Pieter+de+Coninck

Pieter de Coninck was a weaver from Bruges who was known for his role in the events surrounding the Battle of the Golden Spurs. Although he didn’t lead the battle, he held in an important position in an uprising that led to the Battle of the Golden Spurs. He and his two sons were knighted right before the battle.

In June of 1301, Pieter de Coninck was viewed as a troublemaker by the Bruges government and was sent to prison. He was eventually set free by the people of Bruges, but only to be banished by the Leliaarts, who were a political support group of the French rules and were run by Governor Jacques de Chatillon. In December of 1301, de Coninck restored his authority in Bruges. On May 1, 1302, de Coninck led a gang of rebels that took control of the castle of Male and Sijsele. In the Male attack, his gang of rebels killed the all of the French troops. When the governor of Bruges, Jacques de Chatillon, received word, he again banished de Coninck from the city by using the force of 800 men. On May 18, 1302, during the Bruges Matins, almost all the French who were in Bruges were killed. After the Bruges of Matins, de Coninck led a group of Bruges militia to clear the coastal area from French stragglers and insurgents. After a failed attempt to seize the castle of Cassal, they went on to Courtrai where a Flemish army was gathering to stop the attack.

To this day, there is a statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck in Bruges, Belgium. It was built in 1887 and is the center-piece of the Market Square. It represents the two leaders of the Battle of the Golden Spurs from 1302 who led a group that rose against the French and made Flanders independent.