Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Prime Minister Who Was Eaten

Starting point is 00:00:00 On August 20th, 1672, one of the most shocking moments in Dutch political history took place. Actually, it's one of the most shocking moments in world political history. The man who was perhaps the most important political figure in the Dutch Republic was murdered by a mob of Dutch citizens and then eaten. The events that led up to this were some of the most significant in the history of the Netherlands. Learn more about Johann DeVitt and his unlikely gastronomical demise on the United States. this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. What if your perceptions about the past were wrong? ThruLine is a podcast that takes you back in time to uncover the parts of the story that may

Starting point is 00:00:55 have gone unnoticed. It effectively turned day into night. And how it shaped the world now. Time travel with us every week on the ThruLine podcast from NPR. Before I get to the main course of this episode, I need to start with some. appetizers. The murder of Johann DeVitt was the accumulation of several large-scale political trends that the Netherlands experienced in the 17th century. It did not happen randomly, and it didn't take place in a vacuum. In the 17th century, the Netherlands was a republic, the largest and only

Starting point is 00:01:34 major Republican Europe at that time. Known as the United Provinces of the Netherlands, it was established in the 16th century when seven provinces controlled by Spain rebelled against Spanish rule and united to former republic. One of the leaders of the Dutch rebellion was William the Silent, or as he is better known in the Netherlands, William of Orange. He was a member of the House of Nassau, was the Prince of Orange, and founded the House of Nassau Orange. He's not to be confused with a future William of Orange that I'll get to in a bit,

Starting point is 00:02:07 who later became King William III of England. I mention this just to establish that the House of Nassau Orange was a royal house, that nonetheless played a pivotal role in the creation of the Dutch Republic. And it's often just referred to as the House of Orange. The main character in this story is Johann DeVitt. He was born on September 24th, 1625, in the city of Dorrect in the Dutch Republic. He was born into a very influential family. His father was the mayor of the city of Dorrecht.

Starting point is 00:02:37 He was a high-ranking member of the Dutch States Party, which was the Republican Party that opposed the orangest who supported the House of Orange. Many people in his immediate family had achieved success. His older brother, Cornelius, was a notable politician and naval commander, and his uncle Andres served as the grand pensionary of the Dutch Republic. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the grand pensionary of the Dutch Republic was the most influential governmental position within the Dutch states general, particularly in the province of Holland. Serving essentially as a prime minister, although often referred to as a chief minister, the grand pensionary was responsible. for implementing decisions of the states general and the provincial states of Holland, coordinating foreign policy and finance, and advising on legal matters. DeVitt grew up in what would be considered the heyday of the Dutch Republic.

Starting point is 00:03:28 The country went through Tulip Mania when he was in his teens, but otherwise was growing wealthy through its vast trading network. He had a privileged life, with many intellectuals of his era visiting his home to meet with his father. DeVitt was exceptionally bright, studying at the University of Leiden and later broadening, his education by traveling extensively through France, Italy, and England. He studied law, mathematics, and economics, which allowed him to bring a scientific approach to governance later on. His political career began in 1650 at the age of 25. He was appointed to the government of the County of Holland and then as pensioner to the city of Dorgert. His big break occurred in 1653,

Starting point is 00:04:08 when at the age of just 28, he was elected grand pensionary of the Republic of the Netherlands. Politically, DeVitt followed in his father's footsteps and was a member of the state's party and was a staunch anti-orangeist. DeVitt's policies were centered around strengthening the economic and naval power of the Netherlands. He supported extensive trade networks overseas and implemented reforms in finance and taxation. He also worked on the true freedom policy, which sought to diminish the power of the House of Orange by stipulating that the position of the Stottholder, a quasi-monerical role in the Dutch government, should be abolished in Holland and other provinces.

Starting point is 00:04:46 During his tenure as grand pensionary, the first Anglo-Dutch War was fought from 1652 to 1654 and the second Anglo-Dutch War from 1665 to 1667. He proved to be deft at foreign and economic policy navigating the Netherlands through both wars. By all accounts, DeVitt did his job well. He was appointed to the position three times. in 1658, 1663, and 1668,

Starting point is 00:05:14 and he was largely responsible for the policies during the Dutch Golden Age. So, things were going great. DeVitt was the leader of one of the most prosperous and powerful countries in the world. At this point, I've probably wet your appetite, and you are now hungry to know exactly what went wrong. It all had to do with the year 1672. The Dutch have a name for that year. They call it the Rompiar, which translates to disaster year.

Starting point is 00:05:44 The success of the Netherlands incited jealousy and resentment among other European powers. Led by King Louis XIV, France sought territorial expansion and was eager to curtail the economic and political power of the Dutch. Louis XIV launched a surprise invasion from the South. Under King Charles II, England joined France against the Dutch, motivated by commercial rivalries and previous conflicts such as the Anglo-Dutch wars. They were attacking the Netherlands by sea. Finally, the German bishops of Munster and Cologne also saw an opportunity to gain territory and assert power, and they attacked the Netherlands from the east.

