Anglo-Dutch Wars: Four Conflicts Driven by Trade Rivalry
From the 1650s to the 1780s, four conflicts erupted between England and the Netherlands over trade and colonial supremacy. The First Anglo-Dutch War commenced on June 10, 1652, triggered by England's Navigation Act of 1651 and Dutch Admiral Maarten Tromp's refusal to acknowledge an English flagship. Following this, the Second War was declared on March 4, 1665, due to English assaults on Dutch slave-trade posts, ultimately concluding in favor of the Dutch. The Third War, resulting from King Charles II's Treaty of Dover in 1670, ended with the Treaty of Westminster. The Fourth War, ignited by the American Revolution, saw the Dutch declare war in December 1780 and resulted in the capture of St. Eustatius in 1781.
Key facts
- Four Anglo-Dutch wars occurred between 1652 and 1784.
- The First War (1652–1654) began after the Navigation Act of 1651 and English seizures of Dutch ships.
- Admiral Maarten Tromp led a Dutch fleet into the Straits of Dover on May 29, 1652, leading to an exchange of fire with Robert Blake's fleet.
- England declared war on June 10, 1652.
- The Second War (1665–1667) was triggered by English attacks on Dutch African outposts and the seizure of New Netherland.
- Admiral Michiel de Ruyter retook African posts and attacked English ships in American waters.
- England formally declared war on March 4, 1665.
- The Third War (1672–1674) was fueled by the secret Treaty of Dover (1670) between Charles II and Louis XIV.
- Charles II suspended government debts via the Stop of the Exchequer in 1672.
- The Fourth War (1780–1784) was sparked by Dutch support for American revolutionaries and the capture of Henry Laurens.
- The Dutch colony of Sint Eustatius was a key supply hub for the American rebels.
- St. Eustatius was captured by the British in 1781, later recaptured by the French, and returned to Dutch control in 1816.
Entities
Institutions
- Treaty of Nonsuch
- Spanish Armada
- States' General
- Rump Parliament
- Navigation Act of 1651
- Treaty of Westminster (1654)
- Treaty of Westminster (1674)
- Treaty of Dover
- Stop of the Exchequer
- League of Armed Neutrality
- National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
- Wikimedia Commons
- British Online Archives
- Heritage History
Locations
- England
- Netherlands
- Spain
- North Sea
- English Channel
- Straits of Dover
- Africa
- New Netherland
- North America
- The Hague
- Smyrna
- Anatolia
- Sint Eustatius
- Caribbean
- United States
- Russia
- France
- London
- Amsterdam
- Greenwich