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 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, Dou ...

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 region, the prefecture of the N ...

. 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, 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 ...

; Guy was captured and the Flemish conquest of Holland was halted. Philip of Chieti, 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 t ...

, 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 ...

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 ...

, 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

and Orchies 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 Wa ...

was signed on 23 June 1305 which recognized Flemish independence, at the cost of the cities of

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

* * * * * * {{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