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Flemish militia crept through Bruges before dawn and slaughtered the French garr
1302 Event

May 18

Bruges Matins: Flemish Citizens Massacre the French Garrison in Their Beds

Flemish militia crept through Bruges before dawn and slaughtered the French garrison in their beds, using the password "schild en vriend" to identify native Flemish speakers from French soldiers who could not pronounce it. The massacre triggered the Battle of the Golden Spurs two months later, where Flemish commoners routed French knights and shattered the myth of heavy cavalry's invincibility.

May 18, 1302

724 years ago

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