# Poorter

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{{Short description|Dutch right to live within city walls}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}

[[File:Brugge Kruispoort R01.jpg|thumb|Kruispoort, one of the four remaining gates of [Bruges](/source/Bruges), Belgium]]

'''Poorter''' ({{IPA|nl|ˈpoːrtər}}) is an historical term for a type of [Dutch](/source/Dutch_People), or [Flemish](/source/Flemish_people), [burgher](/source/burgher_(title)) who had acquired the right to live within [the walls](/source/City_Gate) of a city with [city rights](/source/city_rights).

In the Dutch Republic, this ''poorterrecht'' or ''poorterschap'' (citizenship) could be gained by paying 40, later 50 guilders, and registering with the [magistrate](/source/magistrate) of the city. The payment of money was to prove that one was not poor, and that one could maintain a household. There were also religious restrictions, and numerous cities forbade [Jews](/source/Jews) from attaining citizenship. An oath was also taken. Some cities also had ''grootburgers'' ([grand burgher](/source/grand_burgher)s), who received more rights than normal citizens, but had to pay a higher price to acquire it.<ref>{{cite book|first=Simon |last=Schama|authorlink=Simon Schama|title=The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age|location= Berkeley|publisher= University of California Press|year= 1988|page= 587}}</ref>   The privileges were abolished after the French invasion of the [Austrian Netherlands](/source/Austrian_Netherlands) and the [Dutch Republic](/source/Dutch_Republic) in 1794-1795. There was a distinction between the ordinary inhabitants of the city (residents) and the poorters, who enjoyed a higher status because of their origin, education, income, craftsmanship and so on.

The city would be surrounded by a city wall, and a moat, which offered safety, and protection, of a certain level, to its citizens. At nightfall, the city gates would be closed by the gate watch. The [Keys to the city](/source/Freedom_of_the_City) were handed to the [Burgemeester](/source/Burgemeester), and returned again the next day.

The entire citizenry of a city was sometimes called the ''Poorterij''.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}

Category:Social class in the Netherlands
Category:Citizenship
Category:Bourgeoisie

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Poorter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poorter) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poorter?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.