The Batavian Revolution marked an important event for Dutch Jews, making them full citizens in 1796.
This broadside, distributed in Amsterdam on the eve of the Batavian Revolution, calls on Amsterdam citizens to prepare for the arrival of the French army, which, as the anonymous author dramatically puts it, will liberate the Dutch from the "shackles of slavery."
The broadside explicitly mentions Jews and Christians, emphasizing the ideals of the French Revolution, 'liberty’, ‘equality’ and ‘fraternity’. These ideals inspired the establishment of Felix Libertate (1795), an important Jewish social club aimed at the emancipation of the Dutch Jews.
The text of the broadside is discussed in the Handelingen van het Committé revolutionair in Amsteldam (1795), which notes that D.M. Langeveld printed the broadside.
The copy listed by Muller (described as “Hoogst zeldzaam”, “extremely rare”), was that of A.J. Nijland, which was sold at auction in 1911. Possibly that was the same copy as the present, which comes from the Amsterdam collection of Willem Dreesmann (1885-1954) and bears his blindstamp (“Collectie Dreesman”) on the card.
Rare broadside distributed in Amsterdam on the eve of the Batavian Revolution
[Incipit:] Burgers van Amsteldam het gewigtig tydstip nadert met rasse schreeden, dat gy, bevryd van de kluisteren der slaavernye en verlost van de overheersching uwer onderdrukkeren uwe zo lang verholene, doch onvervreembare rechten – de rechten van mensch en burger uit den slykpoel, waar in zy door de treeken van heerschzugt en dweepery voor uwe oogen wierden verborgen gehouden, zult kunnen opdelven, om dezelve voor altyd aan uw bestaan onafscheidelyk te verbinden.
[Amsterdam], [Dirk Meland Langeveld], [1795].
