The 1672 incident where a Dutch mob ate their Prime Minister

In 1672, the Dutch were having such a bad year they literally named it the "Disaster Year." With enemies invading from every side, the public decided their leader, Johan de Witt, was the ultimate scapegoat for their national panic.

Instead of voting him out, a mob cornered Johan and his brother in The Hague, lynched them, and then—in a terrifyingly literal take on "eat the rich"—actually started carving them up.

Witnesses reported people roasting and eating parts of the brothers right there in the street. It is a grim reminder that when a society hits its breaking point, the transition from civilized republic to cannibalistic frenzy happens faster than you would think.

Wait, did anyone actually get arrested for literally eating the government?

You’d think there’d be a massive police crackdown, right? Nope. This is the ultimate neighborhood scandal: the new leadership basically acted like they didn't see a thing.

Instead of throwing the mob in jail, the authorities actually rewarded some of the ringleaders with jobs and money. It was a total 'hush money' move to keep the mob on their side.

The whole country basically hit the delete button on the incident. Since the killers were on the winning political side, they got away with literal murder—and a side of human ribs—without a single day in court.

So who was the big winner that actually stepped into power after this?

That would be William III of Orange. He was the political rival who had been sidelined by the de Witt brothers for years. When the mob literally cleared his path to power, he didn't exactly rush to call the police.

It was the ultimate "right place, right time" situation. By rewarding the mob leaders instead of arresting them, William secured his new position as Stadtholder. He basically turned a gruesome street execution into his own personal promotion ceremony.

Did William actually pull the strings on this whole hit?

It’s the ultimate historical "did he or didn't he?" While there’s no paper trail proving William ordered the lynching, the vibes are incredibly suspicious.

He was seen meeting with some of the mob's ringleaders just before the chaos. Then, after the "accident," he didn't just let them go—he gave them pensions. That's like your rival getting "disappeared" and you giving the kidnapper a high-five and a promotion.

Most historians think he didn't explicitly say "go eat them," but he definitely gave a "will no one rid me of these brothers?" wink and a nod.

How do you even justify giving a government paycheck to a literal cannibal?

He didn't put 'Expert Carver' on their tax forms, obviously. Officially, William framed the massacre as a 'spontaneous outburst of patriotism.' He argued the mob was just doing the dirty work the government was too slow to handle.

By labeling the killers as heroes, he made the pensions look like rewards for 'services to the state.' It was a classic 'don't look at the blood, look at the flag' move.

People were so panicked by foreign invasions that they were willing to overlook the fact that their new leader was basically subsidizing a lynch mob.