SOCIAL ACTIVISTS from Netherlands

Top 4

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Dutch Social Activists of all time. This list of famous Dutch Social Activists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Marinus van der Lubbe (1909 - 1934)

With an HPI of 62.68, Marinus van der Lubbe is the most famous Dutch Social Activist.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages on wikipedia.

Marinus van der Lubbe (13 January 1909 – 10 January 1934) was a Dutch communist who was tried, convicted, and executed by the government of Nazi Germany for allegedly setting fire to the Reichstag building—the national parliament of Germany—on 27 February 1933. During his trial, the prosecution argued that van der Lubbe had acted on behalf of a wider communist conspiracy, while left-wing anti-Nazis argued that the fire was a false flag attack arranged by the Nazis themselves. Most historians agree that van der Lubbe acted alone. Nearly 75 years after the event, the German government granted van der Lubbe a posthumous pardon.

2. Pier Gerlofs Donia (1480 - 1520)

With an HPI of 62.63, Pier Gerlofs Donia is the 2nd most famous Dutch Social Activist.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Pier Gerlofs Donia (c. 1480 – 28 October 1520) was a Frisian farmer, rebel leader, and pirate. He is best known by his West Frisian nickname Grutte Pier ("Big Pier"; in the pre-1980 West Frisian spelling written as Greate Pier), or by the Dutch translation Grote Pier, which referred to his legendary size, strength, and bravery. His life is mostly shrouded in legend. Based upon a description now attributed to Pier's contemporary Petrus Thaborita, the 19th-century Dutch historian Conrad Busken Huet wrote that Grutte Pier was A tower of a fellow as strong as an ox, of dark complexion, broad shouldered, with a long black beard and moustache. A natural rough humorist, who through unfortunate circumstances was recast into an awful brute. Out of personal revenge for the bloody injustice that befell him (in 1515) with the killing of kinsfolk and destruction of his property he became a freedom fighter of legendary standing.

3. Gaius Julius Civilis (25 - 100)

With an HPI of 58.28, Gaius Julius Civilis is the 3rd most famous Dutch Social Activist.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Gaius Julius Civilis was the leader of the Batavian rebellion against the Romans in 69 AD. His nomen shows that he (or one of his male ancestors) was made a Roman citizen (and thus, the tribe a Roman vassal) by either Augustus or Caligula.

4. Hannie Schaft (1920 - 1945)

With an HPI of 51.06, Hannie Schaft is the 4th most famous Dutch Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Jannetje Johanna (Jo) Schaft (16 September 1920 – 17 April 1945) was a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II. She became known as "the girl with the red hair" (Dutch: het meisje met het rode haar, German: das Mädchen mit dem roten Haar). Her secret name in the resistance movement was "Hannie".