Jan van Speijk lights the gunpowder fuse, 5 February 1831, (1831-1850). Creator: Jacobus Schoemaker Doyer

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Jan van Speijk lights the gunpowder fuse, 5 February 1831, (1831-1850). Creator: Jacobus Schoemaker Doyer

Jan van Speijk lights the gunpowder fuse, 5 February 1831, (1831-1850). Dutch naval lieutenant commander with the United Netherlands Navy who became a hero in the Netherlands for his opposition to the Belgian Revolution. The Belgians stormed Van Speyk's ship, demanding he haul down the Dutch flag. Rather than surrender his ship, he fired a pistol (some versions say he threw a lighted cigar) into a barrel of gunpowder in the ship's magazine. According to legend he shouted, "I'd rather be blown up then". The number of Belgians killed is unknown, though it probably numbered in the dozens. Twenty-eight of his 31 crewmen also perished in the blast

Media ID 36341436

© Heritage Art/Heritage Images

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