Third Anglo-Dutch War
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The Third Anglo-Dutch War pitted England against the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands from 1672 to 1674.
Although England, the Netherlands and Sweden had signed a Triple Alliance against France in 1668, Charles II of England signed the secret Treaty of Dover with France in 1670.
As a result of this treaty, England was forced to join France when it invaded the Netherlands in 1672. The German states Münster and Cologne (Dutch: Keulen) also took part in the invasion. French troops occupied large parts of the country, until they were stopped by the Dutch "water line" (Dutch: waterlinie), a deliberate flooding to protect most vital parts of the Netherlands. In Dutch history, the year 1672 subsequently became known as the "Year of Disaster" (Dutch: 'Rampjaar'). A Dutch saying was coined: 'Radeloos, redeloos, reddeloos', meaning: Desperate (the leaders), lost to reason (the people), unsavable (the country). Obviously, subsequent events alleviated this mood of utter despair.
The Dutch government under Johan de Witt collapsed, De Witt was murdered by a carefully organised lynch "mob" and William III of Orange became Stadtholder of the Netherlands. Ironically, the English thus waged war against their future king William III of England. Charles had supported the orangist party in the hope William would consent in making the Republic a British protectorate to save it from the French, but to his dismay discovered the stadtholder hadn't the slightest intention of doing so.
English naval support to the French was countered by Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter, who defeated the English in the Battle of Solebay in 1672, the double Battle of Schooneveld and the final Battle of Texel in 1673.
When the Dutch allied themselves with Spain — which had been itself at war with the Netherlands until 1648 — France withdrew its forces from the territory of the Republic in 1673. England was forced to sign the Treaty of Westminster on February 19, 1674 as the parliament would not allow more money to be spent on the war.
See also
- Anglo-Dutch Wars
- History of England
- British military history
- History of the Netherlands
- New Amsterdam
- Province of New York
it:Terza guerra Anglo-Olandese nl:Derde Engels-Nederlandse Oorlog