From the life of King Gorilla
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 Book cover of the 1897 edition | |
| Author | Sicco Roorda van Eysinga |
|---|---|
| Original title | Uit het leven van Koning Gorilla |
| Language | Dutch |
| Genre | Satire |
| Publisher | B. Liebers |
Publication date | 1887 |
| Publication place | Netherlands |
| Pages | 24 |
From the life of King Gorilla (Uit het leven van Koning Gorilla, 1887) is a Dutch satirical pamphlet, published by B. Liebers in 1887. The pamphlet describes the many incidents of King William III, who is called 'King Gorilla' in the pamphlet. Later, 'King Gorilla' would become the nickname of King William III.
The pamphlet was written by the socialist magazine Justice for All. The reason for publishing it was the conviction of editor-in-chief Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis in 1886, who was sentenced to a year in prison for lèse-majesté. In revenge for the conviction, the magazine published the pamphlet. It is striking that the theory that William III murdered his father is also mentioned in the pamphlet.
The pamphlet describes the incidents and events in which he comes across as someone who swears, has a drinking problem and abuses his lackeys and wife. The events in Montreux, where he was guilty of exhibitionism, are also mentioned in the pamphlet.
The pamphlet sold well. In the years that followed, the pamphlet would be reprinted. Many supporters of King William III found the pamphlet tasteless. But despite the criticism, the anonymous author(s) and the publisher were never prosecuted for printing and publishing the pamphlet.
Extraordinary State Gazette
Since 1849, William III was the king of the Netherlands. He was known as an unpredictable monarch who suffered from many fits of rage. In addition, William III could not stand the fact that the Netherlands was changing from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one with parliamentary democracy, a process that was initiated by his father William II. William III's behaviour at court was also horrible.[1] The king often bullied his lackeys and also drank a lot of alcohol. William III also abused his wife Sophie of Württemberg.[2]
A major scandal took place in 1875. William III rented a villa in Montreux, Switzerland. There he was said to have been guilty of exhibitionism, by opening his dressing gown in front of the paddle steamers that sailed past his villa. This scandal would later be brought to light.[3]
In 1885, posters of the Extraordinary State Gazette appeared in Dutch cities, in which it was supposedly stated that ‘William the Last’ would abdicate as king of the Netherlands. Furthermore, the pamphlet stated that the king would announce major reforms, such as the disbanding of the army, the abolition of the Dutch States General, and the organisation of a referendum. A new form of government would be selected by the Dutch in the referendum.[4]
The pamphlet later turned out to be a satirical action, which was published by the socialist magazine Justice for All. The editor-in-chief of the magazine was the socialist Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis. The action received a lot of support from the anarchist corner, but disgust from the royalist corner.
In 1886, Domela Nieuwenhuis was summoned to court because of an article that appeared in the magazine Justice for All. The article stated that King William III was ‘someone who made so little effort of his job’. Domela Nieuwenhuis was convicted of lèse-majesté. He was sentenced to one year in prison.
Socialist circles reacted with indignation to Domela Nieuwenhuis' prison sentence. They believed that the sentence was excessive. Especially because an anonymous writer, under the name P.v.d.V., was fined 25 guilders for a poem in which he wrote that King William III was 'a mean scoundrel and a big bastard'.
Fine Rusk
The magazine Justice for All responded to Domela Nieuwenhuis' prison sentence by publishing several articles in the autumn of 1886 under the name Fine Rusk. Fine Rusk consisted of four episodes and was written by Sicco Roorda van Eysinga.[2] Roorda van Eysinga had lived in Geneva since 1872 and heard stories about the misconduct of King William III there. The first episode appeared on 20 October 1886 and the last episode was published on 17 November 1886.[5]
On 23 October 1886, Justice for All published an article that was a response to episode II of Fine Rusk. The anonymous writer added something to the story, with rumours about the misdeeds of William III in the army and the court. The king is said to have cursed violently at his generals and to have ordered the army to shoot all the generals dead. The story of how William III abused his lackeys and wife was also included in the article.[6]
In January 1887, the editors of Justice for All allegedly came up with a plan to distribute a pamphlet on King William III’s 70th birthday in revenge for the conviction of Domela Nieuwenhuis in 1886. On 22 January 1887, Justice for All published an appeal, officially announcing the pamphlet and motivating readers to buy the pamphlet to enable its distribution. The campaign was a success. A total of, ƒ74.85 guilders was spent, with which 2,493 copies of 3 cents were purchased and distributed.[5]
