Pieter Corbeels Emmanuel Rollier [fr] The Peasants' War (French: Guerre des Paysans, Dutch: Boerenkrijg, German: Klöppelkrieg, Luxembourgish: Klëppelkrich) was a peasant revolt in 1798 against the French occupiers of the Southern Netherlands, a region which now includes Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Germany.

After the Southern Netherlands was annexed by France, the French revolutionaries began to implement their policies regarding the Catholic Church.

Referred to as the Boerenkrijg, it is referenced by some historians as a Belgian national revolt, and an indication of a desire for independence by Belgium.

The middle and upper classes were not driven to revolt, as the anti-clericalism and the modernisation brought by the French Revolution were somewhat beneficial to them.

[5] Lacking both financial support from the middle classes, and proper military training, the peasants were quickly put down by the French occupation force.