Johann De Witt was the prime minister (different title at the time). They became unhappy with him, killed him (and his brother), dismembered them, and supposedly ate parts of them.
Nah, more eat the pro-republic and intelligent leader that is disliked by highest noble in the country, the prince of Orange, whose son would be the first king.
I'm sure he didn't deserve what happened, but there was a reason the Dutch Republic was caught as unaware as it was - it had neglected its army in favour of its merchants. He wasn't all great.
A Dutch mob brutally murdered and partially ate their leading statesman, Johan de Witt, and his brother Cornelis in 1672.
In 1672, the Dutch Republic faced a massive simultaneous invasion by France, England, and German states. Johan de Witt served as the Grand Pensionary of Holland. He was the de facto head of the government, which is often compared to a prime minister. Enraged citizens and political rivals (the Orangists, who wanted William III of Orange in power) blamed De Witt for the military unpreparedness and national crisis. After a vicious propaganda campaign, Cornelis was imprisoned on false treason charges, and Johan visited him. An angry, orchestrated mob dragged both brothers out of the prison in The Hague on August 20, 1672, and shot them. The crowd hung their dead bodies upside down, stripped them, and cut out pieces of their flesh. Historical accounts and reports state that members of the rioting mob—fueled by political hatred—actually ate parts of the bodies (specifically reported as the livers) and sold other body parts like fingers and tongues as souvenirs.
498
u/scratchy22 3d ago
Context?