The Boerenkrijg: When Hasselt Became the Final Battleground of Belgium’s Peasants’ War

The Boerenkrijg (Peasants’ War) was a peasant revolt in 1798 against the French Republican occupiers of the Southern Netherlands, a region which now includes Belgium

I would like to thank Discovering Belgium reader (and author) Robert Declerck for bringing my attention to this topic and encouraging me to write this article.

5 December 1798: A Date Etched in Blood

On a cold December day in 1798, the fields around Hasselt ran red with blood. More than 600 peasant fighters fell near the farmsteads of Groot and Klein Hilst, marking the brutal end of a desperate uprising that had lasted barely two months. This final, devastating defeat crushed what history would remember as the Boerenkrijg – the Peasants’ War – a rebellion that saw ordinary farmers, craftsmen, and laborers take up pitchforks and hunting rifles against one of Europe’s most formidable military forces.

Today, the Kapel van Hilst (Chapel of Hilst) stands as a quiet memorial to those who fell. But to understand why this small chapel on the outskirts of Hasselt matters, we must travel back to the tumultuous years following the French Revolution and understand what drove thousands of people to a seemingly hopeless fight.

The Storm Gathering: French Occupation and Revolutionary Zeal

The French had annexed the Southern Netherlands in 1795, transforming the region that would become Belgium into French départements. The revolutionary government in Paris wasn’t content with mere political control – they sought to remake society itself according to their revolutionary ideals.

For the conservative, deeply Catholic population of the Southern Netherlands, the changes were devastating. Priests who refused to take an oath of allegiance to the state were considered enemies and could be removed from their positions and homes. Churches were shuttered, monasteries dissolved, and religious education banned. The French also swept away centuries-old local laws, customs, and even the familiar calendar, replacing everything with uniform French systems.

The economic burden was crushing. Requisitions stripped farms of produce to feed French armies. New taxes squeezed an already impoverished population. But it was one final measure that would light the fuse of rebellion.

The Final Straw: Conscription

On 5 September 1798, the French legislature passed a law instituting universal conscription of all unmarried men aged 20 to 25. For farming families who depended on their sons’ labor to survive, this was catastrophic. Young men were being drafted to fight and die for a foreign power that had stripped away their religion, their traditions, and their freedom.

The anger that had been simmering for three years finally boiled over.

“Voor Outer en Heerd“: The Uprising Begins

On 12 October 1798, an angry crowd in Overmere near Dendermonde chased away a bailiff who, accompanied by French soldiers, was attempting to seize the belongings of a resident. This small act of defiance sparked a wildfire of resistance across Flanders and Brabant.

The resistance fighters adopted the rallying cry “Voor Outer en Heerd” – a Flemish phrase meaning “For Altar and Hearth,” symbolizing the defense of church and home. The French dismissively called them “brigands” (bandits or highway robbers), but to the local population, they were patriots fighting for their way of life.

The uprising was remarkably diverse. Despite its name, the Boerenkrijg wasn’t fought only by farmers. Workers, craftsmen, shopkeepers, and small merchants joined the ranks. Leaders included figures like Emmanuel Rollier, Pieter Corbeels, and (Emmanuel) Jozef Van Gansen – men from the middle class and peasantry who found themselves commanding makeshift militias.

Initially, the element of surprise worked in the locals’ favor. They seized towns, rang church bells that had been silenced, cut down the “liberty trees” the French had planted as symbols of their republic, and drove out local French officials. For a brief moment, it seemed possible that sheer determination might overcome the odds.

The Brutal Reality: Peasants Against Professional Soldiers

But the odds were insurmountable. The French deployed General Jardon with professional troops, cavalry, and artillery against normal famers armed with pitchforks and hunting weapons. (The ordinary French soldiers were known as “sansculottes” – without breeches – according to the way they were dressed). The insurgents also lacked military training, proper organization, and heavy weapons. Rumors circulated constantly about British ships arriving with aid or Austrian troops marching to their rescue, but foreign help never materialized.

The French systematically retook town after town. By late November, the scattered insurgent forces were being pushed eastward, pursued relentlessly through Herentals, Geel, and Diest.

The Final Stand: 4-5 December 1798

In early December, encouraged by renewed rumors of foreign intervention, the insurgents regrouped near Hasselt. On 4 December , a force of 3,000 to 4,000 of them managed to capture the city.

The French commanders saw their opportunity. If they could encircle and destroy this concentrated force, they could end the rebellion in a single stroke.

The next day, French troops surrounded Hasselt and launched their assault with artillery bombardment that caused heavy damage to the city. The desperate peasant army, trapped and outgunned, fought with the courage of men who knew they faced either death in battle or execution if captured.

When it became clear the battle was lost, the Flemish attempted to flee through the weakly defended Luikerpoort (Liège Gate) toward Sint-Truiden. French cavalry pursued them and conducted a massacre. The fields around the farmsteads of Groot and Klein Hilst became killing grounds.

Between 600 and 700 resistance fighters died in Hasselt alone, and estimates place total casualties of the entire uprising between 5,000 and 10,000. The Boerenkrijg was over after exactly 55 days.

The Terrible Aftermath: Repression Without Mercy

The French response was merciless. There were 3,000 arrests, hundreds of deportations, and 190 executions by firing squad, including leaders like Constant, Corbeels, and Meulemans. In Mechelen, 41 insurgents were executed in front of the Sint-Rombouts Cathedral the day after they briefly liberated the city. In 2011, archaeologists discovered their remains in a mass grave.

