Poorter is a dutch

Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

 historical term for a type of Dutch

Dutch people

The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...

 or Flemish

Flemish people

The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...

 burgher

Bourgeoisie

In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...

 who had acquired the right to live within the city gates

City Gate

Moshe Aviv Tower , is a skyscraper located in the demarcated area of the bursa on Jabotinsky Road in northern Ramat Gan, Israel. It is commonly known as City Gate , its original name. It is the tallest building in Israel....

 of a city, and also had city rights. This poorterrecht or citizenship could be gained by registering with the magistrate

Magistrate

A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...

 of the city.

To receive citizen rights, a sum of money was to be paid, to prove that you weren't poor and could maintain a household. There also were religious restrictions, and numerous cities forbade Jews

Jews

The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

 from attaining citizenship until the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

. An oath was also taken. Some cities also had grootburgers (literally: great burghers), who received more rights then normal citizens, but had to pay a higher price to acquire it.

The city was surrounded by a city wall and a moat, and this way offered safety and protection to a certain level to its citizens. At nightfall, the city gates would be closed by the gate watch. The Keys to the city were handed to the Burgemeester, and collected again the next day.

The entire citizenry of a city was sometimes called the Poorterij (literally: Portery).