Trijn van Leemput was a Dutch heroine of the Eighty Years' War against Spain. According to local legend in Utrecht, she led a large group of women on May 2, 1577, to the castle of Vredenburg and gave the signal to begin demolishing the castle.
The castle of Vredenburg had been built by emperor Charles V after annexing Utrecht in 1528, and was manned by a Spanish garrison. On November 8, 1576, the Pacification of Ghent was signed and the Eighty Years' War began. The Dutch rebels besieged the Vredenburg fortress and, following negotiations, the garrison abandoned the castle in February 1577.
The citizens of Utrecht demanded that the abandoned castle be demolished, but the city government would not allow it, so on May 2 the Utrechters, led by Trijn van Leemput, took matters into their own hands. The events that followed were recorded by contemporaries Arnold Buchelius and Joh. van Beverwyck. Later historians have cast doubt on the historical accuracy of the tale. Most likely it is part legend and partly based on fact.
Trijn van Leemput is said to have gathered a large group of women and marched on the castle, carrying a makeshift banner made out of a blue apron tied to a broom.