Jan Breydel (; between 1328 and 1333) is credited with leading the Bruges Matins (Brugse Metten), a violent uprising against Philip the Fair. He is said to have played a major role in the Franco-Flemish War, even though his authenticity has since been questioned. Personal life Not much is known about the personal life of Jan Breydel. Neither his date of birth, nor the date of his death are known for certain. Breydel learned the trade of butcher and lived in Bruges at the time of the uprising. He is said to have originated from a wealthy family. Combats Breydel is believed to have led the Bruges Matins together with Pieter de Coninck, a weaver, on the night of 17 to 18 May 1302. They invaded a French garrison and killed several distinguished Leliaards (patricians loyal to the king of France). About three weeks before, on 1 May that year, they had participated in an attack on Male Castle and the complete annihilation of the French garrison there. The city archives of Bruges show that Jan Breydel was present from 8 July until 10 July 1302, in Kortrijk, as a supplier of meat for the troops. On the basis of this record, it is generally accepted that he had fought on 11 July 1302 in the Battle of the Golden Spurs, even though there is no concrete evidence that he was present on the battlegrounds. In 1309, Breydel, together with Pieter de Coninck and Jan Heem, again led an uprising in Bruges, aimed against the Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge (1305) forced upon Flanders by the French. Legacy Jan Breydel, alongside his ally Pieter de Coninck, has often been portrayed as a patriotic hero in Belgium because of his passion for Flemish identity. Thanks to Hendrik Conscience’s book “The Lion of Flanders, or the Battle of the Golden Spurs” (Dutch: De Leeuw van Vlaenderen, of de Slag der Gulden Sporen), his role in the uprising was put under a magnifying glass and he developed into one of the most iconic figures of Flemish lore. To this day, the Bruges Matins and the Battle of the Golden Spurs are often referenced to as cornerstones of an emerging Flemish identity in the Middle Ages. The emerging Flemish movement in the 19th century, of which Hendrik Conscience was one of the leaders, often referred to the Battle of the Golden Spurs as a Flemish victory