User:Pdekyvere/Kortrijk Uprising

The Kortrijk Uprising was a revolt against the Flemish count in the year 992 in Kortrijk. The uprising, known from the Vita Bertulfi, was a response to Count Boudewijn IV's attempt to consolidate the County of Flanders after decades of disintegration. In the region around Kortrijk, battles took place between insurgents led by the Kortrijk castle lord and troops loyal to the count. In the county of Harelbeke, the Saint Savior's Church and the village were burned down. The uprising was quelled by the forces led by the Flemish count.

Background
Under the rule of Count Arnulf (918-965), Flanders experienced a period of rebuilding and stability. During his reign, significant improvements were made to the road network between the villages along the Leie River, and numerous new settlements were established. However, this period of stability and growth came to an abrupt end with the sudden death of Count Arnulf in 965.

It was his grandson Arnulf the Young who had to succeed him at the age of 4. Due to Arnulf's young age, the French king Lothair acted as his guardian. In accordance with Lothair's agreement with Arnulf I, he added the counties of Boulogne, Saint-Pol, and Guînes to the French crown domain in exchange for protecting the young count against various claims. Later, Arnulf II suffered further territorial losses, including Oosterbant, Artois, and Ponthieu. The possibility that Flanders might also become a royal territory became a geopolitical issue in Europe. Foreign intervention by the German Emperor Otto I prevented further French expansion. When Arnulf the Young was old enough, Lothair granted him leadership over the County of Flanders. Apart from a core area, his authority was mostly theoretical because vassals began to operate independently: Boudewijn Baldzo called himself Count of Kortrijk, while Dirk II of Holland became the Count of Ghent and Waas.

In 987, Hugo Capet ascended to the throne of West Francia. Arnulf, a supporter of the Carolingians, refused to recognize him as king. In response, Capet sent an army to Flanders in 987. After a series of defeats, Arnulf was compelled to accept him as king, which made him appear weak in the eyes of many Flemish nobles. When he passed away the following year due to illness, the County of Flanders fell into anarchy.

Baldwin IV was still a child when he succeeded Arnulf II. This put him in a weak position in relation to the Flemish nobles who wanted to consolidate even more power for themselves.

Fire Of Harelbeke
At his coming of age, Count Baldwin IV began to exercise authority and attempted to halt the disintegration of the County of Flanders. This led to discontent among some of the nobles who were unwilling to give up their local autonomy. Eilbodo, a vassal and lord of Kortrijk, asserted his independence from young Baldwin and gathered a rebel army in Kortrijk. He died by 992 at the latest, but his political agenda continued. Fifteen citizens from Kortrijk moved to the nearby town of Harelbeke, which remained loyal to the count. During the clashes in Harelbeke, a fire was ignited one night, resulting in the destruction of a series of houses, the Church of St. Savior, and the count's residence in flames. The people of Kortrijk took control of the village

Outcome
Count Baldwin IV did not simply yield and took command of an army that quelled the rebellion. There was likely a severe punishment for the people of Kortrijk because similar uprisings were not encountered by Baldwin afterward. Harelbeke was later rebuilt. Rosala, Count Baldwin's mother, was responsible for the restoration of the burned church.

Vita Bertulfi
The events of the Kortrijk Uprising were documented in the Vita Bertulfi, compiled around 1073 by a monk from the St. Peter's Abbey in Ghent, with the assistance of an earlier vita. It narrates the story of how the relics of Saint Bertulfus were transported from Boulogne to the St. Peter's Abbey in Ghent. En route to Ghent, it is said that a local priest in Harelbeke received some of the fragments from the Flemish count.

After the fire, Pastor Bugecinus discovered the bones of Saint Bertulfus among the ruins of the church and safely transported them to the castle of St. Eloois-Vijve. After a brief period, he returned the relic to Harelbeke, but not for long, as Countess Rozala and her son came to transfer the relics, except for a small portion, to Ghent and merge them with the already existing fragments.

Literature

 * Heemkundige kring De Roede van Harelbeke (2003) Harelbeke grafelijke stad. Harelbeke: Stad Harelbeke.
 * Declercq, G. (1980) Inleiding tot de middeleeuwse geschiedenis van Harelbeke, in: De Leiegouw, XXII, p. 89-115
 * Callewaert, H. (1956) Harelbeke - Begrippen van Locale Geschiedenis. Deerlijk: Deleersnyder-Timmerman.
 * Agentschap Onroerend Erfgoed 2020 Parochiekerk Sint-Salvator [online ], erfgoedlijst, geraadpleegd 2 december 2020.
 * (1959) Oudheidkundig onderzoek van de Sint-Salvatorskerk te Harelbeke, in: De Leiegouw, I, p. 21-25