Rampjaar

The rampjaar ("disaster year") was the year 1672 in Dutch history. In that year, following the outbreak of the Franco-Dutch War and the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Republic of the Seven United Provinces was attacked by England, France, and the prince-bishops Bernhard von Galen, bishop of Münster and Maximilian Henry of Bavaria, the archbishop of Cologne. The invading armies very quickly defeated the Dutch States Army and conquered a part of the Republic.

As a result the cities of the remaining coastal provinces of Holland, Zealand and Frisia panicked; the city governments were taken over by Orangists, who were opposed to the republican regime of the Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt. This signified the end of the First Stadtholderless Period in Dutch history.

A famous Dutch saying describes the condition of the Dutch population at that moment as redeloos (irrational), its government radeloos (desperate) and the country itself reddeloos (beyond rescue).

Situation in the Republic

During the Eighty Years' War there had been tension in the provinces between adherers of a government ruled by the burgher oligarchy, called regents, and those who favoured a government led by the Prince of Orange. These tensions had escalated in 1650 when William II, Prince of Orange had tried to conquer Amsterdam, the main bastion of the Regents of the De Graeff- and Bicker- clan. After negotiations he succeeded in removing a number of his adversaries from their offices.