Plan
Introduction
1 Prerequisites for the war
2 First year of the war, 1652
3 Second year of the war, 1653
4 Third year of the war, 1654

Bibliography
First Anglo-Dutch War

Introduction

First Anglo-Dutch War (1652–54) First Anglo–Dutch War, Netherlands Eerste Engelse Zeeoorlog), - the first of the wars between England and Holland in the 17th century, conducted mainly at sea.

1. Prerequisites for the war

The cause of the war was the growing naval and trade rivalry between the two states. Dutch merchants traded almost throughout Europe, which interfered with the trade of other countries. The trade turnover of Holland exceeded that of England five times. Dutch fishing was as many times superior to English until 1636, when Charles I expelled the Dutch fishing fleet of three thousand ships engaged in herring fishing off the very English coast. The following must also be added to the causes of the war:

1. The Dutch declared trade with their colonies, etc., a monopoly; a ship flying a foreign flag could be captured;

2. Tromp's victory over the Spaniards at the Doun roadstead, in English waters, left a deep resentment in the hearts of the English;

3. Proud of its naval power, the English nation could not be indifferent to the successes of the Dutch in the fight against the Dunkirk corsairs.

All this led to the adoption by Cromwell of the Navigation Act on October 9, 1651, according to which trade with England was permitted only on English ships or on ships of the states from which these goods were exported, and in the latter case these ships had to go directly to England, without calling to any intermediate ports. The commanders and at least three quarters of the crew had to be English. Vessels that did not comply with this act were subject to confiscation. There were regulations of the same kind concerning trade with the colonies and fishing.

In addition, the English restored the bold requirement of earlier times (Edict of King John of 1202) that all ships in English waters lower their flags before the English flag. And besides, on the basis of the Navigation Act, the English government began to issue letters of marque to private ships in order to receive satisfaction for their imaginary losses. English privateers began to seize Dutch ships everywhere, which, of course, caused retaliatory measures from the Netherlands, since these actions caused enormous harm to Dutch trade.

First year of the war, 1652 Second year of the war, 1653 Third year of the war, 1654

Second Anglo-Dutch War

Third Anglo-Dutch War

Fourth Anglo-Dutch War

Shtenzel Alfred. History of wars at sea. First Anglo-Dutch War 1652-1654

Anglo-Dutch wars, three wars at sea in 1652-54, 1665-67 and 1672-74. between the United Prov. The Netherlands and Britain on the basis of bargaining and pestilence. rivalry. Goll. the fleet was commanded by experienced admirals, and the English sailors took advantage of the advantages they were given by the West. winds. The 1st war began when the English. Navigation acts complicated the movement of the Golls. trading, ships, and they refused to salute the English flag while passing through the English Channel. Tromp defeated Blake at Dungeness on Dec. 1652, but the wiring is Dutch. Bargaining of ships through the strait turned out to be difficult, and de Witt managed to agree with Cromwell in 1654 on fairly acceptable terms of the agreement. The Dutch recognized English sovereignty in the strait, agreed to compensation for the “Massacre of Amboina” (Amboina) and promised not to help the exiled Charles II. A clash off the coast of Africa began the 2nd war, which ended with the surrender of New Amsterdam (later New York) to the British, who defeated the Dutch at Lowestoft in June 1665. However, in 1666, when Charles was experiencing finances. difficulties, Cornelis Tromp and Reuter won the Four Day War, and Reuter made his famous daring raid on the English docks at Chetham. In 1667 the Peace of Breda was concluded. The navigation acts were changed in favor of the Dutch, but the territories captured during the war were not returned: the Dutch retained Suriname, and the British retained Delaware and New England. In 1672, Charles II, dependent on the French. subsidies, supported Louis XIV in the war with the Dutch. Goll. the admirals managed to gain the upper hand, and the Treaty of Westminster (1674) restored the terms of the Peace of Breda.

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ANGLO-DUTCH WARS (1652-1674)

Wars between England and the Netherlands for supremacy at sea.

Their reason was the publication by the English Parliament in 1651 of the Navigation Act, according to which foreign goods could be imported into England only on English ships. Thus, Dutch intermediary maritime trade was undermined.

The Anglo-Dutch War began in 1665. On June 11-14, 1666, the British were defeated in a naval battle in the Pas-de-Calais Strait. After this, on July 19, the fleet of the Dutch admiral de Ruyter broke through to the mouth of the Thames and blocked it, destroying several enemy ships and warehouses.

