 On 18 May 1302, during the so-called Bruges Matins or ""Brugse Metten"", nearly all the French present in Bruges and their "Leliaart" supporters were killed.De Châtillon barely managed to escape.After the Bruges Matins, de Coninck was one of the leaders of the Bruges militia that cleared the coastal area from "Leliaart" insurgents and French stragglers.