 On the basis of this record, it is generally accepted that he had fought on 11 July 1302 in the Battle of the Golden Spurs, even though there is no concrete evidence that he was present on the battlegrounds.In 1309, Breydel, together with Pieter de Coninck and Jan Heem, again led an uprising in Bruges, aimed against the Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge (1305) forced upon Flanders by the French.Jan Breydel, alongside his ally Pieter de Coninck, has often been portrayed as a patriotic hero in Belgium because of his passion for Flemish identity.