Second Anglo-Dutch War

Second Anglo-Dutch War
Part of the Anglo-Dutch Wars
The Four Days' Battle, 1–4 June 1666, by Abraham Storck
Date 4 March 1665 – 31 July 1667 (1665-03-04 – 1667-07-31) Location North Sea, English Channel, North America, West Africa, East Indies, The Guianas, and the Caribbean Result Treaty of Breda Territorial changes Dutch Republic cedes New Amsterdam to England, England cedes English Guiana, Fort Cormantin and the island of Run to the Dutch Republic
Belligerents
Dutch Republic  Denmark–Norway  France	England  Scotland  Münster
Commanders and leaders
Johan de Witt De Ruyter Van Wassenaer † Cornelis de Witt De Bitter Van Ghent Nassau–Siegen Von Ahlefeldt Lefèbvre	Charles II York Albemarle Sandwich Prince Rupert Teddiman Von Galen
Strength
131 warships 53,000 soldiers[a] 250 men	139 warships[2] 18,000 soldiers[3]

The Second Anglo-Dutch War, or Second Dutch War,^[b] began on 4 March 1665, and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Breda on 31 July 1667. One in a series of naval conflicts between England and the Dutch Republic, its causes were a combination of political differences and commercial disputes.

Despite several major battles, neither the English Royal Navy or the Dutch States Navy was able to score a decisive victory, and by the end of 1666 the war had reached a stalemate. Although peace talks began, neither side was willing to make significant concessions until the Dutch Raid on the Medway in June 1667 forced Charles II to make terms.

The treaty eliminated a number of long-standing issues, and in the long-term made it possible for the two countries to unite against the expansionist policies pursued by Louis XIV of France. In the short-term however, Charles' desire to avenge this setback led to the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1672.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).