The Dutch had 85 ships and 18 fire ships. On August 1, the English fleet, which had one more fireship, left the mouth of the Thames. De Ruyter decided to meet him near the island of Northforeland. On the morning of August 4, the English vanguard attacked the enemy vanguard. Due to weak winds, the main forces of the Dutch fleet were unable to engage in battle. All three Dutch admirals commanding the vanguard were killed. The Dutch vanguard fled. But de Ruyter with the main forces withstood the blow of the enemy fleet, despite the fact that the vanguard ships, freed after the pursuit, also joined the main part of the English fleet.

Meanwhile, the English rearguard pinned down the Dutch rearguard, commanded by Admiral Cornelius Tromp. When Tromp was able to move to the aid of his main forces, they were already retreating to the Dutch coast and by the evening of August 5 they reached the port of Wielingen. Tromp's squadron arrived there the next day. The Dutch fleet lost 10 ships. 2 thousand Dutch died, and another thousand were captured. The British lost 4 ships and 1.5 thousand killed and captured.

Peace was signed in 1667. The Dutch lost their colonies in North America, but achieved the repeal of some articles of the Navigation Act.

In the new Anglo-Dutch War, England's allies were France, Sweden and some German principalities. Holland's allies were Spain, the German Empire, Denmark, Brandenburg and a number of other German principalities. In March 1672, the English fleet attacked Dutch merchant ships. In April, the French army invaded Holland and approached Amsterdam. However, the Dutch opened the floodgates and, by flooding part of the territory, stopped the enemy's advance.

The Dutch fleet failed to prevent the connection of the squadrons of England and France. On August 21, 1673, the battle took place near the island of Texel. The English fleet consisted of 65 ships, the French - 30, and the Dutch - 70. The Dutch vanguard managed to break through the ranks of the French squadron, which was temporarily withdrawn from the battle. The Dutch rearguard of Admiral Tromp began a battle with the English rearguard of Admiral Sprague. As a result, the main forces of the British Admiral Rupert, numbering 30 ships, were forced to fight against the main forces and vanguard of the enemy, which numbered 40 ships.

Ruyter managed to encircle 20 British ships, but Rupert broke out of the encirclement and went to the aid of his rearguard. Now 65 English ships faced 70 Dutch ones. The battle ended with the onset of darkness. 2 English ships sank and 7 burned. The Dutch fleet had no losses in ships. The outcome of the battle was influenced by the poor shooting of the English gunners. As a result, the Dutch rearguard had no casualties at all, not even wounded. And there were few casualties among the main forces. Soon after the battle, de Ruyter freely led a caravan of ships from the East Indies to the Dutch ports.

After defeat at the Battle of Texel, England dissolved its alliance with France and in 1674 made peace with Holland based on the status quo. As a result of the Anglo-Dutch wars, Holland managed to defend its status as a leading maritime power and maintain reliable connections with its overseas colonies. However, the further strengthening of the English navy and its accelerated industrial development forced the Dutch to abandon competition with it by the beginning of the 18th century.

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Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th century

were caused by trade and colonial rivalry between the two economically most developed states of the 17th century. - the bourgeois republic of the United Provinces (Dutch Republic), which occupied a dominant position in intermediary maritime trade and in international colonial expansion of the 1st half of the 17th century, and England, whose bourgeoisie, with the victory of the revolution (see English bourgeois revolution of the 17th century), embarked on the path active struggle with its main trade and colonial rival. The interests of both countries collided in the South-East. Asia, America, Africa, on the European (in particular, Russian) market.

First A. - g.v. (1652-54) was declared the Dutch Republic in response to the adoption by the English Parliament of the Navigation Act (See Navigation Acts) of 1651, directed against Dutch intermediary trade. Military operations took place not only in the sea waters surrounding England and Holland, but also in the Mediterranean Sea, in the straits connecting the Baltic and North Seas, and in the Indian Ocean. Naval battles (the largest - the Battle of Plymouth in 1652, the Battles of Newport in 1652 and 1653, the Battle of Portland in 1653) were fought with varying degrees of success. Gradually, the preponderance of forces leaned towards England, which had a strong navy and established a blockade of the Dutch coast. The actions of the British on trade routes caused great damage to Holland. According to the Treaty of Westminster (April 14, 1654), Holland had to actually come to terms with the Navigation Act.

Second A.-g. V. (1665-67) was declared by Holland in January 1665, but actually began back in 1664 with the capture of the Dutch colony in North America - New Amsterdam - by an English naval expedition. The Dutch fleet under the command of Admiral Reuter won a victory at Dunkirk (June 1666), but was defeated at Cape North Foreland (August 1666).