A French general organized a torch-lit parade through Brussels on 7 December 1798, displaying Hasselt prisoners as trophies. Many would be executed or die from deprivation in French prisons.

In total, the uprising and its brutal suppression claimed approximately 15,000 lives.

Legacy: From Forgotten Rebellion to National Symbol

For decades, the Boerenkrijg was largely forgotten outside the regions where it occurred. That changed in 1853 when Flemish writer Hendrik Conscience published his novel “De Boerenkrijg,” which romanticized the uprising as a noble struggle for freedom. Conscience’s work transformed the rebellion into a powerful symbol for the emerging Flemish movement.

By 1898, during the centennial commemorations, hundreds of thousands gathered at locations across Flanders, with the highlight being a national ceremony in Hasselt where a new monument was unveiled. The Boerenkrijg had become part of Flemish cultural identity – a story of ordinary people standing up to oppression, even in the face of certain defeat.

The interpretation has evolved over time. Some historians view it as an early expression of Belgian nationalism and desire for independence, while others emphasize its Catholic and specifically Flemish character. The reality was likely more complex – driven by a mixture of religious devotion, defense of local customs, economic desperation, and resistance to forced military service.

Remembering the Fallen: The Kapel van Hilst and Annual Commemorations

The first physical memorial came surprisingly quickly. In 1850, a mass grave was discovered near the ponds of Hilst, containing the skeletal remains of 60 people, along with soldier buttons and bronze medals depicting Christ and the Virgin Mary. The property owner, Mrs. Bamps-Lebon, immediately erected a small wooden chapel on the site.

This Kapel van Hilst became the oldest Boerenkrijg monument – predating the “official” Hasselt monument by 48 years. The remains found at the site were reburied in the cemetery of Sint-Lambrechts-Herk, but the chapel remained as a place of pilgrimage and remembrance.

The simple structure you can visit today is built in traditional half-timbered construction with mud and straw filling. A tent roof topped with a small bell tower covers the rectangular chapel. Inside, visitors find a marble plaque with the inscription “À la mémoire des payans-patriotes tués ici le 6 décembre 1798” (In memory of the peasant-patriots killed here on December 6, 1798).

In 1898, Hasselt erected a much larger monument on Leopoldplein. Created by sculptors Albert Baggen and Jan Frans De Vriendt, it features a bronze figure of a resistance fighter blowing a cow horn and raising a banner, standing atop a stone column. Relief sculptures at the base depict women, children, and elderly people anxiously waiting while brigands fight the French forces.

Modern Commemoration: Keeping Memory Alive

Each year, the Boerenkrijgcomité (Peasants’ War Committee) organizes commemorative activities in Hasselt, traditionally held in early December. The ceremonies maintain several traditional elements:

At the Kapel van Hilst: A solemn gathering featuring a flower tribute and a brief torchlight procession with mounted riders; a religious service (mass) honoring the fallen; and the celebration traditionally concludes with pea soup and Hasselt jenever (gin) – simple fare connecting participants to the peasant origins of the uprising.

Additional Activities: In 2025, the main commemoration took place on Saturday, 29 November. Residents were encouraged to display Boerenkrijg flags in their windows. The ceremony included visits to both the Kapel van Hilst and the monument on Leopoldplein.

In 2023, commemorators organized a 27-kilometer walking route from Tessenderlo to Hasselt, retracing part of the path the peasant army took on their way to their final battle.

Why This Matters Today

The Boerenkrijg raises enduring questions about resistance, identity, and the cost of defending one’s beliefs. Were these insurgents fighting for freedom or clinging to an outdated order? Were they Flemish nationalists, Catholic loyalists, or simply desperate people pushed beyond their breaking point? The answer is probably all of the above.

What’s undeniable is their courage. They knew they couldn’t win – pamphlets from the time declared “Liever de kogel of de guillotine” (Better the bullet or the guillotine) – expressing  the conviction that dying free at home was better than dying as a conscript on some distant French battlefield.

The Kapel van Hilst stands today not as a celebration of war, but as a reminder of the ordinary people caught in the grinding wheels of revolutionary change. In 1943, the chapel and its surrounding land came into the possession of the city of Hasselt, which maintains it. In 2010, it was officially protected as a heritage monument.

When you visit Hasselt’s outskirts along the Oude Truierbaan, past the modern lintbebouwing (ribbon development) and remaining meadows, you’ll find this modest chapel surrounded by old trees. It’s easy to miss among the contemporary buildings. But for those who stop, it offers a tangible connection to a moment when hundreds of people died fighting for what they believed was right – a story that deserves to be remembered, understood, and honored.

Robert Declerck adds: “A good indication of how widespread this fight was, is that many places in the region have a Boerenkrijg monument, such as Overmere, Bornem, Mol, Geel, Herentals, Westerlo, Mechelen ..and probably more. Also, Overmere used to have a Boerenkrijg Museum, but nowadays it is called “Depot Boerenkrijg Overmere” 

Denzil Walton

I created Discovering Belgium in 2011 to share the country’s hidden stories, fascinating places, and remarkable people. Through articles, photography, and audio walks, I share discoveries that reveal Belgium beyond the obvious. Hope you enjoy this site.