Peasants' War
Part of theFrench Revolutionary Wars[a]
Episode from the Peasants' War,Théophile Lybaert
Date 12 October 1798 – 5 December 1798 (1 month and 23 days) Location Southern Netherlands annexed by the French Republic [b] Result French Republican victory
Belligerents
French Republic	Insurgents
Commanders and leaders
Claude-Sylvestre Colaud	Pieter Corbeels  Emmanuel Rollier [fr] Charles de Loupoigne [fr] †
Casualties and losses
	InFlanders,c.15,000 dead In Luxembourg, 200–300[1]

ThePeasants' War (French:Guerre des Paysans;Dutch:Boerenkrijg;German:Klöppelkrieg;Luxembourgish:Klëppelkrich) was apeasant revolt in 1798 against theFrench Republican occupiers of theSouthern Netherlands, a region which now includesBelgium,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 theTreaty of Campo Formio in 1797.^[2] The revolt is considered part of theFrench Revolutionary Wars.

After theSouthern Netherlands was annexed by France, the French revolutionaries began to implement their policies regarding the Catholic Church. TheCivil 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 FrenchCouncil 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.^[3]

The majority of the conflict during the Peasants' War occurred inFlanders (Lys andScheldt départements) and Brabant (Deux-Nèthes andDyle départements). Referred to as theBoerenkrijg, it is referenced by some historians as a Belgian national revolt, and an indication of a desire for independence by Belgium.^[2]In Flanders the revolt was somewhat organized, with the people seeking aid from foreign nations such as Great Britain andPrussia. The revolution began on 12 October 1798, with peasants taking up arms against the French inOvermere. Initially the rebellion was somewhat successful. However, it was crushed less than two months later, on 5 December inHasselt, 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.^[4]

In Luxembourg (Forêts département), the revolt was calledKlëppelkrich. This revolt quickly spread, consuming most ofWest Eifel.^[5] The primary combatants in Luxembourg were the peasantry. The middle and upper classes were not driven to revolt, as theanti-clericalism and the modernisation brought by the French Revolution were somewhat beneficial to them.^[5]

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.^[6]

• Episodes of the war were depicted by the 19th century Belgian artist and sculptorConstantin Meunier.

• Brabant Revolution
• Siege of Malta, which began as a peasant uprising against French rule in 1798

• Kreins, Jean-Marie (2003).Histoire du Luxembourg (in French) (3rd ed.). Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.ISBN 978-2-13-053852-3.
• Trausch, Gilbert (2002).Histoire du Luxembourg (in French). Paris: Privat.ISBN 978-2-7089-4773-3.
• Orts, Auguste (1863).La Guerre des Paysans, 1798–1799..
• Schrever, Rudi (11 August 2010)."The Peasants' War (1798)".historiek.net. Retrieved30 November 2015.

• Media related toPeasants' War (1798) at Wikimedia Commons

• 1798 in France
• 18th century in the Southern Netherlands
• 18th century in Luxembourg
• 18th-century rebellions
• Belgian nationalism
• Berlare
• Campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars
• Conflicts in 1798
• History of the Eifel
• Revolts involving Flanders
• Social class in Luxembourg
• Social history of Belgium

• CS1 Luxembourgish-language sources (lb)
• Articles with short description
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• Use dmy dates from November 2020
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• Articles containing Dutch-language text
• Articles containing German-language text
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