N.d. Murder of Johan and Cornelis de Witt in The Hague

By Pierre Aury

Ex Jacques Schulman 1953, lot 996

With old collector’s card

This medal commemorates the brutal murders of the de Witt brothers, in The Hague, on August 20 1672 by a well organised mob. Johan de Witt, a lawyer and active republican politician, was elected to the important position of Councilor Pensionary of Holland in 1653, at a time when the fortunes of the country were at a low ebb, with financial problems so acute that the country was on the brink of bankruptcy. He proved himself to be a statesman of great ability, and his success in both domestic and foreign affairs was instrumental in bringing the United Provinces to a peak of prosperity and strength. Under his guidance Holland signed the Treaty of Breda (1667) and formed the Triple Alliance (1668) of Holland, England, and Sweden against France. Two decades of rule, however, made many enemies for de Witt. In particular his Act of Seclusion (1654) which blocked the election of a Stadtholder, created a fierce opposition party led by William of Orange. Military defeat by the French turned popular opinion against de Witt. In 1672, while Johan was visiting his brother who was in prison on trumped up political charges, a mob, which included respectable citizens and Civic Guards, beat the two brothers to death, mutilated their bodies, and hung them up for public view. William of Orange was duly elected Stadtholder, and eventually became King William III of England.

Weight: 102.89 g
Diameter: AR 72.0 mm
Grade: Near Mint State
Reference: vL. III 87/81.1; KPK 1073