In 1786, a civil war broke out in full force in the Netherlands. Tensions in the political conflict between the patriots and orangists boiled over.
Stadtholder William V intervened militarily. On 4 September 1786, the patriot-dominated Gelderland cities of Hattem and Elburg were shelled by stadtholder troops.
The war saw many acts of violence: destruction, military mobilization, intimidation, political purges, looting terror and armed skirmishes.
In 1787, the Prussian army would put an end to the civil war in the Netherlands with a large-scale invasion.
Map of Heusden, drawn by a Prussian military engineer in 1786
The defenses and entrance gates of the fortified city of Heusden, during the civil war of 1786, have been portrayed in detail with precision. On 6 January 1787, a revolution took place in that city. Influential patriots seized power in the city government. Heusden became thereby the first city in the province of Holland where the revolution made its breakthrough. Later in the year the city was captured by Prussian hussars and politically purged.
