The return of the Flemings after the Battle of the Golden Spurs takes up the rest of the wall. It is the largest painting in the hall, which is no surprise, given that it was one of the most significant events in the history of Bruges and Flanders.
The County of Flanders consisted roughly of the present-day provinces of East and West Flanders in Belgium, Zeelandic Flanders in the Netherlands and a slice of Northern France. It was a fief of the French king, but in reality it was highly independent – so independent that in a conflict between the English and the French, the county sided with the English. The French consequently invaded Flanders, imprisoned the count and appointed a French governor. The commoners largely sided with their count, while the wealthier patrician class, who gained economically from the French occupation, tended to favour the king. On 11 July 1302 the two sides engaged in military combat at Groeningenkouter in Kortrijk. Both armies were of around equal size – estimated at around 8,000 men – but the French had a major advantage in that they had professional soldiers on their side as well as 2,500 mounted knights in their ranks. The horsemen in particular were an asset, and they were almost invulnerable in their suits of armour, while a cavalry charge could be devastating. The entire Flemish army was made up of foot soldiers, and even the commanding officers had dismounted and taken their place amongst the infantry. But thanks to an intelligent formation and the overconfidence of the French commander, Robert of Artois, the Flemings gained the upper hand. The French knights were slaughtered wholesale and the following day the Flemish gathered 500 pairs of gilded spurs from the battlefield – hence the name given to the Battle of the Golden Spurs. It was the first time in history that ordinary footmen had succeeded in beating an army of mounted knights, and news of the event travelled round Europe like wildfire and was enthusiastically received.
The painting is divided into three parts. In the first section, to the left of the door, the banner-bearers approach the city gates of Bruges after the battle.
Behind them, in the second section, the people of Bruges welcome the commanders of the Flemish troops. The man with the red bend (or diagonal stripe) through the coat of arms is Guy of Namur, a son of the Count of Flanders, Guy of Dampierre. Beside him is William of Jülich, who can be recognised by the coat of arms of the Flemish Lion. He was a grandson of the Count of Flanders. Guy of Namur and William of Jülich together organised the resistance to the French king out of Bruges.
In the final section we see the William of Saeftinghe, the man in the white habit. He was the hero of the Battle of the Golden Spurs, thanks to the fact that he dragged the French commander Robert of Artois from his horse. Robert was immediately dispatched by other soldiers. Around William of Saeftinghe we see the coats of arms of the major guilds, and in the far distance the first wagon containing loot and the injured appears.
The bottom of the mural contains the battle cry of the Flemish troops: Vlaenderen die leu (Flanders the lion).
During the 19th century the Battle of the Golden Spurs became an important part of the Flemish emancipation movement, which fought on behalf of the ordinary and frequently very poor Dutch-speaking people against the Belgian elite, which was exclusively French-speaking. It was after Hendrik Conscience published his historical novel, De Leeuw van Vlaanderen
(The Lion of Flanders) in 1838 in particular that the Battle of the Golden Spurs became reinterpreted as an uprising by the Dutch-speaking populace against the French domination. In that respect, this mural fits in perfectly with the romantic and nationalist legacy of the Gothic Revival.