
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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