The pachtersoproer was a Dutch rebellion in the 18th century. The origin of the uprising was to be found in the economic malaise of the 1740s as a result of the

Austrian War of Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

. It was the system of commercial tax-collection called ''

pacht The institution of the ''pacht'' or ''pacht-stelsel'' (revenue farm, pl. ''pachten'') was a system of Revenue Farm, tax farming in Dutch Republic, the Dutch Republic and its Dutch colonial empire, colonial empire. In this system tax is not collecte ...

'' that brought serious complaints, combined with deep dissatisfaction at the way in which the

regents In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

and the landed gentry exercised their power.

Reasons

The riots began in

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

(

Bergum Burgum is the largest and administrative town of the municipality of Tytsjerksteradiel, in the Dutch province of Friesland. It had a population of 10,058 inhabitants in January 2017. On 1 January 1989 the official name of the village was chang ...

) and

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

in the spring of 1748 (March 17 in Groningen and in May). Its immediate cause was perhaps the birth of

William V William V may refer to: * William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030) * William V of Montpellier (1075–1121) * William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191) * William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181) * William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361) * Will ...

on March 8, 1748. The houses of the landadel (great-men) and the tax-collectors were ransacked, particularly those who had not sufficiently demonstrated their loyalty to the Orangist regime. In the city of

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; ; ; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provin ...

72 points for reform were put forward. Frisian skippers brought the news to

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 ...

. On June 17 the Botermarkt, now

Rembrandtplein Rembrandtplein (English: Rembrandt Square) is a major square in central Amsterdam, Netherlands, named after Rembrandt van Rijn who owned a house nearby from 1639 to 1656. History The square has its origins in the defensive walls constructed in t ...

, called together a crowd to offer such a threat that the collectors of the butter tax saw themselves forced out of office several hours earlier than normal to conclude a peace. The riots spread rapidly to

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...

and

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

. On June 23 the Stadholder forbade gatherings for plays and fairs.

Amsterdam

In Amsterdam riots fully broke out on Monday June 24 at the Botermarkt. Pavements were broken up and stones were thrown. People ran through the houses of the taxmen, breaking open and looting everything, and throwing crates of money and expensive porcelain from the bridges into the water. 36 houses in total were looted, and three people were killed and wounded. The riots lasted until Tuesday evening. On Wednesday morning all ''pacht'' taxes were suspended for a period of six months. On Friday, June 28, two men and

one woman "One Woman" is a song by American girl group Jade, released in 1993 by Giant and Reprise as the third single from their debut album, '' Jade to the Max'' (1992). The song was the follow-up to their successful hit single " Don't Walk Away" and pe ...

would be hanged from the window of the

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on the Dam. The onlooking crowd began to move in to be able to watch better, or possibly to try to free the convicted. Suddenly shooting was heard from the direction of

Kalverstraat The Kalverstraat (, ) is a busy shopping street of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The street runs roughly North-South for about 750 meters, from Dam Square to Muntplein square. The Kalverstraat is the most expensive shopping stree ...

, and panic broke out. Many people were looking for shelter and jumped into the water from the Damrak. Contemporary local chronicler Braatbard suspected around two hundred men either got trampled or drowned.

Sources

* ''This article is based entirely or partially on its equivalent on Dutch Wikipedia''. * Brugmans, H. (1972) Geschiedenis van Amsterdam, deel IV. Afgaand getij. * Fuks, L (1960) De Zeven Provinciën in beroering. Hoofdstukken uit een jiddische kroniek 1740-1752 van Abraham Chaim Braatbard * Het dagboek van J. Bicker Raye, bewerkt door F.M. Bijerinck & M.G. de Boer, (1935). * {{in lang, nl Slot, E. (1990) Vijf gulden eeuwen. Momenten uit 500 jaar gemeentefinanciën 18th century in Amsterdam 1748 in the Dutch Republic Military history of Amsterdam Rebellions in Europe Riots and civil disorder in the Netherlands War of the Austrian Succession