Anglo-Dutch Wars

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Anglo-Dutch Wars
The Four Days' Battle, by Abraham Storck
Date 1652–1654      First Anglo-Dutch War 1665–1667      Second Anglo-Dutch War 1672–1674      Third Anglo-Dutch War 1780–1784      Fourth Anglo-Dutch War Location English Channel, North Sea

The Anglo–Dutch Wars (Dutch: Engels–Nederlandse Oorlogen) were mainly fought between the Dutch Republic and England (later Great Britain) in the mid-17th and late 18th century. The first three wars occurred in the second half of the 17th century over trade and overseas colonies, while the fourth was fought a century later. Almost all the battles were naval engagements.

The English were successful in the first Anglo-Dutch war, while the Dutch were successful in the second and third. However, in the century between the third and fourth war, the British Royal Navy had become the most powerful maritime force in the world, while the Dutch navy had fallen to fourth position, behind the French and Spanish.

There would be more battles during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.