"Apart from being the setting for the anecdote about the “ rabbit king ”, Dam Square is a symbol of Amsterdam throughout history. It has witnessed many events first-hand. Among them, those that have a close relationship with the Inquisition, which was also present in these lands, stand out.
Although the Holy Office was introduced by Emperor Charles V in the Netherlands , the latter already had local courts that were responsible for prosecuting heretics. In fact, the courts of Antwerp (now a Belgian city) executed more than 100 people accused of heresy, being more implacable than the Inquisition itself established by imperial order in 1523, whose inquisitor was Frans van der Hulst . It should also be mentioned that the Inquisition in the 17 provinces that made up the Netherlands was independent of the Spanish one, that is, they had nothing to do with it.
The first steps of the Inquisition were gentle, as the population was almost entirely Catholic. But with the arrival of Protestantism, it was reinforced by the figure of the inquisitor Pieter Titelmans and began to prosecute without hesitation anyone who might have even the slightest suspicion of carrying out practices deemed heretical. The Inquisition's persecutions were so fierce that Philip II himself came to affirm that "the Inquisition of the Netherlands was more merciless than that of Spain." And many of these executions took place in Dam Square , as it was the most important public space next to the Grand Place in Brussels. The best known was the burning at the stake of Anneken Hendriks in 1571, a Frisian Anabaptist who refused to confess her religious confession or to betray anyone during the interrogations and torture she endured; her case was so famous that engravings of her execution were made which are preserved to this day.
anneken-hendriks-alvaro-anula
Engraving depicting the burning of Anneken Hendriks at the stake in Dam Square, Amsterdam
All kinds of heretics paraded through Dam Square , seeing their fate decided in the autos-da-fe and their outcome coming later. Although one of the victims that comes to mind whenever the Holy Office is mentioned must be highlighted : witches. Because in Amsterdam 's main square there were also executions of people who had had direct dealings with the Devil and who engaged in all kinds of witchcraft practices.
For example, on 27 February 1555, Meyns Cornelis van Purmerend , a maid from Amsterdam , was burned at the stake on Dam Square on charges of witchcraft. It was said that for 20 years she was visited by other witches at her house, who often transformed into cats, so that she could join them in covens where they worshipped the Devil. Meyns Cornelis van Purmerend was also accused of having slept with the Devil himself and that after that she had the ability to bewitch people and animals such as sheep and cows.
Another alleged witch who was released into the secular fold in the public market of Amsterdam was Engel Dirks , who was said to have renounced God, performed forbidden spells and had contacts with an evil spirit. The last witch to be condemned on Dam Square was a woman accused by her neighbours of having nightly fever attacks and raving about the Devil and witches' meetings in 1564. After being whipped, she confessed that for seven years she had had contact with a demon called " Pollepel " who had taught her to practise magic, to create storms, to destroy ships from a distance and to turn money into figs. She died in prison as a result of torture, but her body was burned to ashes in the public space of Amsterdam .
After this death, the witch mania in the area decreased considerably and the inquisitors began to believe that these were mere fables of superstition and the evils that plagued Europe. The change in mentality regarding witches was demonstrated in the trial of Gijsbertgen Jans , a 70-year-old woman who, despite having been locked up in the secret prisons of the Inquisition , was acquitted. Times had changed, but Dam Square was marked forever.
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