Jan Breydel
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Jan Breydel was a Butcher from Bruges in the beginning of the 14th century. He is credited with leading the Brugse metten, an uprising against Philip IV Le Bel.
Breydel led the Brugse metten together with Pieter de Coninc in May of 1302. About three weeks before, on the first of 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 on 8, 9 and 10 July, 1302, in Courtrai, although as supplier for meat for the troops. On basis of this record it is generally accepted that he had fought on 11 July 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 Jan Breydel, together with Pieter de Coninc and Jan Heem, again led an uprising in Bruges, aimed against the negative consequences of the peacetreaty of Athis-sur-Orge (1305) forced upon Flanders by the French. In that year he killed the substitute of the Count of Flanders unpunished.
Jan Breydel was a wasphish and aggressive man, who is often portrayed 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.
Trivia
- The soccerstadion 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", but didn't make it to the final list and stranded on nr. 35.
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