at
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 region, the prefecture of the Nord ...
under Count Louis II.
Philip van Artevelde had 30,000–40,000 men, mostly urban levies. His army was besieging Daniel Halewyn's garrison at
Oudenaarde
Oudenaarde (; french: Audenarde ; in English sometimes ''Oudenarde'') is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, ...
. Van Artevelde left a skeleton force to continue the siege and deployed the main part of his force west of Lille.
Action at Comines
On 12 November, the French army began making its way to the north. At the river
Lys near the town of
Comines, the French army was held up by 900 Flemish soldiers commanded by Peter van den Bossche and Peter de Winter. Van Artevelde told the population of
Ypres
Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though
the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality ...
that the French would never cross the Lys. Since the only bridge was broken,
Olivier de Clisson
Olivier V de Clisson (23 April 1336 – 23 April 1407), nicknamed "The Butcher", was a Breton soldier, the son of Olivier IV de Clisson. His father had been put to death by the French in 1343 on the suspicion of having willingly given up the ...
ferried a party of 400 French knights across the river. These volunteers spent an anxious night, then joined battle in the morning. Soon the bridge was rebuilt, the bulk of the French army crossed and the superior force quickly put the Flemish spearmen to flight. Van den Bossche was wounded in the struggle but managed to escape. After this skirmish, a number of Flemish towns sued for peace, paying a stiff ransom to the French king.
[Tuchman, pp. 387-389.]
Battle
van Artevelde decided to make camp on a hill, the Goudberg, situated between Oostnieuwkerke and
Passendale. The French troops lay on the other side of the hill.
On the morning of 27 November, van Artevelde planned to make use of the dense fog and attack the French. To prevent a breakthrough by enemy cavalry he ordered his men to advance in a tight square formation. The French had not forgotten the
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-Flemish ...
, and first engaged the Flemings with a wave of infantry. Van Artevelde managed to repel that attack and decided to attack the French.
The French commander,
Olivier de Clisson
Olivier V de Clisson (23 April 1336 – 23 April 1407), nicknamed "The Butcher", was a Breton soldier, the son of Olivier IV de Clisson. His father had been put to death by the French in 1343 on the suspicion of having willingly given up the ...
, reacted by attacking his opponent's unsecured flanks with heavy cavalry. This caused a panic in the Flemish rear which started to flee. The main body of Flemish troops had no other option than to form a circle. They were pushed back and eventually defeated and Philip van Artevelde was killed.
Aftermath
Philip II could not gain any advantage from this victory. He would become count of Flanders in late January 1384 and needed the economic power of rebellious Ghent. The rebellion lasted till 8 December 1385, when the
peace of Tournai was signed.
Citations
References
*
* Tuchman, Barbara. ''A Distant Mirror.'' New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978.
External links
Buonaccorso Pitti's eyewitness account of the battle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosebeke, Battle Of
Battles involving France
Battles involving Flanders
Battles of the Middle Ages
1382 in Europe
1380s in France
Conflicts in 1382
14th century in the county of Flanders