Stripped of all simplistic romanticism, the Battle of the Spurs still retains its prime importance in our history. One barely needs to be reminded of this: it is something that every Fleming is aware of. The event also had far-reaching consequences for the course of world history: the hegemonic position that France had attained in Western Europe during the thirteenth century received its first powerful blow.

For those interested in the study of history, conceived, first and foremost, as an attempt to understand past events, such an unforeseen and, for those living at the time, almost unbelievable occurrence demands explication. And this presumes serious historical research. Certainly, much has been written about the Battle of the Spurs. Amid the works and articles in journals devoted to the subject there are some very thorough scientific contributions. A few have even opened the way for further study, among them two critical studies by Henri Pirenne and the two works by Victor Fris. Nevertheless, many significant problems remained unsolved and certain conceptions of the events continued to be held as valid, even if difficult to reconcile with what is known of the art of warfare in the Middle Ages. Furthermore, our knowledge of the history of Flanders, France and the Low Countries in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries has progressed markedly in recent years. Common perceptions concerning the Battle of the Spurs, and the events with which the battle is associated, need to be corroborated with results gained.