Jan Breydel
Encyclopedia
Jan Breydel is credited with leading the Bruges Matins
(Brugse Metten), a violent uprising against Philip the Fair
.
Breydel, who was by trade a butcher, led the Bruges Matins together with Pieter de Coninck, a weaver, in May 1302. About three weeks before, on 1 May that year, they had partaken in an attack on the castle of Male and the complete annihilation of the French garrison there. The city archives of Bruges show that Jan Breydel was present from 8 July until 10 July 1302, in Kortrijk
, as a supplier of meat for the troops. On the basis of this record, it is generally accepted that he had fought on 11 July 1302 in the Battle of the Golden Spurs
.
In 1308, he helped to disengage Willem of Saeftinghe, who had fought on the same side at Kortrijk six years earlier, from the church of Lissewege
where Willem had barricaded himself during an uprising.
In 1309, Breydel, together with Pieter de Coninck and Jan Heem
, again led an uprising in Bruges, aimed against the Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge
(1305) forced upon Flanders
by the French; he killed the substitute of the Count of Flanders
the same year.
Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck have often been portrayed as patriotic heroes in Belgium because of their passion for Flemish identity. Belgian nationalists (like the historian Henri Pirenne
) used to claim they and the actions of their militia prevented Belgium from becoming an integral part of France early on. Flemish nationalists credit them with ensuring the survival of the Dutch language in the western part of Belgium. Jan Breydel himself always regretted that the retrieval of Flemish autonomy meant giving up the French-speaking but culturally Flemish town of Lille
, which was later reconquered by the Burgundians, but lost for good as a result of Louis XIV's annexation wars. The statue Jan Breydel shares with Pieter de Coninck has decorated the Market Place in Bruges ever since 1887.
Bruges Matins
Bruges Matins may refer to:*Bruges Matins *Bruges Matins...
(Brugse Metten), a violent uprising against Philip the Fair
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
.
Breydel, who was by trade a butcher, led the Bruges Matins together with Pieter de Coninck, a weaver, in May 1302. About three weeks before, on 1 May that year, they had partaken in an attack on the castle of Male and the complete annihilation of the French garrison there. The city archives of Bruges show that Jan Breydel was present from 8 July until 10 July 1302, in Kortrijk
Kortrijk
Kortrijk ; , ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders...
, as a supplier of meat for the troops. On the basis of this record, it is generally accepted that he had fought on 11 July 1302 in the Battle of the Golden Spurs
Battle of the Golden Spurs
The Battle of the Golden Spurs, known also as the Battle of Courtrai was fought on July 11, 1302, near Kortrijk in Flanders...
.
In 1308, he helped to disengage Willem of Saeftinghe, who had fought on the same side at Kortrijk six years earlier, from the church of Lissewege
Lissewege
Lissewege is a village and a subdivision in the municipality of Bruges, Belgium. Lissewege also includes Zeebrugge and Zwankendamme....
where Willem had barricaded himself during an uprising.
In 1309, Breydel, together with Pieter de Coninck and Jan Heem
Jan Heem
Jan Heem was a Flemish craftsman and politician. In fact, he is the third and missing man on the statue of Jan Breydel en Pieter de Coninck at the Market of Bruges....
, again led an uprising in Bruges, aimed against the Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge
Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge
The Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge was a peace treaty signed on June 23, 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 War ....
(1305) forced upon Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
by the French; he killed the substitute of the Count of Flanders
Count of Flanders
The Count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders from the 9th century until the abolition of the position by the French revolutionaries in 1790....
the same year.
Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck have often been portrayed as patriotic heroes in Belgium because of their passion for Flemish identity. Belgian nationalists (like the historian Henri Pirenne
Henri Pirenne
Henri Pirenne was a Belgian historian. A medievalist of Walloon descent, he wrote a multivolume history of Belgium in French and became a national hero....
) used to claim they and the actions of their militia prevented Belgium from becoming an integral part of France early on. Flemish nationalists credit them with ensuring the survival of the Dutch language in the western part of Belgium. Jan Breydel himself always regretted that the retrieval of Flemish autonomy meant giving up the French-speaking but culturally Flemish town of Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, which was later reconquered by the Burgundians, but lost for good as a result of Louis XIV's annexation wars. The statue Jan Breydel shares with Pieter de Coninck has decorated the Market Place in Bruges ever since 1887.
Trivia
- The Jan Breydel football stadium of Club BruggeClub BruggeClub Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging is a football club from Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the top clubs in Belgium. Its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,472....
and Cercle Brugge is named after him. - In 2005 he was nominated on a shortlist of 100 famous Belgians for the title of De Grootste Belg (an election of the greatest person in Belgian history), but didn't make it to the final list, ending up at #35.
- Kuzma Minin, the Russian leader of a popular militia that drove the PolesPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
out of RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
at the end of the Time of TroublesTime of TroublesThe Time of Troubles was a period of Russian history comprising the years of interregnum between the death of the last Russian Tsar of the Rurik Dynasty, Feodor Ivanovich, in 1598, and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty in 1613. In 1601-1603, Russia suffered a famine that killed one-third...
in 1612, also happened to be a butcher.