Peasant revolt in Flanders 1323 – 28 The Peasant revolt in Flanders 1323 – 1328 was a popular revolt in late medieval Europe . Beginning as a series of scattered rural riots in late 1323 , peasant insurrection escalated into a full - scale rebellion that dominated public affairs in Flanders for nearly five years until 1328 . The uprising in Flanders was caused by both excessive taxations levied by the Count of Flanders Louis I , and by his pro - French policies . The insurrection had urban leaders and rural factions which took over most of Flanders by 1325 . The revolt was led by Nicolaas Zannekin , a rich farmer from Lampernisse . Zannekin and his men captured the towns of Nieuwpoort , Veurne , Ieper and Kortrijk . In Kortrijk , Zannekin was able to capture the count himself . In 1325 , attempts to capture Gent and Oudenaarde failed . The King of France , Charles IV intervened , whereupon Louis was released from captivity in February 1326 and the " Peace of Arques " was sealed . The peace soon failed , and the count fled to France when more hostilities erupted . Louis convinced his new liege Philip VI of France to come to his aid , and Zannekin and his adherents were decisively defeated by the French royal army in the Battle of Cassel . From peasant uprising against taxes to full - scale rebellion . In September 1322 , the old count Robert III died . Because Robert ' s son and heir Louis I had died two months earlier , the count was succeeded by his grandson Louis . Louis thus , within a time span of two months , inherited the counties of Nevers and Flanders from his father and grandfather , and in the name of his mother held real power in Rethel ( which he would also formally inherit in 1328 ) , making him one of the most powerful lords in France . In 1320 , Louis married Margaret of France , second daughter of King Philip V of France and Joan II , Countess of Burgundy . This marriage alliance and Louis ' s own French upbringing made him break with the anti - French policy of his grandfather Robert III and great - grandfather Guy I . Instead , Louis started a pro - French and anti - English policy . These policies were detrimental to the economies of the Flemish cities , raising taxes in order to pay the financial consequences from the Treaty of Athis - sur - Orge . The rebellion began with a series of scattered rural riots in November – December 1323 . It was caused by the poor harvests of 1323 , a difficult lien , refusal to pay tithes and taxes to the Count , and hatred towards the nobility and authority . The revolt was led by landowning farmers such as Jacques Peyte and Nicolaas Zannekin . Members of the local gentry joined , and the mayor of Bruges , Willem de Deken became the leader of the revolt . Nicolaas Zannekin fled to Bruges , from where the uprising spread . Zannekin won the neighboring towns of Roeselare , Poperinge , Nieuwpoort , Veurne , Dunkirk , Cassel , Bailleul for his cause as they opened their gates to him . The new Count of Flanders , Louis de Nevers , arrived in Flanders in January 1324 but had no army to contain the revolt , which caused him to negotiate with the rebels . In April 1324 , the Peace of St . Andrew was made , recognizing the merits of the complaints of the people against the exactions of the collectors . The revolt against the power of the Count . The agitation continued after the murder of a laborer by a knight and the arrest of six burghers of Bruges by the Count in Kortrijk . The men from Bruges took up arms , and the count was captured by the inhabitants in Kortrijk . The count was brought to Bruges where several of his companions were executed on June 21 , 1325 . The men from Bruges elected Robert of Cassel , a younger son of Robert III of Flanders and thus the uncle of the Count of Flanders , as their regent of Flanders ( " Ruwaard " ) to lead them in an expedition against Ghent ( July 15 , 1325 ) , during which they laid siege to the city . The rebels ' numbers were strengthened when inhabitants from Ypres and Ghent , who were driven out of their cities , joined them . King Charles IV of France sent ambassadors to Flanders , who proposed to submit the grievances of the commons against the count to his royal arbitration . As a prerequisite to any negotiations , the rebels demanded the submission of Ghent . In vain , the King summoned Robert of Cassel to Paris ( September 19 , 1325 ) , and named Jean de Namur " Ruwaard of Flanders . " On November 4 , the Bishop of Senlis and the Abbot of St . Denis excommunicated the Flemish rebels at the King ' s request , and the French King also threatened to intervene militarily . After the excommunication , Robert of Cassel broke ties with the rebels and joined the King ' s side . Count Louis of Nevers was released before Christmas , and on February 18 , 1326 , he forgave Bruges and swore to respect the customs and liberties of the communes of Flanders . From there he went to the King in Paris . A provisional peace treaty was finally concluded by the ambassadors of the King ( " The Peace of Arques " ) and ratified at the Val Merrick , near Corbeil on April 19 , 1326 . On April 26 , the ban on Flanders was lifted . Repression by the King of France . After the death of Charles IV , the revolt of the Flemish municipalities erupted again in February 1328 . Louis de Nevers then called upon the new King , Philip VI of France , at his coronation at Reims on May 29 to aid the count against the burghers . The King agreed to organize an expedition , and the royal army was summoned to gather at Arras on July 22 . The rebels raised enough men to fight the enemy in the open countryside , and the rebel forces met the Royal army at the Battle of Cassel , where they were defeated and Zannekin was killed . After his victory , the King returned to France , taking hostages for good behaviour among the burghers of Bruges and Ypres . The mayor of Bruges , Willem de Deken , was extradited to France and executed in Paris . The Count of Flanders was left responsible for punishment of the conspirators . The cities of Bruges , Ypres , Kortrijk , Diksmuide , Veurne , Oostende , Aardenburg , Ysendyke , Dendermonde , and Geraardsbergen were sentenced to pay heavy fines . The properties of those who participated in the Battle of Cassel were confiscated and distributed to the faithful adherents of the count . The privileges of all the cities except Ghent were canceled or restricted . In Bruges , the burghers were forced to meet the count at the castle of Male and throw themselves on their knees , imploring his mercy . In Ypres , the bell in the belfry was broken . Finally , by letters dated December 20 , 1328 , the king of France ordered that the fortifications of Bruges , Ypres , and Kortrijk were to be destroyed . Aftermath . When the Hundred Years War started , Louis remained steadfast in his pro - French policy , despite the county ' s economic dependence on England . His actions resulted in an English boycott of the wool trade , which in turn sparked a new insurrection under Jacob van Artevelde . In 1339 , the count fled his Flemish lands , never able to return . Louis was killed in the Battle of Crécy in 1346 .