Joannes "Jan" De Lichte (7 April 1723 – 13 November 1748) was an 18th-century

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

outlaw and gang leader. Motivated by poverty during the upheavals of the

Austrian War of Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

(1740–48), de Lichte led a gang of

bandits Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

who committed burglaries, robberies, and several murders in Flanders. Captured and executed in 1748, he was subsequently rehabilitated in the fictional works of

Louis Paul Boon Louis Paul Boon (15 March 1912, in Aalst – 10 May 1979, in Erembodegem) was a Belgian writer of novels, poetry, pornography, columns and art criticism. He was also a painter. He is best known for the novels ''My Little War'' (1947), the diptych ...

in 1958 and has subsequently inspired a sculpture and film series.

Biography

Jan De Lichte was born on 7 April 1723 in

Velzeke Velzeke-Ruddershove is a double village in the Denderstreek in the province of East Flanders in Belgium, currently part of the municipality of Zottegem. The two villages of Velzeke and Ruddershove were merged in 1825. The settlement of Velzeke da ...

in the

County of Flanders The County of Flanders was a historic territory in the Low Countries. From 862 onwards, the counts of Flanders were among the original twelve peers of the Kingdom of France. For centuries, their estates around the cities of Ghent, Bruges and Ypr ...

to an impoverished peasant family with a long criminal history. In 1737, he was arrested for the first time in

Wetteren Wetteren () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , fl ...

for theft. He enlisted in the Austrian and later Dutch armies but deserted from both and began a life of criminality. The

started in 1740 and lasted until 1748. In 1743, De Lichte and his gang shot at two pilgrims in

Zottegem Zottegem (, Sotteghem and Sottegem in older English and French language sources) is a municipality located in Belgium and more particularly in Flanders, in the province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Zottegem proper and ...

during a robbery. Between 2 and 22 June 1744, the army of

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

was stationed in Velzeke where De Lichte lived at the time, and left the village ruined and plundered. The war also caused an overall lawlessness which resulted in an increase of the activities of De Lichte and his gang. Jan De Lichte used the dense forests of the Munkbosbeek valley, part of the

Flemish Ardennes The Flemish Ardennes (Dutch: ''Vlaamse Ardennen'') is an informal name given to a hilly region in the south of the province of East Flanders, Belgium. Highest summit is the Hotondberg (145 m). Main characteristics of the region are rural hilly lan ...

, as a hiding place. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 ended the hostilities. The ceasefire resulted in a greater emphasis on internal problems in the region. On 16 August 1748, the body of Marianne De Smet was discovered who had been shot and stabbed multiple times. De Lichte and his wife were considered the primary suspects for the crime. On 28 September, the French occupying forces organized a manhunt against De Lichte and his gang. Soon after, he was arrested, and found guilty of four murders, two attempted murders, and at least 30 counts of robbery and burglary. De Lichte was executed on 13 November 1748 on the

wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...

in the

market square The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.Aalst. Between 8 October and 14 December 1748, 101 members of the gang were tried, six including De Lichte were put on the wheel, 19 were hanged, and the remainder were sent to the galleys.

Aftermath

The activity of the gang and its end were the source of inspiration for legends and folk legends. Nowadays Jan De Lichte is also known by

's literary interpretation in his 1957 novel ''De bende van Jan De Lichte'', which presents De Lichte as not merely a highwayman but as a champion of the oppressed lower classes, a kind of Flemish

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

. was commissioned to create a statue of Jan De Lichte by the Louis Paul Boon Society. It was supposed to be placed on the market in Aalst, however the municipality refused to honour a criminal. Next it was offered to Zottegem only to be refused again. In 1987, it was placed in the

Middelheim Open Air Sculpture Museum Middelheim Open Air Sculpture Museum (Dutch ''Beeldentuin Middelheim Museum'') is a sculpture park of 30 acres in the park part of the Middelheim Nachtegalen Park at Antwerp. The Middelheim Museum collection has approximately 400 works of art on di ...

. In 2009, the statue was finally publicly displayed in front of the Palace of Justice in Antwerp. The Flemish channel VTM made the 10-part historical costume series ''

Thieves of the Wood ''Thieves of the Wood'' is a 10-episode historical drama based on the life of the 18th-century outlaw leader Jan de Lichte, a native of Aalst in what is now Belgium. It became available to English/Spanish-speaking and Spanish-speaking viewers on ...

'', which was released on Flemish television and

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

on 2 January 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:de Lichte, Jan 1723 births 1748 deaths Belgian people convicted of robbery Belgian people convicted of murder Outlaws People from Zottegem Spanish Netherlands War of the Austrian Succession

Biography

Aftermath

See also

References