A popular history of France : from the earliest times . d more profound character than the personalwoes of Flemish princes. James de Chatillon, the governorassigned by Philip the Handsome to Flanders, was a greedy op-pressor of it; the municipal authorities whom the victories orthe gold of Philip had demoralized became the objects of pop-ular hatred; and there was an outburst of violent sedition. Asimple weaver, obscure, poor, undersized, and one-eyed, but val-iant, and eloquent in his Flemish tongue, one Peter Deconing,became the leader of revolt in Bruges; accomplices flocked tohim from near
A popular history of France : from the earliest times . d more profound character than the personalwoes of Flemish princes. James de Chatillon, the governorassigned by Philip the Handsome to Flanders, was a greedy op-pressor of it; the municipal authorities whom the victories orthe gold of Philip had demoralized became the objects of pop-ular hatred; and there was an outburst of violent sedition. Asimple weaver, obscure, poor, undersized, and one-eyed, but val-iant, and eloquent in his Flemish tongue, one Peter Deconing,became the leader of revolt in Bruges; accomplices flocked tohim from nearly all the towns of Flanders; and he found alliesamongst their neighbors. In 1302 war again broke out; but itwas no longer a war between Philip the Handsome and Guy deDampierre: it was a war between the Flemish communes andtheir foreign oppressors. Everywhere resounded the cry ofinsurrection: Our bucklers and our friends for the lion ofFlanders! Death to all Walloons! Philip the Handsomeprecipitately levied an army of sixty thousand men, says Villani,. BATTLE OF COURTRAI. —Page 167. Chap. XVIII.] THE KINGSHIP IN FRANCE. 167 and gave the command of it to Count Robert of Artois, thehero of Furnes. The forces of the Flemings amounted to nomore than twenty thousand fighting men. The two armies metnear Courtrai. The French chivalry were full of ardor andconfidence ; and the Italian archers in their service began theattack with some success. My lord, said one of his knightsto the Count of Artois, these knaves will do so well thatthey will gain the honor of the day; and, if they alone put anend to the war, what will be left for the noblesse to do ? Attack, then! answered the prince. Two grand attackssucceeded one another ; the first under the orders of the Consta-ble Raoul of Nesle, the second under those of the Count ofArtois in person. After two hours fighting, both failed againstthe fiery national passion of the Flemish communes, and thetwo French leaders, the Constable and the C
Size: 1316px × 1900px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorguizotmf, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookyear1870
