The Anglo Dutch Wars
By: Helen Seto, Kyle Woodbury and Colin MacAdam
The Set Up
The Anglo-Dutch Wars were a series of wars between the Dutch Republic and
England. The wars were over control of the seas and trade routes, as both
sides vied to have a monopoly over trade with the East and the Americas.
Other combatants aided the Dutch and England over the course of the war as
well; France, who aided England, and Denmark-Norway who aided the Dutch.
Strength
Dutch Republic
versus
Denmark-Norway (Second
Anglo Dutch War)
England
France (Third AngloDutch War)
600 Warships
710 Warships
300 Soldiers
300 Soldiers
1500 Marines
The First War
•
In 1651 the Commonwealth of England passed the Navigation Act which
meant all goods coming into England, had to be brought in by English
ships. Although this meant nearly nothing to the Dutch, it became a
prime excuse for pirates to be able to legal take an Dutch ship they
encountered.
•This caused tension to build until it was finally broken at the Battle of Goodwin
Sands, when Lieutenant Admiral Maarten Tromp of the Dutch refused to lower
his flag in salute to a passing English vessel.
•After a few insignificant battles the English scored a major victory at the battle of
Kentish Knock in October of 1652. They believed that the war was over, and
divided their forces, however the Dutch managed to gain major victories at the
Battles of Dungeness and Leghorn which effectively gave them control of the
English Channel and the Mediterranean.
The English weren’t done yet however, and General at Sea Robert Blake
reorganized the English Fleet and pushed the Dutch back, effectively
ending the First War at the Battle of Scheveningen.
The Second War
After the English Restoration Charles II attempted to place his nephew,
William III of Orange in control of the Netherlands. He attempted to use
military pressure and succeeded in making the Dutch angry, going into
yet another war with the Dutch.
The War began in 1664 and saw quite a few early English Victories
including the Battle of Lowestoft
However the English failed to capitalize on their victories and the war
went on. By now the Dutch had become a significant ship builder and
could produce ships far faster then the English, for every English ships
that went into the sea, the Dutch had sent seven.
The War came to its end, with the Dutch surprise raid on Medway.
Known as one of the most humiliating defeats for the English Navy,
the Dutch even manage to capture the English Flagship without a
fight.
Charles fearing civil revolt signed a peace treaty.
The Third War
By the time the Third War came round the English had finally managed to
rebuild its navy. However because of the humiliating defeats of the last one
the English were rather unenthusiastic about starting another one.
When the Franco-Dutch Wars broke out, France called on England, who
bound by the Treaty of Dover which they had signed earlier with France,
bound them into the war.
The English attempted to invade the Netherlands by sea, while the French
attacked by land. The French however failed to cross into the Netherlands,
and thanks to the efforts of Dutch Lieutenant-Admiral de Ruyter, the
English were stopped with four significant naval victories for the Dutch.
As the war dragged on the English Parliament feared that this war
against the Dutch was an effort to make England Roman Catholic.
Fearing this the Parliament forced the King to abandon the war
The Fourth War
Very much a joke war, many historians don’t believe that the Fourth
Anglo-Dutch War should count as one, although it was between Holland
and the now Great Britain.
The Dutch had fallen into decline and by the mid 1700s were a shadow
of their former selves. The Dutch navy had shrunk, and now the British
Royal Navy had become the dominant naval power.
No major naval battles occurred between the Dutch Navy and the
Royal Navy, however Britain did attempt to reduce the Dutch into a
Protectorate with some Prussian military help, and even succeeded in
capturing many Dutch Colonies, though they were given back at the
wars end.
Ending Results
Although many determine strategically the Dutch won
the Anglo-Dutch Wars, ultimately Great Britain won in
the end. The Dutch had dominance of the trade
routes until the 1700s when they finally fell into
decline, most of their business having had transferred
to Britain. With the Dutch gone, Britain stepped
forward and took the title as Mistress of the Seas, and
had control of them for the next two hundred years.
Bibliography
http://en.wikiperdia.org/Wiki/Anglo_Dutch_Wars
http://www.anglo-dutch-wars.blogspot.com/
http://www.geocities.com/athens/academy/9601/HollandAngDut
THE END