Second Anglo-Dutch War

The Second Anglo-Dutch War was fought between England and the United Provinces from 1665 to 1667.

Medway

In June, 1667, de Ruyter launched the Dutch "Raid on the Medway" at the mouth of the River Thames. After capturing the fort at Sheerness, they went on to break through the massive chain protecting the entrance to the Medway and, on the 13th, attacked the English fleet which had been laid up at Chatham. The daring raid remains England's greatest military disaster since the Norman Conquest. Many of the Navy's remaining ships were destroyed, either by the Dutch or by being scuttled by the English to block the river. Three ships of the line were burned: Royal Oak, the new Loyal London and Royal James. The English flagship, HMS Royal Charles, was abandoned by its skeleton crew, captured without a shot being fired, and towed back to the Netherlands. Its coat-of-arms is now on display in the Rijksmuseum. Fortunately for the English the raiders spared the Chatham Dockyard, England's largest industrial complex.

Related Topics:
June - 1667 - Raid on the Medway - River Thames - Sheerness - Chatham - Norman Conquest - Navy's - HMS ''Royal Charles'' - Coat-of-arms - Rijksmuseum - Chatham Dockyard

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The Dutch success had a major psychological impact throughout England, with London feeling especially vulnerable just a year after the Great Fire. This, together with the cost of the war, of the Great Plague and the extravagant spending of Charles II, meant that the English were keen to sign a peace treaty — and so were the Dutch as they had to deal with a French invasion of the Spanish Netherlands at the same time.

Related Topics:
Great Fire - Great Plague - Charles II - Spanish Netherlands

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