Portrait from the studio of Adriaen Hanneman, 1652
Grand Pensionary of Holland
In office 30 July 1653 – 4 August 1672 (1653-07-30 – 1672-08-04)
Preceded by
Adriaan Pauw
Succeeded by
Gaspar Fagel
Pensionary of Dordrecht
In office 21 December 1650 – 30 July 1653 (1650-12-21 – 1653-07-30)
Preceded by
Nicolaas Ruys
Succeeded by
Govert van Slingelandt
Personal details
Born
(1625-09-24)24 September 1625 Dordrecht, Dutch Republic
Died
20 August 1672(1672-08-20) (aged 46) The Hague, Dutch Republic
Political party
States' Party
Spouse
Wendela Bicker
(m. 1656)
Children
Johan de Witt Jr.
Parent
Jacob de Witt (father)
Relatives
Cornelis de Witt (brother)
Jan Bicker (father-in-law)
Andries de Witt (uncle)
Cornelis de Graeff (uncle)
Andries de Graeff (uncle)
Catharina Hooft (aunt)
Jean Deutz (brother-in-law)
Pieter de Graeff (brother-in-law)
Alma mater
University of Leiden
Signature
Johan de Witt (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈjoːɦɑndəˈʋɪt]; 24 September 1625 – 20 August 1672), Lord of Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp en IJsselvere, was a Dutch statesman and a major political figure in the Dutch Republic in the mid-17th century, the First Stadtholderless Period, when its flourishing sea trade in a period of global colonisation made the republic a leading European trading and seafaring power – now commonly referred to as the Dutch Golden Age. De Witt was elected Grand pensionary of Holland, and together with his uncle Cornelis de Graeff,[1] he controlled the Dutch political system from around 1650 until the Rampjaar (Disaster Year) of 1672.[2] This progressive cooperation between the two statesmen, and the consequent support of Amsterdam under the rule of De Graeff,[3] was an important political axis that organized the political system within the republic.[4]
As a leading republican of the Dutch States Party, De Witt opposed the House of Orange-Nassau and the Orangists and preferred a shift of power from the central government to the regenten. However, his neglect of the Dutch States Army (as the regents focused mainly on the navy, thinking they could avoid land wars) proved disastrous when the Dutch Republic suffered numerous early defeats in the Rampjaar. In the hysteria that followed the effortless invasion by an alliance of England, France and some German states, he and his brother Cornelis de Witt were blamed and lynched in The Hague, with their corpses at least partially eaten by the rioters.[5][6][7][8] These cannibals were never prosecuted,[6] and some historians claim William of Orange may have incited them.[5]
^Life/Death Rhythms of Capitalist Regimes – Debt before Dishonour, p. 98, by Will Slatyer (2014)
^"That time the Dutch ate their prime minister". DutchReview. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
^The World, by Simon Sebag Montefiore (2022)
^"DeWitt" – an annotation to Thomas Carlyle's "Signs of the Times" Rachel Klotz '13, English 0600J, Brown University, 2010
^ abRowen 1977, p. 891.
^ abByrne, Eugene (15 March 2019). "Is it true that an angry mob of Dutchmen killed and ate their own prime minister in 1672?". HistoryExtra. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
^Gedenkwaerdige stukken, wegens den moordt der heeren Cornelis en Johan de Witt: Dienende tot opheldering van 't treurspel, genaemt de Haagsche broedermoordt, of dolle blydschap (in Dutch). Vol. 2. 1676.
^de Witt, Cornelis (1677). Historische verhael en politique bedenckingen aengaende de bestieringe van Staet- en Oorloghs-saken, voor-gevallen onder de bedieningen van de Heeren C. en J. de Witt, beginnende Ao 1653 en eyndigende in het jaer 1672. Met hunne doot (in Dutch). p. 618.
JohandeWitt (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjoːɦɑn də ˈʋɪt]; 24 September 1625 – 20 August 1672), Lord of Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp en...
HNLMS JohandeWitt (Dutch: Zr.Ms. JohandeWitt) is the second Rotterdam-class landing platform dock[citation needed] of the Royal Netherlands Navy. It...
brothers Johan and Cornelis deWitt hanging upside down on the Groene Zoodje, the place of execution in front of the Gevangenpoort in The Hague. The two de Witt...
Dutch state functioned very well under the regime of Grand Pensionary JohandeWitt, despite the fact that it was forced to fight two major wars with England...
Johan van Banchem (1615 – before 4 October 1694) was one of the leaders of the lynching of JohandeWitt and Cornelis deWitt on 20 August 1672. He was...
Johan de Witt, of the Dutch Republic, and his brother Cornelis deWitt on 20 August 1672, together with his brother-in-law, Cornelis Tromp. Johan Kievit...
regime of JohandeWitt because of his support for the Orangist cause. De Ruyter was politically neutral, but on friendly terms with JohandeWitt and his...
Oldenbarnevelt) Statue of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt in The Hague on the Lange Vijverberg. Revealed in 1954 and made by Oswald Wenckebach. JohandeWitt Synod of Dordrecht...
Rotterdam-class, the Rotterdam and the JohandeWitt have had several Updates. With the midlife update of JohandeWitt planned to take place in 2021–2022...
John deWitt may refer to: JohandeWitt (1625–1672), Dutch politician who was assassinated John L. DeWitt (1880–1962), U.S. general in World War II who...
Period. De la Court was probably never close to JohandeWitt, but it has been established that DeWitt was actively involved in the writing of De la Court's...
opportunity: there would be no new stadtholder in Holland for 22 years. JohandeWitt, a brilliant politician and diplomat, emerged as the dominant figure...
(Amsterdam, baptized 30 December 1635 – 1 July 1668) was the wife of JohandeWitt. She was one of the richest young female commoners of her time and she...
with a historic event: the lynching of the Dutch Grand Pensionary JohandeWitt and his brother Cornelis, considered rebels against the upcoming stadtholder...
representative of the States of Holland. In 1667, Fagel, JohandeWitt, Gillis Valckenier, and Andries de Graeff signed the Perpetual Edict, a resolution to...
for Somalia and neighboring waters. Bauer also commanded the HNLMS JohandeWitt, a Rotterdam-class landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious warfare ship...
uncle of Cornelis deWitt and JohandeWitt, Grand Pensionary from 1652 to 1672, who were sons of his youngest brother Jacob deWitt. Andries married Elizabeth...
cannibalism took place in early modern Italy. In 1672, the Dutch statesman JohandeWitt and his brother were lynched and partially eaten by an angry mob. In...
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