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Episode #66, "The Battle of the Golden Spurs" Maps and Sources

  • James Houser
  • Feb 22
  • 1 min read

SOURCES


DeVries, Kelly. Infantry Warfare in the Early Fourteenth Century: Discipline, Tactics, and Technology. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2006.


Nicholas, David. Medieval Flanders. London: Longman, 1992. Verbruggen, J. F. The Battle of the Golden Spurs: Courtrai, 11 July 1302 . Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 1952.


MAPS


It's actually kinda hard to find a good map of Flanders in the 14th Century! Here are a few.


Here's Flanders as part of the Kingdom of France in 1180; it's at the top of the map. You can see the locations of Bruges, Ghent (Gand), Courtrai (Kortrijk) and Ypres if you look closely. This just helps to see where Flanders is in comparison to the rest of France.
Here's Flanders as part of the Kingdom of France in 1180; it's at the top of the map. You can see the locations of Bruges, Ghent (Gand), Courtrai (Kortrijk) and Ypres if you look closely. This just helps to see where Flanders is in comparison to the rest of France.
Here's Flanders the medieval county (the stripes) in comparison to modern-day Belgium and the modern-day "Flanders Region." The geography doesn't quite match up; the "Flanders Region" is less the old historical territory of Flanders and more the whole Dutch-speaking area of modern Belgium. The Walloon region to the south is the French-speaking "Wallonia."
Here's Flanders the medieval county (the stripes) in comparison to modern-day Belgium and the modern-day "Flanders Region." The geography doesn't quite match up; the "Flanders Region" is less the old historical territory of Flanders and more the whole Dutch-speaking area of modern Belgium. The Walloon region to the south is the French-speaking "Wallonia."

Here's a close-up of medieval Flanders. Due to the language differences, it's harder to tell Bruges (Brugge), Ghent (Gent), Ypres (Ieper), and Courtrai (Kortrijk), the site of the Battle of Courtrai.
Here's a close-up of medieval Flanders. Due to the language differences, it's harder to tell Bruges (Brugge), Ghent (Gent), Ypres (Ieper), and Courtrai (Kortrijk), the site of the Battle of Courtrai.

And here's a good map of the Battle of Courtrai/the Battle of the Golden Spurs. Note the two brooks/"beeks" in front of the Flemish formation, their U-shape, the fact that their back was to a river, and the critical reserve unit behind the lines that came to the rescue of the Flemish center at the height of the battle.
And here's a good map of the Battle of Courtrai/the Battle of the Golden Spurs. Note the two brooks/"beeks" in front of the Flemish formation, their U-shape, the fact that their back was to a river, and the critical reserve unit behind the lines that came to the rescue of the Flemish center at the height of the battle.

 
 
 

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coleowen
Mar 23
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Incredible deep dive into the Soviet-Afghan War maps for Part II—your custom visuals masterfully unpack the labyrinthine battlegrounds around Kabul, Logar Province's ambush-prone ravines, the vital Kabul-Gardez-Khost Highway lifeline repeatedly severed by mujahideen raids, Kunar Valley's forested kill zones perfect for Stinger ambushes, and Panjshir Valley's impregnable chokepoints where Ahmad Shah Massoud's fighters repeatedly humiliated Soviet motorized columns. As a London history student buried under uni essays on Cold War proxy conflicts, I’m blown away by how Unknown Soldiers Podcast overlays terrain elevations, ethnic Pashtun-Tajik fault lines, and dynamic frontlines to expose why the Red Army’s 100,000 troops couldn’t pacify scrappy guerrilla bands armed with captured RPGs and smuggled CIA blowpipe missiles. The Logar Province map especially nails the Soviet…

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eliottlawery
Feb 25
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

This episode about the Battle of the Golden Spurs, maps and sources was really interesting, I didn’t realise how deep the history goes and how much detail you can get from old maps and primary sources. The way it breaks everything down makes it easier to picture the events and why this battle was so important, even if you’re not a history expert. I liked how they explained things in simple terms without making it feel boring or overwhelming. Also if anyone here is trying to juggle essays, deadlines and other work, Online Assignment Help UK really helped me when I was drowning in assignments and didn’t know where to start, so it might be worth checking out for some support.

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