Anglo-Dutch Wars
The Anglo-Dutch Wars were a series of three conflicts fought between England and the Dutch Republic during the 17th century, primarily driven by mercantile rivalry and political tensions. The first war occurred from 1652 to 1654, triggered by the Navigation Act of 1651, which aimed to restrict Dutch trade. Key naval battles, such as those off Dungeness and the Three Days' Battle, marked this war, ultimately leading to the Treaty of Westminster, which saw the Dutch pay compensation while maintaining a degree of autonomy. The second war (1665–1667) was prompted by continued English aggression and competition in the slave trade, featuring significant encounters like the Battle of Lowestoft and the Dutch raid on the Thames, culminating in the Treaty of Breda, which favored Dutch interests but allowed England to retain New Amsterdam. The third war (1672–1674) was influenced by alliances with France and resulted in indecisive naval engagements, concluding with the Treaty of Westminster, wherein the Dutch paid an indemnity and recognized certain maritime rights. Collectively, these wars solidified the role of naval power in international conflict, while shaping future maritime policies and trade dynamics between England and the Netherlands.
Anglo-Dutch Wars
At issue: Commercial rivalry and sovereignty of the seas, existence of the Dutch republic
Date: May 19, 1652-July 31, 1678
Location: North Sea, English Channel, West African coast, Eastern Atlantic, the Dutch republic
Combatants: English vs. Dutch
Principal commanders: English, Robert Blake (1599–1657), James, duke of York, later James II (1633–1701), Prince Rupert (1619–1682); Dutch, Maarten Tromp (1598–1653), Michiel de Ruyter (1607–1676)
Principal battles: Dungeness, Three Days’ Battle, Gabbard Bank, Lowestoft
Result: Dutch forfeited New Amsterdam (New York), regained Surinam, and lost power at sea to the English
Background
The diplomatically isolated Commonwealth government sought a political union with the Dutch republic in 1651; however, the Dutch feared becoming a client state and rejected the plan. Dutch and English global mercantile rivalry, coupled with English security fears, resulted in the Navigation Act of 1651, subsequent search and seizure of Dutch vessels, and naval war in 1652. Continued commercial rivalries in the slave trade and elsewhere, exacerbated by political opposition to the Dutch republic in England, led to the second war in 1665, and French king Louis XIV’s subsidy for Charles II, which involved support of France’s operations against the Netherlands, committed England to the third war in 1672.
Action
Dutch strategy in the first war (1652–1654) was to use the navy to protect the merchant fleet. The first important battle occurred on November 30, 1652, off Dungeness, where Maarten Tromp defeated England’s Robert Blake and gained temporary control of the seas. The defeat led to lasting naval reforms and improved administration and accountability. When the navies met again, February 18-20, 1653, Blake used his larger and more heavily armed ships to win the Three Days’ Battle and strike a blow to Dutch trade in the English Channel. Near Gabbard Bank on June 2-3, 1653, the Dutch lost twenty ships. Tromp died in battle at Texel in July. Under the Treaty of Westminster, April 5, 1654, the Dutch paid compensation for the massacre at Amboina (1623), and Holland agreed secretly to exclude members of the Orange family from the office of stadtholder (viceroy in a province of the Netherlands).
Before the second war (1665–1667) began, the English seized slaving posts in Africa, and New Amsterdam (New York) in North America, although Michiel de Ruyter quickly retook the African posts. James, the duke of York, and like-minded Englishmen opposed Dutch religious tolerance and republicanism and sought war. The first major action occurred off Lowestoft on June 3, 1665, with York in command of the English and Lord Jacob van Wassenaar Opdam leading the Dutch. Both navies employed the close-hauled, single-line-ahead formation that would dominate naval engagements for more than a century. Ships formed a line fore and aft, firing broadsides at one another and made extensive use of fireships. Off Lowestoft, the Dutch lost sixteen ships and had another nine captured. Despite devastating losses, they recovered sufficiently to regain the upper hand through the remainder of the war. In June, 1667, they raided up the Thames near Chatham, burned four ships and captured the Royal Charles, to bring England to the peace table. The July 31, 1667, Treaty of Breda slightly favored the Dutch although England was granted possession of New Amsterdam. The Dutch regained Surinam and won a more liberal interpretation of the navigation laws.
The third war (1672–1674) was provoked by the English and French, who attacked the Dutch. Most naval battles were indecisive. In 1673, Prince Rupert attacked Ruyter’s fleet at Schooneveldt Channel but was met with a counterattack. Later that year, Ruyter won the Battle of Texel. England ended the war with Holland in the Treaty of Westminster on February 19, 1674. In the treaty, the Dutch conceded the right of salute on the high seas and paid an indemnity. In August, 1678, France and the Netherlands signed the Treaty of Nijmegen. The Dutch regained their territories in return for a promise of neutrality.
Aftermath
The three naval wars established the great ship as an instrument of war and committed English commanders to offensive action as a matter of policy in future wars. Though England did not wrest control of the seas from its Dutch rivals, the seeds for eventual dominance were certainly sown. Dutch trade was disrupted and confidence lessened in the periods when the English held control of the seas.
Resources
Capp, Bernard. Cromwell’s Navy: The Fleet and the English Revolution, 1648–1660. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989.
Hutton, Ronald. Charles II: King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989.
Israel, Jonathan I. The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall, 1477–1806. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995.
Jones, J. R. The Anglo-Dutch Wars of the Seventeenth Century. London: Longman, 1996.
Rogers, H. C. B. Generals-at-Sea: Naval Operations During the English Civil War and the Three Anglo-Dutch Wars. Bromley, England: Galago, 1992.