Maria Aletta Hulshoff facts for kids

Maria Aletta Hulshoff (pen name, Mietje; 30 July 1781, Amsterdam – 10 February 1846, Amsterdam) was a Dutch Patriot, feminist and pamphleteer. She was a strong supporter of democracy and equal rights. Maria was known for writing pamphlets, which were like short, printed arguments.

Maria Aletta Hulshoff's Life

Maria was the daughter of Allard Hulshoff, a Mennonite preacher. She always believed in her father's ideas about democracy. These ideas were against the powerful princes of Orange.

Early Writings and Trouble

Maria's first pamphlet was about democracy. Some people think it was written by someone else, Samuel Iperusz Wiselius. It might have been published under her name to protect him. She was arrested but later released. The authorities realized she was not the true author.

Her second pamphlet, "An Appeal to the Batavian People," was published in 1806. She wrote it under her own name. Maria heard that Napoleon wanted to make his brother, Louis Bonaparte, king of Holland. She wrote against this idea. She believed the Dutch people should choose their own leader. She also predicted bad things would happen if a foreign ruler took over:

Who has not heard the rumors? The rumors that prince Louis Bonaparte will rule over the Batavians.... We have been oppressed by the princes of Orange. With help from the French, we could have removed the hated stadholder. They wanted to give us back our rights. Now, one man wants to give a scepter to a strange ruler. We will become a province of the French empire. One man will make us slaves. Our country will fail. Trade will stop. Our sons will be forced to become soldiers for a foreign ruler. They will be led away to faraway lands.

Facing the Authorities

Almost all copies of her pamphlet were destroyed by the government. Maria's family tried to take her to safety in Germany. But she was determined and escaped back to Holland. She wanted a public trial to share her message. She even wrote a letter demanding to be arrested.

Her lawyers tried to argue that she was not mentally well. This was a common idea at the time for women who spoke out. But Maria disagreed with this defense. She wanted to defend herself.

During her trial, Maria had a difficult moment. She could not speak when the judges asked her to apologize. So, she was found guilty. On July 18, 1806, she was sentenced to two years in a city house of correction. While there, she sang religious and republican songs.

Escape and Exile

After her release, Maria wrote another pamphlet. This one was against Napoleon's military draft. She called it a "terrible and hateful requirement." This made her an enemy of Napoleon's government. She was supposed to be imprisoned again.

But Maria found out about the plan. She disguised herself as a man and fled to Amsterdam. The authorities described her as:

Maria Aletta Hulshoff, 27 Years old, short and slight of figure, a little crooked; dark of complexion, dark brown hair, nose and mouth average,

Friends and family helped her hide. Maria then moved to London. From 1811 to 1820, she lived in New York City in the United States. There, she wrote a book called "Republicans' Peace Manual." It was about peace and republican ideas.

Return to the Netherlands

Maria Aletta Hulshoff returned to the Netherlands in 1820. She continued her political work. In 1827, she wrote her last pamphlet. This one was about the importance of hygiene and vaccination against smallpox.

Maria remained single her whole life. After her death, her rooms were found to be quite empty. But she was actually rich. She had saved a lot of money with friends.

Maria Aletta Hulshoff's Works

• De "Verzameling van brieven, gewisseld tusschen Valerius Publicola te Amsterdam en Caius Manlius te Utrecht" 1804
• Oproeping van het Bataafsche volk, om deszelfs denkwijze en wil openlijk aan den dag te leggen, tegen de overheersching door eenen vreemdeling, waarmede het vaderland bedreigd wordt (Amsterdam 1806). (This was probably the work of Samuel Wiselius, but the pamphlet only appeared under her name.)
• Droevige klagt van een aalmoeseniers-weeskind (z.p. 1808).
• Waarschouwing tegen de requisitie, welke men in ons vaderland wil invoeren [...] (Haarlem 1809).
• Peace republican’s manual, or the French constitution of 1793 and the Declaration of the rights of man and of citizens […] (New York 1817).
• Gevolgen der voldoening, of iets over de vrage: Verkondigt Gods heilig woord, dat een gedeelte van het menschelijk geslacht, hier namaals, zonder einde boosaardig en lijdend zal blijven; of verkondigt hetzelve de eindelijke zaligheid van alle menschen? [...] (Amsterdam 1820).
• De koepok-inenting beschouwd, en tien bedenkingen overwogen: voor minkundigen (Amsterdam 1827).