View source for Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle

{{Short description|1304 battle of the Franco-Flemish War}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle
|partof=the [[Franco-Flemish War (1297-1305)|Franco-Flemish War]]
|image= Bataille-de-Mons-en-Pévèle.jpg
|image_size = 300
|caption=''The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle'', by [[Charles Philippe Larivière]] (1839)
|date=18 August 1304
|place=[[Mons-en-Pévèle]], [[County of Flanders]]<br/><small>(modern [[France]])</small>
|result= French victory{{sfn|Curveiller|1989|p=34}}<br>[[Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge]]{{sfn|Curveiller|1989|p=34}}
|combatant1=[[Kingdom of France]]
|combatant2=[[County of Flanders]]
|commander1=[[Philip IV of France|Philip IV]]<br>[[Foulques du Merle]]
|commander2=[[William of Jülich]] {{KIA}}<br>[[Philip of Chieti]]<br>[[John I, Marquis of Namur|John I of Namur]]
|| strength1=3,000 knights{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=34}}<br>10,000 infantry{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=34}}
|strength2=12,000–15,000 infantry{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=35}}
|casualties1=1,800{{sfn|Verbruggen|1997|p=203}}–7,000{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=33}}
|casualties2=1,500{{sfn|Verbruggen|1997|p=203}}–8,000{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=33}}
}}
{{Franco-Flemish War (1297-1305)}}
The '''Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle''' (or '''Pevelenberg''') was fought on 18 August 1304 between the French and the [[Flemish people|Flemish]]. The French were led by their king, [[Philip IV of France|Philip IV]].
== Prelude ==
The French king wanted revenge for the defeat in [[Battle of the Golden Spurs]] in 1302 after which the Flemish retook [[Douai]] and [[Lille]]. By early 1304, the French king was ready to attack the Flemish rebels. The French army, led by the king himself and by [[Foulques du Merle]], marched north to attack William of Julich's force, and the French navy sailed to [[Zeeland]] to unite with the army of Hainault and Holland. It was the combined northern force in Zeeland that struck the first blow on 10–11 August, when it soundly defeated Guy of Namur's army and navy at the [[Battle of Zierikzee]]. Guy was captured, and the Flemish conquest of Holland was halted.{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=32}}
[[Philip of Chieti]], son of [[Guy, Count of Flanders]], had gathered a strong Flemish army to stop the French invasion and taken up positions on [[Mons-en-Pévèle]].
==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 IV, Count of Saint-Pol|Guy de Saint-Pol]], tried to surround the Flemish, it was pushed back. The furious Flemish then decided to launch a frontal attack and surprised the French, who thought that the battle was over for the day.
The Flemish had reached the royal tent and attacked [[Philip IV of France|Philip IV]]. He escaped only because some knights around him covered his flight and paid with their lives for the act.{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=40}} Assisted with mounting his horse, Philip counterattacked but had his horse killed under him.{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=41}} By then, [[William of Jülich]] had been killed in a counterattack that Philip had managed to launch.{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=44}}
As only the Flemish right wing had attacked, and the left wing under [[John I, Marquis of Namur]] was already leaving the battlefield,{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=40}} the Flemish right wing also withdrew.
The French chose not to pursue the Flemish.
During the Flemish attack on Philip, the [[oriflamme]], a hugely symbolic and significant flag, was lost.{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=35}}
== Aftermath ==
Both sides claimed victory but the French had remained in possession of the battlefield, while the Flemish marched back to Lille.{{sfn|Verbruggen|1997|p=202}} The French also captured [[Douai]] and [[Orchies]] and burned down [[Seclin]].
After further minor engagements, the [[Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge]] was eventually signed on 23 June 1305 which recognized Flemish independence within the kingdom at the cost of the cities of [[Lille]], [[Douai]] and [[Béthune]],{{sfn|DeVries|2006|p=33}} which were annexed by to the [[Crown lands of France|French royal domain]], as well as the payment of exorbitant fines to King [[Philip IV of France|Philip IV]].
== Notes ==
{{reflist |2}}
==References==
*{{cite book |first=Stephane |last=Curveiller |year=1989 |title=Dunkerque, ville et port de Flandre à la fin du Moyen âge: à travers les comptes de bailliage de 1358 à 1407 |publisher=Presses Univ. Septentrion }}
*{{cite book |title=Infantry Warfare in the Early Fourteenth Century: Discipline, Tactics, and Technology  |first=Kelly |last=DeVries |publisher=The Boydell Press |year=2006 }}
*{{cite journal |first=Georges |last=Six |title=La bataille de Mons-en-Pévèle (18 août 1304) |journal=Annales de l'Est et du Nord |volume=1 |issue=2 |year=1905 |url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k875534s }}
*{{cite journal |first=J. F. |last=Verbruggen |title=De slag bij de Pevelenberg |journal=Bijdragen voor de geschiedenis der Nederlanden |volume=6 |year=1952 |pages=169–98}}
*{{cite book |title=The Art of Warfare in Western Europe During the Middle Ages: From the Eighth Century to 1340 |first=J. F. |last=Verbruggen |year=1997 |publisher=The Boydell Press}}
*{{cite book |title=The Battle of the Golden Spurs: Courtrai, 11 July 1302 |last=Verbruggen |first=J. F. |orig-year=1952 |year=2002 |publisher=Boydell Press |location=Woodbridge |isbn=0-85115-888-9 |edition=rev.}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=June 2017}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Mons-en-Pevele}}
[[Category:1304 in Europe]]
[[Category:1300s in France]]
[[Category:Battles involving Flanders|Mons en Pevele]]
[[Category:Battles involving France|Mons en Pevele]]
[[Category:Battles of the Middle Ages|Mons en Pevele]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1304|Mons en Pevele]]
[[Category:Franco-Flemish War]]
[[Category:14th century in the county of Flanders]]