The Anglo-Dutch Wars

The Anglo-Dutch Wars were a series of conflicts between England and the Dutch Republic (the United Provinces of the Netherlands) fought primarily over trade and naval supremacy. During the Restoration period, England fought the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665–1667) and the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672–1674). These wars had major political, economic, and military consequences for Restoration England.

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Background: Why Did England and the Dutch Fight?

By the mid-17th century, the Dutch Republic was the leading commercial and maritime power in Europe. England and the Dutch competed fiercely for control of:

Area of Competition	Detail
Colonial trade	Both nations wanted to control trade routes to the East Indies (spices), West Africa (slaves and gold), and the Americas (sugar, tobacco)
Fishing rights	The Dutch dominated the North Sea herring fishery, which the English resented
Carrying trade	The Dutch had the largest merchant fleet in the world and carried goods for other nations, undercutting English merchants
Naval power	Control of the seas was essential for both trade and national security

The Navigation Acts (1651, 1660, 1663) were designed to exclude the Dutch from English colonial trade by requiring that goods imported into England or its colonies be carried in English ships.

Key Term: Mercantilism — the economic theory that a nation's wealth depended on accumulating gold and silver through a favourable balance of trade. Both England and the Dutch pursued mercantilist policies, which made commercial rivalry inevitable.

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The Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665–1667)

Causes

• English merchants and the Duke of York (as head of the Royal African Company) wanted to seize Dutch trading posts in West Africa.
• In 1664, English forces captured the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, renaming it New York after the Duke of York.
• Commercial rivalry and the Navigation Acts created ongoing tension.
• Both sides saw war as a way to establish dominance in global trade.

Key Events

Date	Event
March 1665	War declared
June 1665	Battle of Lowestoft — English victory; the Dutch lose 17 ships
June 1666	Four Days' Battle — Dutch victory in one of the longest naval battles in history (1–4 June)
July 1666	St James's Day Battle — English victory
June 1667	Raid on the Medway — The Dutch sail up the River Medway, break through the chain at Chatham, and tow away the flagship Royal Charles
July 1667	Treaty of Breda — Peace treaty signed

The Raid on the Medway (June 1667)

The Raid on the Medway was the most humiliating naval defeat in English history. In June 1667, a Dutch fleet under Admiral Michiel de Ruyter sailed up the Thames estuary and into the River Medway in Kent.

The Dutch:

• Broke through the chain protecting the English fleet at Chatham
• Burned or captured several warships
• Towed away the HMS Royal Charles, the flagship of the English navy
• Caused panic in London — Samuel Pepys recorded the terror in his diary

Exam Tip: The Raid on the Medway is a key event. It exposed the failures of English naval policy, contributed to the fall of the Earl of Clarendon, and humiliated the government. You should be able to explain both its causes (the government had run out of money and had laid up the fleet to save costs) and its consequences.

Treaty of Breda (1667)

The Treaty of Breda ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War with a compromise:

Term	Detail
England kept New York (formerly New Amsterdam)	A significant long-term gain
The Dutch kept Suriname (in South America)	Considered more valuable at the time due to its sugar plantations
The Navigation Acts were slightly modified	Some concessions to Dutch trade

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The Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672–1674)

Causes

• The Secret Treaty of Dover (1670) committed Charles II to supporting France in a war against the Dutch.
• Louis XIV of France wanted to destroy the Dutch Republic, which stood in the way of French expansion in Europe.
• Charles II wanted French subsidies to reduce his dependence on Parliament.

Key Events

Date	Event
March 1672	England declares war; Charles issues the Declaration of Indulgence
May–August 1672	Indecisive naval battles at Solebay and off the Dutch coast
1673	Parliament forces Charles to withdraw the Declaration of Indulgence and pass the Test Act
February 1674	Treaty of Westminster — England makes peace with the Dutch

Why Did England Make Peace?

• Parliament refused to fund the war, seeing it as serving French rather than English interests.
• Anti-Catholic sentiment was rising, and the alliance with Catholic France was deeply unpopular.
• The Duke of York's Catholicism had been exposed by the Test Act, increasing suspicion of the government's motives.
• The Dutch had successfully defended themselves against both England and France.

Key Figure: Michiel de Ruyter was the greatest Dutch admiral of the 17th century. He commanded the Dutch fleet in all three Anglo-Dutch Wars and was renowned for his tactical skill and personal bravery.

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Significance of the Anglo-Dutch Wars

Significance	Detail
Colonial expansion	England gained New York and established itself as a major colonial power
Naval development	The wars drove improvements in ship design, naval tactics, and naval administration (much of this led by Samuel Pepys as Secretary to the Admiralty)
Political consequences	The Medway disaster contributed to Clarendon's fall; the Third War increased anti-Catholic sentiment and parliamentary opposition
Economic impact	The wars were enormously expensive and exposed the Crown's financial weakness
Shift in power	By the end of the century, England had replaced the Dutch as the leading naval and commercial power

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Extended Worked Paragraph: Q8 Judgement

Question: "The Raid on the Medway in 1667 was the most significant event of the Anglo-Dutch Wars." How far do you agree?