That one time the Dutch ate their own prime minister


DATE OF HAPPENING: 1653-1672

The Dutch Republic was in turmoil. The Republic had been at war with England and France, and incumbent Prime Minister Johan de Witt was pronounced as a traitor by the Dutch. But, let's go back a little bit.
de Witt, born in 1625, was born into a rich family. He studied mathematics and wrote one of the first texts of analytical geometry. Just like his father, de Witt vehemently opposed the House of Orange, an aristocratic family which had ties to the Netherlands. de Witt, along with the pro-Republican merchant class, struggled for power against the van Oranges for many years in the Dutch Republic. de Witt eventually became the "Grand Pensionary" (the Dutch equivalent of Prime Minister) of the Dutch Republic in 1653. The Republic had two fierce rivals at the time: England and France. These three nations all contested the seas and trade routes, as they all wanted to out-profit each other and become naval hegemons. de Witt had a silver tongue, and was able to pit England and France against each other. His great diplomatic skills also enhanced the Dutch economy, and was able to build a coalition against the threatening Kingdom of France, led by King Louis XIV. However, Louis XIV was also an exceptional ruler, and was able to crack down on that alliance, forcing the Dutch to sign the Treaty of Dover in 1670, which pitted England and France against the Netherlands.
Johan de Witt
In 1672, England declared war on the Netherlands. France would join on England's side about a month later. 1672 would be known as the Rampjaar, or the "Year of Pants". It is commonly and more aptly known more as the "Year of Disaster". England and France had a pretty easy time invading the Netherlands, due to the Dutch not having a sizable land army compared to England and France. As a result, the Dutch suffered many casualties in the war, and de Witt was blamed for this massive loss, due to the belief that de Witt emphasized the Navy over the Army. During this time of war, the Dutch people began to see de Witt as incompetent and a traitor. Assassination attempts began to be made on him and his brother, Cornelis. Cornelis, another Dutch republican and admiral, was arrested on charges of attempting to assassinate William III of Orange. Johan de Witt decided to visit Cornelis in prison to check up on him. This turned out to be a bad move. A mob of pro-monarchists awaited, and the brother De Witt were dragged into the streets and beaten to death. the hung them by their feet in the city's gibbet. The two brothers were stripped naked, literally torn apart, and mangled. But, the mob wasn't satisfied. the bodies of the two brothers were ripped apart and some of the mob started to eat the body parts. The brothers' livers and other body parts, such as their eyes, were eaten. After this brutal execution by the mob, William III swept in and took power and the Netherlands became pro-monarchy, and would eventually gain the support of Brandenburg-Prussia and the HRE in their war against France in 1672. The Netherlands and England would eventually become allies again against France.