J.F.Verbruggen, The Battle of the Golden Spurs: Courtrai, 11 July 1302, ed. Kelly de Vries, trans. David Richard Ferguson: in the series Warfare in History, general editors M.Bennett, D. Parrott, H. Strachan. (Woodbridge and Rochester NY, The Boydell Press, 2002) xxvi + 267 pp.

As Matthew Bennett, one of the General Editors of Warfare in History, makes clear in his Introduction to this new edition, this book, originally published in 1952 as De Slag der Guldensporen: Bijdrage tot de geschiedenis van Vlaanderens Vrijheidsoorlog, 1297-1305, has become a classic of military history. Battle history may be seen by some as old-fashioned but here ‘it is as compelling an analysis of a past event as it is possible to achieve.’ This is high praise indeed and this attitude is echoed by de Vries who describes the battle itself as ‘incredibly important for the entire history of the later Middle Ages.’

            It is certainly the case that this book provides a very full account of the battle in all its aspects. A preface and introduction gives the political background to the conflict between supporters of Guy de Dampierre, usually seen as advocating a degree of independence for Flanders , and those of Philip the Fair, King of France and also Prince of Flanders. Part I then gives an overview of the historiography of the subject and an exhaustive study of the various contemporary sources. To a reader who is not already conversant with the events of the battle this section can be a little confusing. Verbruggen discusses the way in which each source treats various contentious aspects of the battle before making plain what is his view of the general drift of events. Similarly it is hard to ascertain the bibliographic details of the MS sources, the number of copies in which they exist and any relationship between them.  At times also the translation seems stiff and perhaps overly literal.

            Part two of the book consists of a detailed description of the battle including the terrain on which it was fought, the relative strength of the two armies involved and the tactics employed. There is also a section on the chest preserved at New College, Oxford which commemorates the battle, celebrating the Flemish forces. The section on the terrain at Courtrai is particularly valuable given the importance of the position of watercourses on the battlefield and the influence which they had on its eventual outcome. It is therefore a pity that the maps, particularly that showing the Groeninge stream as it is today are not easy to follow. Verbruggen uses the evidence of the chest (hardly known of when this book first appeared, particularly in Flanders) to good effect. He points out that from this source alone the view that the Flemish forces consisted of ‘poor and lowly characters’ can be refuted; the Flemings rather had justified pride in their ‘sturdy’ weapons. The description of the battle itself makes stirring reading with the various phases of the fighting and the forces involved clearly indicated.

            Verbruggen’s final conclusions divide into two: on the one hand he sees the battle as of enormous importance in establishing the national identity of Flanders given expression in the confidence and cohesion of the town militias. On the other hand he places it in the series of major victories won by foot soldiers over cavalry in the late medieval period. In this context he emphasises its importance in the development of military tactics.

            Overall this study, in fact of a whole campaign culminating in a decisive battle rather than just the battle itself, was worth bringing to a wider audience. Verbruggen’s own nationalistic sympathies are not hidden in this account of a crucial moment in the history of Flanders but his scholarship and understanding of medieval warfare allow the general interest and importance of these events to shine through.

Susan Rose,

University of Surrey Roehampton.