Anglo-Dutch Wars

Helping orphans the way you would do it

The Anglo-Dutch Wars were fought in the 17th and 18th centuries between Great Britain and the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands for control over the seas and trade routes.

England and The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands had been close allies against the ambitions of the Habsburgs. They cooperated in defeating the Spanish Armada. England covertly (or at times openly) supported the Dutch Rebellion by sending money (or troops). There was a permanent English representative in the Dutch government to ensure coordination of the joint war effort. Both nations tried to carve out interesting chunks of the Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires. In 1648 their combined efforts were at last successful. Spain gave up the fight and lost its status as Great Power for ever. Now that the common enemy was gone, the old allies began to consider their relative positions. For England this consideration was rather disturbing. It seemed as if in the long war all the expenses had been on the British, all the gains on the Dutch side. Its tiny protectorate of 1585 had become a Great Power in its own right.

By the middle of the 17th Century the Dutch had built a strong fleet (by far the largest mercantile fleet of Europe, with more ships than all other nations combined) based mainly on maritime commerce which resulted in a dominant position in European, especially Baltic, trade. Furthermore they had annexed most of Portugal's territory in the East Indies giving them control over the enormously profitable Spice Trade. They were even gaining significant influence over England's maritime trade with her North American colonies, profiting from the turmoil that resulted from the English Civil War. As regarding land forces, the Dutch army was in 1648 the second most powerful of Europe, after the French one.

In order to protect its position in North America, the English Parliament passed the Navigation Acts which mandated that all goods from her American colonies must be carried by English ships. In a period of growing Mercantilism this was the spark that ignited the Anglo-Dutch wars and led to sporadic naval engagements across the globe.

Though it is often suggested that the Dutch lost their position of World Trade Primacy as a result of the wars, this is somewhat misleading. The Dutch defeat in the first war changed very little. The second war ended in the worst naval disaster in Britains entire history. The attempted British invasion of The Republic in the third war was a complete failure. So the first three wars didn't directly weaken the Dutch position. They did however convince the Dutch of the futility of trying to outbribe the French. They felt the urge for a more permanent solution of the British problem. In 1688 the troublesome House of Stuart was replaced by that of Orange, when William III invaded and conquered the British Isles with a Dutch fleet and a Dutch army. This should emphatically not be seen as some sort of "Dutch Conquest" - the very idea being of course quite absurd. "Good King William", merely protecting the dynastic interests of his British wife, was invited (and joyfully received) by the British people, glad to obtain true freedom and the beginnings of democracy through the Glorious Revolution. This obvious interpretation of events has always been endorsed by the Dutch, who, grateful to be able to assist their friends in achieving the happy outcome, humbly suggested it from the very first day.

From 1688 on, the Maritime Powers were allies again. Ironically however, the regime change brought about the ultimate downfall of The Republic. The Dutch merchant elite immediately began to use London as a new operational base. Dutch economic growth slowed. From about 1720 Dutch wealth declined. Around 1780 per capita GNP of the United Kingdom surpassed that of The Republic. Now it were the Dutch who in turn became prone to petty jealousy. Foolishly they began to support the American rebels. This led to the fourth war, and the loss of the alliance made The Republic fatally vulnerable to the French. Soon it would be subject to regime change itself.

Although the Dutch were thus ultimately defeated, the wars witnessed quite a few significant Dutch victories, such as the surrender of the Royal Prince in 1666 which was the subject of a famous painting by Willem van de Velde. Another notable incident was the burning of the English fleet whilst docked at Chatham in June 1667 when a flotilla of ships led by Admiral de Ruyter broke through the defensive chains guarding the Medway and wrought havoc on the anchored English ships.

Some historians also count the conflicts during the Napoleonic era as Anglo-Dutch wars:

1795–1803 Fifth Anglo-Dutch War
1806–1813 Sixth Anglo-Dutch War

In this period revolutionary France reduced the Netherlands to a satellite and finally annexed the country in 1810. Britain took over all the Dutch colonies, with the exception of Java and the trading post at Deshima in Japan.

External links

Painting of Anglo-Dutch sea battle (Third War) (National Maritime Museum London).
National Maritime Museum London official site.
Dutch Admiral Michiel de Ruyters' flagship 'The Seven Provinces' is being rebuilt in Dutch town Lelystad.
A short history of the Anglo-Dutch Wars