"The Battle(s) of the Spurs."

The name, "Battle of the Spurs," has been given to two different battles. First, the Battle of Courtrai (1302). When Flanders revolted against France, the French were massacred on every side, and Philip IV., the Fair, ordered his army into Flanders. They met the Flemings under the walls of Courtrai. On the French side there were 50,000 knights, well disciplined; of the Flemings, 20,000 were weavers and traders. Without waiting to reconnoitre the ground, the French charged at full gallop and fell headlong into a ditch in front of the Flemish line. The sturdy weavers made good use of their advantage, and the flower of French chivalry perished. Four thousand, some say seven thousand, gilt spurs were collected and hung up in the cathedral at Courtrai; hence the contest came to be known as the "Battle of the Spurs." The other battle so-called was between the English and French at Guineagate, near Calais (1513), in which the English were victorious. This was called the "Battle of the Spurs," not because of the number of spurs taken from the dead, but on account of the good use made of them by the French cavalry, who plied them vigorously in their ignominious flight.