Jan de Lichte
Jan de Lichte | |
|---|---|
Jan de Lichte as depicted by Roel D'Haese | |
| Born | Johannes de Lichte 7 April 1723 |
| Died | 13 November 1748 (aged 25) |
| Occupation(s) | Outlaw and gang leader |
| Years active | 1737–1748 |
Joannes "Jan" De Lichte (7 April 1723 – 13 November 1748) was an 18th-century Flemish outlaw and gang leader. Motivated by poverty during the upheavals of the Austrian War of Succession (1740–48), de Lichte led a gang of bandits who committed burglaries, robberies, and several murders in Flanders. Captured and executed in 1748, he was subsequently rehabilitated in the fictional works of Louis Paul Boon in 1958 and has subsequently inspired a sculpture and film series.