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If you’re having, had, or will have a bad day, spare a thought for the people of the Dutch city of Delft. Three hundred and sixty four years ago today, they experienced a shocking, unprecedented disaster - the Delft Thunderclap. THREAD 1/ 
Before we progress further, it’s important to understand that the 17th century wasn’t a fun time for many Dutchmen. A fair smack of it was spent fighting the hated Spanish, and the Little Ice Age was in full swing, playing havoc with the weather and harvests. /2
Still, the Dutch had developed a strong sense of self-identity, had a knack for business and there was a sense of optimism about things going forward. At a time of dynasties clashing and religious strife, the Netherlands was a relative beacon of modernity. /3
Delft was a powerful Dutch city in the 1650s. It had strong walls to repel invaders, access by canals to the sea and the seat of the reigning ‘stattholders’, the House of Orange. It was a busy, prosperous place, full of new ideas. /4
Delft was also the home of ‘delftware’ a very type of ceramic, glazed in white with blue designs. It remains famous all over the world, and antique pieces are very valuable. Your grandma probably has a knock-off piece somewhere. /5
Still, Dutch cities had to be able to defend themselves, and a militia was essential. A militia couldn’t fight without gunpowder, and like many cities, Delft had a sizable store. It was kept in an old, disused convent of the Poor Clares. /6
Now, the thing about gunpowder is, it needs to be kept dry and unadulterated - if it’s damp, or mix isn’t right, you’re not going to be able to use it to fire cannon or rifles. That means that it frequently needs to be checked. /7
On the morning of October 12th, a watchman, Cornelis Soetens, headed in to the convent with a visitor - we don’t know who - to do his rounds and checks. With him, he carried a lantern, to help see among the hundreds of barrels of gunpowder stored there. /8
Mercifully for Soetens and his guest, their end was fairly quick, A few minutes after entering, a massive explosion blew not only the convent to kingdom come, but a fair portion of the city. Some houses simply disappeared, others collapsed in on themselves. /9
Accounts of the explosion suggest that it could be heard as far away as the North Sea, and some thought that it heralded the biblical Day of Judgement. The roof and windows of the town’s church were blown away, and trees snapped, flying some distance. /10
Fortunately, many of the townsfolk had left Delft early that morning to visit a fair - a big deal in those days. However, when they returned they found over 100 dead and thousands injured. Years later, a minister, a Petrus de Witte invoked the scene during a sermon… /11
Quite a few important citizens were among the dead, but one sticks out - Carel Fabritius. He was a painter whose works approached those of his rival, Jan Vermeer. He’d already created stunning works - ‘The Sentry’ for example - and who knows what he might have gone on to do. /12
After the dead had been buried and mourned, the work of reconstruction began. Many of the city’s wooden buildings were pulled down and replaced with the red brick we associate with the Dutch Golden Age. Streets were widened and redesigned. The city took on a new face. /13
Internally, the city would take longer to heal. The ‘Delft Thunderclap’ was seized upon by both Protestants and Catholics as a sign of God’s displeasure with the other. Pamphlets and sermons inflamed tensions. The shock of the disaster took decades to ebb. /14
Perhaps the most striking piece of primary evidence we have of what the city looked like following the explosion is a painting made shortly afterwards by the artist Egbert van der Poel. He had a personal reason for being their - his son died in the explosion. /15
Delft would eventually recover from the ‘Thunderclap’, and, like the phoenix from the ashes, it would emerge stronger and (it must be said) prettier than ever. Seriously, a gorgeous town, full of stunning Golden Age architecture. /16
To learn more about the 'Delft Thunderclap', I cannot recommend this documentary by @rnw - Radio Netherlands Worldwide - highly enough. /17 beta.prx.org/stories/2683
To learn more about Delft - and you really should, it’s a fantastic place, I really want to go - follow @VisitHolland and check out the Delft city website. /18 delft.com
I’m going to be covering events that occurred each day in more depth as part of my threads - look for more stuff on the Netherlands in the 17th century in future, as it’s an amazing time and place. /FIN