Starting point is 00:06:22 The Dutch were initially overwhelmed by the simultaneous invasions. Their poorly maintained army struggled to defend against the well-coordinated attacks, leading to rapid advances by the invaders. Major cities in the eastern and southern parts of the Republic fell quickly. The political repercussions from this were immediate and severe. The Dutch population panicked. A saying was created about that year, which in English says, The people were irrational, the government helpless, and the country beyond salvation. Almost immediately, Johann DeVitt, the grand pensioner for the Republic,

Starting point is 00:06:58 was used as a scapegoat for the country's problems. One of his biggest criticisms is that he invested too much in the Dutch Navy, but then ignored the Dutch. army. So while the Dutch were very powerful at sea, this left them vulnerable on the ground. The orangist faction, which again supported a more monarchical form of government under the House of Orange, capitalized on this crisis, leading to a surge in support for Prince William III of Orange. Prince William was seen as a strong military leader, which is what the country needed at the time. Despite the country's problems, DeVitt remained strongly anti-orngist, even though popular support in the

Starting point is 00:07:36 country had shifted. The sentiment against DeVitt moved quickly and violently. There were many public protests against him all over the country. On June 21st, DeVitt was seriously injured by a knife-wielding attacker. And eventually, on August 4th, DeVitt resigned from the position of Grand Pensioner. However, the resignation of Johann DeVitt wasn't enough for his political opponents. Cornelius DeVitt, Johann's older brother, had been implicated in an alleged plot to assassinate William III of Orange, who by that point had been appointed Stottholder. Cornelius was arrested and tortured but found not guilty. However, he was banned from public office and sentenced to exile.

Starting point is 00:08:19 The accusation itself inflamed public sentiment against the DeVitt brothers who already were unpopular amongst the Orangists. On August 20th, after visiting his brother Cornelius in prison in the Hague, which was right next to his house. Johann DeVitt and his brother were caught up in a violent upheaval, orchestrated by their political enemies. Johan was actually going to prison to escort Cornelius to his exile out of the Netherlands. This mob was not merely a spontaneous gathering, but it was partly incited by orangist leaders who sought to capitalize on the widespread panic and discontent caused by all of the military defeats. The French writer Alexander Dumas wrote about the mob that

Starting point is 00:09:02 assembled to attack the De Witt brothers in his book The Black Tulip. He said, quote, Every one of the miscreants embolded by Johann's fall wanted to fire his gun at him, or to strike him with blows of the sledgehammer, or stab him with a knife or sword. Everyone wanted to draw a drop of blood from the fallen hero and tear off a shred from his garments. End quote. There are varying accounts of what happened next. I've read many different versions of the story. In some reports, the brothers were shot and then lynched. And we're talking about a murderous mob of people, so meticulous record-keeping wasn't a big concern at the time.

Starting point is 00:09:41 However, the most common story is that the brothers were literally torn apart and killed by the crowd. However, they met their fate, there seems to be agreement on what happened next. As Dumas again writes, quote, After having mangled and torn and completely stripped the two brothers, the mob dragged their naked and bloody bodies to an extemporized gibbet, where the amateur executioners hung them up by the feet. Then came the most dastardly scoundrels of all, who not having dared to strike the living flesh, cut the dead in pieces, and then went about the town selling small slices of the bodies of Johann and Cornelius at ten sous apiece.

Starting point is 00:10:23 End quote. Some of the members of the mob took their murderous frenzy to the next level. They reportedly cut the liver out of Johann David, cooked it, and ate it. Another man supposedly ate one of his eyeballs. I should note that this behavior, while extreme, wasn't as out of the ordinary as you would think for that period of time. When public executions took place, it was not uncommon for spectators to take home a souvenir, which could be anything from a tooth to a finger. The murder of Johann DeVitt, even though he had already resigned beforehand, had wide-ranging

Starting point is 00:11:04 ramifications for the Netherlands. William III of Orange had been appointed Stott Holder on July 4th, a position which had been vacant for over 20 years, most of the time while Johann DeVitt was in power. It's widely suspected, but has never been proven, that William was the one who orchestrated the attack on DeVitt. While his involvement has never been proven, what's... undeniable is that none of the leaders of the mob were ever punished, and that he ordered a military unit out of the Hague on that day that could have prevented the attack. The murder

Starting point is 00:11:37 of Johandivit remains one of the most brutal and bizarre episodes in Dutch history. While there have been cases throughout history of mobs attacking and killing politicians, it's one of the only times that such behavior has led to cannibalism. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Benji Long and Cameron Kiever. I want to give a big shout out to everyone who supports the show over on Patreon, including the show's producers. Your support helps me put out a show every single day. And also, Patreon is currently the only place where Everything Everywhere Daily merchandise is available to the top tier of supporters. If you'd like to talk to other listeners of the show and members of the

Starting point is 00:12:24 Completionist Club, you can join the Everything Everywhere Daily Facebook group or Discord server. Links to everything are in the show notes.

Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Prime Minister Who Was Eaten

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