in 1668, when troops were being gathered for the war between Spain and France. In 1667 De Witt was the deputy chosen by the States of Holland to accompany Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter in his famous raid on the Medway. Cornelis de Witt on this occasion distinguished himself greatly by his coolness and intrepidity. He again accompanied De Ruyter in 1672 and took an honorable part in the great battle of Solebay against the united English and French fleets. Compelled by illness to leave the fleet, he found on his return to Dordrecht that the Orange party were in the ascendant, and he and his brother were the objects of popular suspicion and hatred. He was arrested on false accusations of treason, but did not confess despite heavy torture and was ultimately unlawfully condemned to be banished. He was assassinated by the same carefully organised lynch mob that killed his brother on the day he was to be released, victim of a conspiracy by the Orangists Johan Kievit and Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Tromp. Both their bodies were mutilated and their hearts were carved out to be exhibited as trophies. The scene was painted by Jan de Baen, the same painter who had twice painted his portrait, in The Corpses of the De Witt Brothers. Marriage Cornelis de Witt married Maria van Berckel (1632–1706) in 1650. The couple had five children: Jacob de Witt (1653–1675). Six days after his father's murder, he set out on a journey to Germany, Geneva, Italy (where he received his doctorate in Padua in 1675) and Austria. He was unmarried and died in Vienna the same year, where he is buried. Johan de Witt (1660–1681); he was enrolled at the University of Leiden Anna de Witt (b 1667) Maria de Witt (b 1669), married to Arend Muys van Holy, mayor of Dordrecht Wilhelmina de Witt (1671–1702). She married her first cousin (the son of Johan de Witt) Johan de Witt Jr. (1662–1701), secretary of Dordrecht In popular culture Cornelis de Witt and his role in Dutch politics was depicted in the 2015 film Michiel de Ruyter. Both brothers play important roles in the novel The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas. References External links 1623 births 1672 deaths 17th-century Dutch politicians Assassinated Dutch politicians Dutch States Party politicians Lynching deaths Mayors of Dordrecht People from Dordrecht People murdered in the Netherlands De Witt family