Statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck 03

Pieter de Coninck (died 1332 or 1333) was a weaver from

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

well known for his role in the events surrounding the

Battle of the Golden Spurs The Battle of the Golden Spurs (; ) or 1302 Battle of Courtrai was a military confrontation between the royal army of Kingdom of France, France and rebellious forces of the County of Flanders on 11 July 1302 during the 1297–1305 Franco-Flem ...

. He was not the head of the weavers' guild as is popularly believed (mostly because he was portrayed as such in the novel '' The Lion of Flanders'' by Hendrik Conscience). Together with Jan Breydel, a butcher, he was in the forefront of the popular uprising that led to the Battle of the Golden Spurs. Right before that battle he was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed together with two of his sons.

Biography

Before the Battle of the Golden Spurs began he was seen by the city government of

as a dangerous oproerkraaier and was imprisoned in June 1301. He was freed by the people of Bruges. Afterwards, the ''Leliaarts'', a political faction supporting French rule, took over control of the city. Jacques de Châtillon, the then appointed

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

County of Flanders The County of Flanders was one of the most powerful political entities in the medieval Low Countries, located on the North Sea coast of modern-day Belgium and north-eastern France. Unlike the neighbouring states of Duchy of Brabant, Brabant and ...

, entered Bruges with a small force and de Coninck was banished. Urged on by

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 th ...

, de Coninck restored his authority in Bruges in December 1301. He tried to align the people of

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

on the same side but failed. On 1 May 1302 he was one of the leaders of a gang of rebels who took the

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

of Sijsele and Male. At Male, the rebels killed the entire French garrison. De Châtillon responded by again marching on Bruges with a force of 800 men, and again expelling de Coninck from the city. De Châtillon marched into the city with his army fully clad and battle-ready (against established agreements with the city magistrates) The people of Bruges, fearing bloody preprisals, and in order to protect themselves helped de Coninck to enter the city with his followers during the night. On 18 May 1302, during the so-called Bruges Matins or "''Brugse Metten''", nearly all the French present in Bruges and their ''Leliaart'' supporters were killed. De Châtillon barely managed to escape. After the Bruges Matins, de Coninck was one of the leaders of the Bruges militia that cleared the coastal area from ''Leliaart'' insurgents and French stragglers. After they failed to take the besieged castle of Cassel, they marched onto

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...

(Courtrai) where a Flemish makeshift army was gathering to stop a French army under the command of

Robert II of Artois Robert II (September 1250 – 11 July 1302) was the Count of Artois, the posthumous son and heir of Robert I and Matilda of Brabant. He was a nephew of two kings; Louis IX of France and Charles I of Sicily. A capable military commander and ad ...

. This battle, won by a motley alliance of Flemish and Namur petty nobles and many commoners, was later famously called the

. In 1309, together with Jan Breydel and Jan Heem, he led a new uprising in Bruges, this time against the adverse effects (for Flanders) of the peace of Athis-sur-Orge (1305). In 1321 he again took part in an uprising in Bruges. As a punishment all his possessions were confiscated and sold.

Personal life

Pieter de Coninck was married twice. He died in 1332 or 1333. Together with Jan Breydel he has a statue on the market of Bruges. It was put up in 1887.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coninck, Pieter de 1330s deaths Weavers Military personnel from Bruges Revolts involving Flanders Year of birth unknown 14th-century people from the county of Flanders