Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
The
Peasants' War
(
French
:
Guerre des Paysans
,
Dutch
:
Boerenkrijg
,
German
:
Kloppelkrieg
,
Luxembourgish
:
Kleppelkrich
) was a
peasant revolt
in 1798 against the
French
occupiers of the
Southern Netherlands
, a region which now includes
Belgium
,
Luxembourg
, and parts of
Germany
. The French had
annexed
the region in 1795 and control of the region was officially
ceded
to the French after the
Treaty of Campo Formio
in 1797.
[2]
[3]
[
unreliable source?
]
The revolt is considered part of the
French Revolutionary Wars
.
Motivations for war
[
edit
]
After the
Southern Netherlands
was annexed by France, the French
revolutionaries
began to implement their policies regarding the
Catholic Church
. The
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
required that
priests
take an
oath of allegiance
to the state. Priests who refused such an oath (non-juring priests) were considered to be
enemies of the state
and could be removed from their positions and homes.
[2]
Additionally, in early 1798, the French
Council of Five Hundred
passed a law requiring
compulsory military service
. This law ordered the conscription of men between the ages of 20 and 25 in all French territories. General conscription was an innovation and was met with anger by the men who were forced into service.
[4]
By region
[
edit
]
Flanders
[
edit
]
The majority of the conflict during the Peasants' War occurred in
Flanders
(
Lys
and
Scheldt
departements) and Brabant (
Deux-Nethes
and
Dyle
departements). Referred to as the
Boerenkrijg
, it is referenced by some historians as a Belgian national revolt, and an indication of a desire for independence by Belgium.
[2]
[3]
[
unreliable source?
]
Episode from the Peasants' War
by
Theophile Lybaert
In Flanders the revolt was somewhat organized, with the people seeking aid from foreign nations such as
Great Britain
and
Prussia
. The revolution began on 12 October 1798, with peasants taking up arms against the French in
Overmere
. Initially the rebellion was somewhat successful. However, it was crushed less than two months later, on 5 December in
Hasselt
, because the peasants lacked proper arms and training. An estimated 5,000?10,000 people were killed during the uprising. Additionally, 170 leaders of the rebellion were
executed
.
[5]
Luxembourg
[
edit
]
In Luxembourg (
Forets
departement), the revolt was called
Kleppelkrich
. This revolt quickly spread, consuming most of
West Eifel
.
[6]
The primary
combatants
in Luxembourg were the peasantry. The
middle
and
upper classes
were not driven to revolt, as the
anti-clericalism
and the modernisation brought by the
French Revolution
were somewhat beneficial to them.
[6]
Lacking both financial support from the middle classes, and proper military training, the peasants were quickly put down by the French
occupation
force. Ninety-four
insurgents
were
tried
; of these, 42 were executed.
[7]
In later culture
[
edit
]
- De Boerenkrijg
: an 1853 novel by
Hendrik Conscience
[
citation needed
]
- Episodes of the war were depicted by the 19th century Belgian artist and sculptor
Constantin Meunier
. The war has been romanticized in some cases as a proper Belgian revolution, as it was a major uprising fighting for independence from external rule.
[
citation needed
]
See also
[
edit
]
Explanatory notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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Significant civil and political events by year
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1788
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1789
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1790
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1791
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1792
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1793
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1794
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1795?6
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1797
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1798
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1799
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