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

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Orangist ship carpenters in the Kattenburg quarter of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

against the city's

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

regenten In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the regenten (the Dutch plural for ''regent'') were the rulers of the Dutch Republic, the leaders of the Dutch cities or the heads of organisations (e.g. "regent of an orphanage"). Though not formally a hered ...

. These labourers were nicknamed "Bijltjes" ("

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

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 (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...

, 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 exceedingly similar systems, democratic republics may function on principles shared by both republics and democra ...

and the abolition of medieval privileges and aristocracy. 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 fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

. 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 town 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 a 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 i ...

. On 9 May 1787, the first pitched battle occurred near Jutphaas in the

province of Utrecht Utrecht (), officially the Province of Utrecht ( nl, Provincie Utrecht, link=no), is a province of the Netherlands. It is located in the centre of the country, bordering the Eemmeer in the north-east, the province of Gelderland in the east a ...

, 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 shipyards 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