1327-8: THE PEASANTS ARE REVOLTING. AND THAT'S JUST THEIR TEETH! *RIM SHOT*
"By early 1327, the Peace of Arques was fraying. Louis of Nevers, with typical subtlety, asked for the previously lifted ban to be reapplied, a wish that was granted--the result was the already declining good will towards his government all but collapsed. In an atmosphere of increasing violence, Louis retreated to Ghent, his last remaining stronghold in the region. For the next few months he indulged in desultory efforts to reach an accommodation, and equally desultory efforts to try and gather an army of his own. Neither went anywhere, as the rebels rearmed themselves.
"In 1328, no longer convinced Ghent could hold against his foes, Louis rushed to Paris, and begged the Crown's aid in regaining control. Philip of Valois agreed to deal with 'these unreasoning brutes'[1], and set to work gathering an army. This proved to be an easy task--the prestige of the French Crown joined with the increasingly frightening social aspect of the rebellion worked to bring soldiers from across Europe. By June, an impressive force had been gathered, including many great lords, some of whom were not even French vassals. Louis was not among them. Young King John of France was, having insisted that he wished to see 'this great undertaking'--Philip reportedly had not been fond of this idea, but his brother, Charles of Alencon, and brother-in-law, Robert of Artois had supported this young monarch in this, and Philip ultimately agreed that it would be good for morale. The army was reportedly quite large, including by some accounts over two thousand knights.
"The French attacked along the river Lys, forcing the Flemings, under the leadership of Nicholas Zannekin, to divide their forces along the line to prevent a crossing. After three days of inconclusive skirmishing, the French attempted to lure the rebels out by burning the countryside around Tournai. While initially failed, reportedly Zannekin, seeing many of the knights had taken off their armor due to the heat, launched an attack. It started well, killing the Duke of Lorraine and the Count of Boulogne[2], and wounding several other lords severely, but the counterattack destroyed the greater part of the rebel army. Meanwhile, another attack launched elsewhere was an outright failure--reportedly, King John, who witnessed the whole thing, to his dying day considered the French defense one of the most perfectly conducted military maneuvers he ever saw.
"The Battle of Tournai[3] all but crushed the rebellion in a single blow--what few forces were left were mopped up in a handful of skirmishes apparently barely worth a mention. Defeat was overwhelming--Willem de Dekken was dragged back to Paris to be executed, along with the armor of French knights the Brugeois had kept on their city gate since the Battle of Courtrai[4]. Ypres was forced to demolish its churchbell,and all three principal cities in the rebellion lost their walls. The series of deprivations and humiliations would continue well after Louis of Nevers returned to Flanders, with land and property seized and granted to loyalists. The young Count now felt secure in his rule of the bothersome domain, even if he had done little to make it so himself, and prepared for what he was certain would be the long calm period of his rule....
This Tumultuous Age: The Revolts and Upheavals of the 14th Century, Elizabeth Eckermann (1976)
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[1] Reportedly, Philip's actual words describing the rebels IOTL.
[2] IOTL, only the Duke of Lorraine was killed, though the Count was severely wounded.
[3] IOTL, a similar battle became known as the Battle of Cassel.
[4] Courtrai, also called the Battle of the Golden Spurs, was one of the great humiliations of Philip IV's reign, and one of the few time a force of peasants defeated a force of knights in the Middle Ages.