In June 1667, a Dutch squadron blocked the mouth of the Thames. By peace in Breda (July 31, 1667), New Amsterdam passed to England, which returned Suriname, which it had captured during the war, to the Dutch. , Third A.-g. V. (1672-74) is closely intertwined with the so-called. Dutch War 1672 - 78 (See Dutch War 1672-78)

A.-g. century, which were carried out mainly at sea, played a significant role in the development of fleets and naval art. Based on their experience, a new classification of ships was developed (dividing them into battleships, frigates, etc.), a permanent organization of fleets was created, which began to be divided into squadrons, and the latter into the so-called. divisions (vanguard, center and rearguard). The tactics of naval combat have also changed significantly. For the 1st A.-g. V. characterized by the absence of definite battle formations: the battle began with an artillery firefight and turned into single combat between individual ships, in which the outcome was decided by artillery fire and boarding , The use of Brander ov was of some importance. In the 2nd and especially the 3rd A.-G. V. The main battle formation was the wake column, and the basis of combat was artillery fire, although boarding and fireboat attacks continue to retain some importance.

Lit.: English bourgeois revolution of the 17th century, vol. 1 (p. 457-467), vol. 2 (p. 47-51, 133-136), M., 1954; Ballhausen S., Die drei Englisch-Hollandische Seekriege, Haag, 1923.

A. S. Samoilo.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

See what "Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th century" are in other dictionaries:

The ANGLO-DUTCH WARS of the 17th century were caused by trade and colonial rivalry between the two most developed states of England and Holland in the 17th century. In the first half of the 17th century, the Republic of the United Provinces (see REPUBLIC OF THE UNITED PROVINCES) ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Anglo-Dutch Wars First - Second - Third - Fourth Anglo-Dutch Wars a series of wars between England (Great Britain) and the Netherlands in the 17th - 18th centuries, in which naval hegemony and colonial power were contested... ... Wikipedia

The Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th century were caused by trade and colonial rivalry between the two most economically developed states of the 17th century. ‒ the bourgeois republic of the United Provinces (Dutch Republic), which occupied a dominant position... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Anglo-Dutch wars

— wars between England (from 1707 Great Britain) and the Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands (Holland) in 1652-1654, 1665–1667, 1672–1674, 1780–1784. The conflicts were based on the desire of powers to dominate maritime trade routes and competition in colonial expansion. In the first half of the 17th century. The United Provinces became one of the leading maritime powers of the Old World. Owning numerous trading posts on the Spice Islands (Indonesia) and displacing the Portuguese and British from there, the Dutch became the monopoly supplier of spices to Europe. English traders constantly faced Dutch competition also in the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas, off the coasts of Africa and America. The British were especially irritated by the Dutch trade hegemony in the Baltic and North Sea, where the Dutch controlled the trade in grain and ship timber.

Despite economic contradictions, Protestant Holland during the English Revolution of the 18th century. was perceived by supporters of the English parliament as a natural ally in the fight against monarchical tyranny and the papal Counter-Reformation. In April 1649, the English Republic proposed an alliance with the United Provinces. The Dutch Republicans, who represented the richest provinces in the Estates General, greeted this proposal favorably, but the Orangemen were supporters of the Stadthouder William II of Orange, a relative of the executed Charles I, opposed. William II provided patronage to the English royalists even after they killed the English envoy I. Dorislaus in his own chambers. Relations between the two republics deteriorated. On 10/09/1651, the English Parliament adopted the Navigation Act, which allowed the import of goods into England and its colonies only on domestic ships and on ships of manufacturing countries. This seriously affected the interests of Holland, which received significant income from intermediary trade and the charter of its merchant ships, and now it initiated new negotiations on concluding a military alliance, during which the parties agreed on almost all the points of the future agreement. At the same time, Dutch corsairs, operating from French ports, continued to attack on behalf of Charles II to English ships.

