deployed the main part of his force west of Lille. Action at Comines On 12 November, the French army began making its way to the north. At the river Lys near the town of Comines, the French army was held up by 900 Flemish soldiers commanded by Peter van den Bossche and Peter de Winter. Van Artevelde told the population of Ypres that the French would never cross the Lys. Since the only bridge was broken, Olivier de Clisson ferried a party of 400 French knights across the river. These volunteers spent an anxious night, then joined battle in the morning. Soon the bridge was rebuilt, the bulk of the French army crossed and the superior force quickly put the Flemish spearmen to flight. Van den Bossche was wounded in the struggle but managed to escape. After this skirmish, a number of Flemish towns sued for peace, paying a stiff ransom to the French king. Battle van Artevelde decided to make camp on a hill, the Goudberg, situated between Oostnieuwkerke and Passendale. The French troops lay on the other side of the hill. On the morning of 27 November, van Artevelde planned to make use of the dense fog and attack the French. To prevent a breakthrough by enemy cavalry he ordered his men to advance in a tight square formation. The French had not forgotten the Battle of the Golden Spurs, and first engaged the Flemings with a wave of infantry. Van Artevelde managed to repel that attack and decided to attack the French. The French commander, Olivier de Clisson, reacted by attacking his opponent's unsecured flanks with heavy cavalry. This caused a panic in the Flemish rear which started to flee. The main body of Flemish troops had no other option than to form a circle. They were pushed back and eventually defeated and Philip van Artevelde was killed. Aftermath Philip II could not gain any advantage from this victory. He would become count of Flanders in late January 1384 and needed the economic power of rebellious Ghent. The rebellion lasted till 8 December 1385, when the peace of Tournai was signed. Citations References Tuchman, Barbara. A Distant Mirror. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978. External links Buonaccorso Pitti's eyewitness account of the battle Battles involving France Battles involving Flanders Battles of the Middle Ages 1382 in Europe 1380s in France Conflicts in 1382 14th century in the