Career
Into the House of Bourbon. This soldier was a bad choice for governor. He was entering a power vacuum where previously the Count of Flanders had maintained an equilibrium.
He understood little about the specific situation in Flanders, where cities like Bruges and Ghent were far richer and more powerful than any city in France.
He didn"t see the opposition between the supporters of the count (Liebaards) and those in favor of the king of France (Leliaarts) as an opportunity for himself to be an arbiter. Neither did he recognize the rivalry between the city rulers and the common people, organised in guilds.
When de Châtillon chose the side of the patricians, the natural allies of the king and thus the easier choice, the workers sided with the Liebaards. After his appointment, Jacques de Châtillon entered Bruges.
A number of popular movements erupted, such as in Bruges, where on 19 May 1302, the French party was murdered at the Brugse Metten.
De Châtillon escaped with his life, but died a few months later at the Battle of the Golden Spurs in July 1302.