History of The Furbish Islands

The first human settlement of The Furbish Islands occurred circa 800.

In 1805, independence was declared, and colonial forces were driven out by the end of that year. However,

Time of Troubles

Three different dates are debated by historians as the start of the time of troubles. On 24 May, the Burger rebellion began after the northern railroad strike was violently suppressed. On 23 June, a Gendarmerie company deserted, sending a signal to the high command that their own gendarmes can no longer be trusted. On 29 July, Drumpf was overthrown, and all order broke down.

Northern railroad strike and Burger rebellion

On 14 March 1873, five thousand Army Railroad Company workers in the north went on strike after wages were cut despite increasing inflation. The strike lasted little over two months before being put down by the Gendarmerie.

19 Dutch gendarmes from the force, including Sibren van Aalzum, Maup Dorman, Sijbrand Kortum, Jan-Willem Martini, and Lindert Roltvoort, deserted on 20 May when they learned the purpose of their mission. After gaining support from some villages, they declared on the 24th that they will take arms against the federal government, calling themselves "citizens", or "Burgers".

Attack on camp III

Jean de Flandre was a captain of the Gendarmerie on 21 June when he received an order to put more people in concentration camps. He refused, instead sending his company to attack camp III, the largest of the concentration camps.