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 England France (Third Anglo-Dutch War) Dutch Republic Denmark-Norway (Second Anglo Dutch War) versus 600 Warships 300 Soldiers 1500 Marines 710 Warships 300 Soldiers

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

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