The Cannibalism of Johan de Witt

The Cannibalism of Johan de Witt

From A Popular History of Unpopular Things by Kelli Beard

January 18, 2026 · 34 min · Season 1 · Episode 74

About this episode

Kelli discusses the cannibalism of Johan de Witt during a tumultuous period in the Dutch Republic.

Join Kelli as she goes over a strange event from the 17th century Dutch Republic - the time a political leader was killed, strung up, dismembered, and then cannibalized. As always, we set up the history surrounding this event to get a good understanding of the Rampjaar - the disaster year - and why the Dutch people took out their frustrations on Johan de Witt. And we also look into the alleged cannibalism that took place. What does it all mean? What is the bigger picture? What in the wo...

People in this episode

Host: Kelli Beard

Topics covered

  • cannibalism
  • Dutch history
  • political violence
  • 17th century
  • Johan de Witt
  • Rampjaar

Keywords

  • cannibalism
  • Johan de Witt
  • Dutch Republic
  • Rampjaar
  • 17th century
  • political leader
  • historical events

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Dutch Republic

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