Around 1400, Abbot Lubert Hautscilt wrote the Image of Flandersa Latin poem with a mysterious prophecy about the future of the county. Although the original manuscript has been lost, this work remained popular for centuries and was resurfaced again and again during later crises, such as the Eighty Years’ War.
It was originally intended as a warning of the economic consequences of the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. The text specifically focused on ‘GYBID’an acronym for the five most important cities in Flanders: Ghent, Yperen (Ypres), Bruges, Insula (Lille/Rijsel) and Douai (Dowaai).
In the accompanying allegorical image, Flanders is depicted as a naked woman suckling two wolves (England and France). Her body forms the political structure of the region, a kind of medieval infographic. Ghent is the head, Bruges the right hand, Ypres the left hand, and Lille and Douai are the feet.
The prophecy also made a cryptic prediction at the time: over time, ‘GYBID’ would change to ‘GYB’, which in retrospect accurately predicted the later loss of the French-speaking cities of Lille and Douai.
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Posted by spcrngr
3 Comments
My main takeaway is that if I think people will not be sufficiently confused by Lille/Rijsel, I should refer to it as Insula, that’ll certainly do it.
Strange that Tournai/Doornik was not included.
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