Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, medieval

Battle of the Golden Spurs

Battle of the Golden Spurs was a battle fought on 11 July 1302 at Kortrijk, in what is now Belgium. It was part of the Franco-Flemish War, which ran from 1297 to 1305. The recorded result: Flemish victory.

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Goedendag on chest of Kortrijk – Flemish soldiers at the Battle of Courtrai (also known as the "Battle of the Golden Spurs"). Troops in the center of the column have the goedendag or plançon, a heavy
Goedendag on chest of Kortrijk – Flemish soldiers at the Battle of Courtrai (also known as the "Battle of the Golden Spurs"). Troops in the center of the column have the goedendag or plançon, a heavy . Unknown sculptor, Chest of Courtrai, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought11 July 1302
WhereKortrijk, Belgium50.829N, 3.276E
OutcomeFlemish victory
BelligerentsCounty of Flanders; County of NamuragainstKingdom of France
Casualties and losses~100–300 killedand~1,000–1,500 men-at-arms and knights killed
Part ofFranco-Flemish War1297 to 1305

Where it sits in the Franco-Flemish War

Battle of Furnes, 1297Battle of the Golden Spurs, 1302Battle of Arques, 1303Siege of Tournai, 1303Battle of Zierikzee, 1304Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle, 130412971304Battle of the Golden Spurs, 1302
6 placed engagements of the Franco-Flemish War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date11 July 1302
PlaceKortrijk, Belgium
50.829N, 3.276E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength8,400–10,400; 8,000–10,000 militia infantry; 400 men-at-arms8,000–8,500; 1,000 pikemen; 1,000 crossbowmen; 3,500 assorted infantry; 2,500–3,000 men-at-arms; and knights
Casualties and losses~100–300 killed~1,000–1,500 men-at-arms and knights killed
Commanders
  • William of Jülich
  • Guy of Namur
  • John I of Namur
  • Pieter de Coninck
  • Jan Borluut
  • Jan van Renesse
  • Robert II of Artois
  • John I, Count of Dammartin
Battle of the Golden SpursBattle of the Golden SpursBattle of FlorennesBattle of CourtraiBattle at CourtraiBattle of CourtraiBattle of MouscronBrusselsRotterdamAntwerpenCharleroiBruggeAmiensCalaisDieppe100 km50.829N, 3.276E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of the Golden Spurs
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of the Golden Spurs today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-08-12. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 26 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 3 to 70 m, 67 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 53% built-up, 28% tree cover, 12% grassland.

built-up: 53%tree cover: 28%grassland: 12%cropland: 6%built-up 53%tree cover 28%grassland 12%cropland 6%
west to east, 10.0 km6 to 33 mnorth to south, 10.0 km6 to 48 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 5 times between 1015 and 1918.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1302

Battle of the Golden Spurs is one of 566 engagements of the 14th century in the atlas and one of 243 in present-day Belgium.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q44732, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Golden Spurs, revision 1377726388, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.