The Lion of Flanders (novel)

The Lion of Flanders

The book cover of the 1930 sixth edition
Author	Hendrik Conscience
Original title	De Leeuw van Vlaenderen, of de Slag der Gulden Sporen
Language	Dutch
Subject	War, Romance
Genre	Historical fiction
Publisher	L.J. de Cort (Antwerp)
Publication date	1838
Publication place	Belgium
Published in English	1855
Dewey Decimal	839.3

The Lion of Flanders, or the Battle of the Golden Spurs (Dutch: De Leeuw van Vlaenderen, of de Slag der Gulden Sporen) is a major novel first published in 1838 by the Belgian writer Hendrik Conscience (1812–1883)—an early example of historical fiction. The book focuses on the medieval Franco-Flemish War and the Battle of the Golden Spurs of 1302 in particular. It is written in Conscience's typical stylistic romanticism and has been described as the "Flemish national epic".^[1]

It was unusual for The Lion of Flanders to be written in Dutch. Considered as one of the founding texts of Flemish literature, it became a significant work for the emerging Flemish Movement, reviving popular interest in the Battle of the Golden Spurs and Flemish medieval history as part of a modern political agenda. Despite its importance, the work has become little-read in modern times. Nonetheless, it has been the subject of various adaptations in the form of cartoons, television series, and film.