Het Bijltjesoproer ("Hatchet Riot") or Kattenburgoproer ("Kattenburg Riot") of 30 May 1787 was an uprising of

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

Orangist ship

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

s in the Kattenburg quarter of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

against the city's

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

regenten The ''regenten'' ( Dutch plural for ''regent'') were the rulers of the Dutch Republic from the 16th through the 18th century, the leaders of the Dutch cities or the heads of organisations (e.g. "regent of an orphanage"). Though not formally a her ...

. These labourers were nicknamed "Bijltjes" ("

Hatchet A hatchet (from the Old French language, Old French , a diminutive form of ''hache'', 'axe' of Germanic origin) is a Tool, single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side ...

s", their most important tool); hence the name ''Bijltjesoproer''. Towards the end of the 18th century, tensions rose between Orangists, who sought to preserve the historic position of the

House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of O ...

, and Patriots, who desired a

democratic republic A democratic republic is a form of government operating on principles adopted from a republic and a democracy. As a cross between two similar systems, democratic republics may function on principles shared by both republics and democracies. Whil ...

and the abolition of medieval privileges and

aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...

. The Amsterdam ship carpenters held strong Orangist convictions, as did many other ordinary citizens. On the other hand, the Patriot movement was gaining strength since 1780, started arming themselves in 1783 and eventually seized control in several cities throughout the Netherlands, such as

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

. The country was on the brink of civil war, and in September 1786 two brief skirmishes took place in the towns of

Hattem Hattem () is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The municipality had a population of in . The municipality includes the hamlet of 't Zand. Name origin The name “Hattem” is a typical farmyard name. The exact origin of “H ...

and

Elburg Elburg () is a municipality and a city in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. History There is evidence of a Neolithic settlement at Elburg consisting of stone tools and pottery shards. From Roman times there are names and shards of earthenw ...

when they were occupied by Patriots and quickly retaken by troops loyal to stadtholder

William V, Prince of Orange William V (Willem Batavus; 8 March 1748 – 9 April 1806) was Prince of Orange and the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. He went into exile to London in 1795. He was furthermore ruler of the Principality of Orange-Nassau until his death in ...

. On 9 May 1787, the first pitched battle occurred near Jutphaas in the province of Utrecht, resulting in a Patriot victory. This rapidly escalated tensions between the two factions across the Republic. A few weeks later, the Kattenburg Orangists rose against the regenten of Amsterdam, who held predominantly Patriot sympathies at the time. The day on which this revolt was violently repressed, has become known as ''Bijltjesdag'' ("Hatchet Day"). Nowadays, this term is common in the Netherlands to refer to the moment of retribution after a time of oppression. The alternative name ''Kattenburgoproer'' refers to Kattenburg, the Amsterdam neighbourhood where the

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

s were located. According to ''Etymologisch Woordenboek van het Nederlands'', the ship carpenters were not the only ones rising in rebellion, but "the exceptionally pro-Orange inhabitants of Kattenburg" in general.etymologiebank.nl on 'bijltjesdag'
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References

{{Authority control 1787 in the Dutch Republic Battles involving the Dutch Republic Conflicts in 1787 18th century in Amsterdam Riots and civil disorder in the Netherlands Patriottentijd

See also

References