A political crisis turned into a public killing
In 1672, a furious crowd in The Hague killed Johan de Witt, the Netherlands’ leading statesman, and his brother Cornelis. The brothers’ bodies were then mutilated; accounts say that parts were cut off and eaten. The episode became one of the most notorious acts of political violence in Dutch history.
Why the De Witts became targets
The Dutch Republic was facing invasion by France and other powers in what became known as the Rampjaar, or “Disaster Year.” The sudden military crisis shook confidence in the government. Johan de Witt, a powerful republican leader, was blamed by his opponents for the country’s vulnerability, though the crisis had wider causes than any one politician’s decisions.
Cornelis was imprisoned after being accused of plotting against William of Orange, the popular military leader who was poised to gain greater power. When Johan went to visit his brother, a crowd gathered outside. The brothers were pulled from the prison and killed.
What the violence meant
The killings were more than an outburst against two individuals. They marked the collapse of the De Witt brothers’ political position and a shift in power toward William, who became stadtholder—the republic’s chief executive and military leader. The reported cannibalism made the event especially shocking, but the central political consequence was immediate: public fury helped clear the way for a new leadership.
