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| Franco-Dutch War | |||||||||
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| Part of the wars of Louis XIV | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
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| 120,000 killed or wounded[1] | 100,000 killed or wounded[1] | ||||||||
| 342,000 total military deaths[5] | |||||||||
The Franco-Dutch War[b] was a European conflict that lasted from 1672 to 1678. Its primary belligerents were France, backed at different times by Münster, Cologne, England, and the Swedish Empire, and the Dutch Republic, allied with the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Norway. The 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and 1675 to 1679 Scanian War are considered related conflicts.
Fighting began in May 1672 when France nearly overran the Netherlands, an event remembered in Dutch history as the Rampjaar, or "Disaster Year". However, by late July their position had stabilised, while in 1673 concern over French gains brought support from Emperor Leopold I, Spain and Brandenburg-Prussia. England exited the war and made peace with the Dutch in February 1674.
Having sought a quick and overwhelming victory, Louis XIV of France now faced war on multiple fronts. He changed focus, instead strengthening his borders with the Spanish Netherlands and Rhineland, while the Allies led by William of Orange sought to minimise any losses. By 1677, France had occupied Franche-Comté and made strategic gains in the Spanish Netherlands and Alsace, but neither side was able to achieve a decisive victory.
Despite failing to conquer the Dutch Republic, the September 1678 Peace of Nijmegen is often seen as the high point of French power in this period. Spain recovered Charleroi from France, but in return ceded Franche-Comté, as well as much of Artois and Hainaut. Under William of Orange, the Dutch recovered all the territory lost at the beginning, making him dominant in domestic politics. This position helped him create the anti-French Grand Alliance that fought in the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War, and subsequent 1701 to 1714 War of the Spanish Succession.
- ^ a b c d Clodfelter 1992, p. 47.
- ^ Panhuysen 2009, p. 84.
- ^ Shomette & Haslach 1988, p. 31.
- ^ a b Wilson 2016, p. 461.
- ^ Levy 1983, p. 90.
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