Jan Breydel
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Jan Breydel (born in Bruges in the 14th century) is credited with leading the Brugse Metten, a violent uprising against Philip the Fair.
Breydel led the Brugse Metten together with Pieter de Coninc in May 1302. About three weeks before, on 1 May that year, he had partaken in an attack on the castle of Male and was part of the complete annihilation of the French garisson. The city archives of Bruges show that he was present from 8 July until 10 July 1302, in Courtrai, as a supplier of meat for the troops. On basis of this record it is generally accepted that he had fought on 11 July 1302 in the Battle of the Golden Spurs.
In 1308 he helped to free Willem of Saeftinghe, who had fought with him at Cortrai six years earlier, from the church of Lissewege where he had barricaded himself during an uprising.
In 1309 Breydel, together with Pieter de Coninc and Jan Heem, again led an uprising in Bruges, aimed against the Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge (1305) forced upon Flanders by the French; he killed the substitute of the Count of Flanders the same year.
Jan Breydel is often portrayed in Belgium as a hero because of his passion for the Flemish identity. Together with Pieter de Coninc, he has a statue on the Market in Bruges.
[edit] Trivia
- The soccer stadium of Cercle Brugge and Club Brugge are named after him.
- In 2005 he was nominated for the list of nominations for the title of De Grootste Belg (an election of the greatest person in Belgian history), but didn't make it to the final list, ending up at #35.nl:Jan Breydel