07/09/1652 England declared war on the United Provinces, accusing them of implementing the “Orange plan” to overthrow the English Republic and restore[. In June 1652, Blake attacked a flotilla of Dutch fishermen and their accompanying military convoy off the Orkney Islands. 07/02/1652 in the English Channel, the English squadron of Askew attacked a large trade caravan: 6 ships were captured, 3 were burned, 26 ran aground and only 7 reached the Dutch shores. In mid-August 1652, Askew's squadron attacked a Dutch trade caravan from the West Indies and the warships of Admiral M. A. Ruiter guarding it, but the attack was repulsed with considerable damage to the British. 10/28/1652 Blake, near Kent, defeated the Dutch fleet under the command of K. de Witt and Ruyter. After part of Blake's squadron was sent to the Mediterranean Sea, M. Tromp defeated Blake on 12/10/1652. In March 1653, the Dutch defeated the British off the coast of Italy. However, having assembled a fleet of 80 ships in the English Channel under the command of Blake and J. Monk, the British seized the initiative. 02/18–03/02/1653 near Portland they significantly battered Tromp and Ruyter, capturing more than 10 merchant ships from the caravan they were guarding. In June 1653 Blake defeated Tromp and C. de Witt off the Suffolk coast. In the summer of 1653, Monk blocked the Dutch ports from the sea. In August 1653, the Dutch fleet tried to break the blockade at Scheveningen, but was defeated. Tromp died in battle. This defeat strengthened the position of the Republicans led by J. de Witt, who managed to agree with O. Cromwell acceptable peace terms. At the Peace of Westminster 1654, the United Provinces recognized the articles of the Navigation Act of 1651 and pledged to limit the power of the House of Orange.

A.-g. V. 1665–1667 began with the seizure by the British of the trading posts and colonies of Holland in the West. Africa and North America. After the Dutch regained what they had lost by force, England declared war (March 1665). At the Battle of Lowestoft (June 1665), the British destroyed 17 enemy ships, but the Dutch managed to save the bulk of the fleet. In August 1665, the British tried to capture a caravan of the Dutch East India Company with spices in the Danish port of Bergen, but their attack was repelled by the fire of coastal batteries. In 1666, France (January) and Denmark (February) entered the war on the side of the United Provinces. At the end of May - beginning of June 1666, the Dutch squadron under the command of Ruyter and K. Tromp won a four-day battle in the English Channel, destroying 20 English ships. However, in August 1666, the English admiral R. Holmes made a successful raid on Terschelling Island, where he burned about 130 Dutch ships with goods. In 1667, due to financial difficulties, the English fleet was unable to go to sea, which Ruyter took advantage of: in February, he led his squadron up the Thames to the Chatham shipyard, where he burned many enemy ships. After this, the British asked for peace, which was signed in Breda on July 31, 1667. The United provinces received the right to import German goods to England, regained Suriname, which they had previously lost, but were forced to abandon their North American colony of New Amsterdam.

A.-g. V. 1672–1674 England led a coalition with France. In 1668, England, the United Provinces and Sweden concluded the anti-French Triple Alliance, but behind the backs of the allies, Charles II signed a secret treaty with France, pledging to support it at sea against Holland. In 1672, England (March 28) and France (April 6) declared war on the Republic of the United Provinces. On land the French were successful, but at sea the Dutch were successful. Admiral Ruyter's squadron defeated the Anglo-French fleet at Solebey (June 1672), Schoneveld (June 1673) and Texel (July 1673). The unsuccessful course of military operations and the growth of opposition sentiments within the country forced Charles II to conclude a separate Peace of Westminster on February 19, 1674, which repeated the conditions of the Peace of Breda in 1667.

The reason for A.-g. V. 1780–1784 became the position of Holland during the War of Independence of England's North American Colonies. Dutch shipowners and merchants, taking advantage of the neutral position of their country, supplied weapons and ammunition to the rebel Americans. After the English fleet received orders to detain all Dutch ships heading to America, confiscate their cargo and detain their crews, the United Provinces joined the League of Neutral Powers. 12/31/1780 Great Britain declared war on Holland - 08/05/1781 the Dutch squadron in the North Sea defeated the English fleet, but some time later it managed to completely block the Dutch ports from the sea. In February 1781, the British captured the island of St. Eustatius, through which the main Dutch supplies to the North passed. America, and then almost all Dutch trading posts in Africa. The war ended with the signing of the Peace of Paris of 1784, according to which Great Britain received Negapatam in India and the right to freely trade in Indonesia.

Shatokhina-Mordvintseva G. A. Foreign policy of the Netherlands. 1713-1763. M., 1998; Hainsworth R. and Churches Ch. The Anglo-Dutch Naval Wars 1652–1674. Stroud, 1998; Pincus S.C.A. Protestantism and Patriotism; Ideologies and the Making of the English Foreign Policy, 1650–1658. Cambridge, 1994; Wilson C. Profit and Power: A Study of England and Dutch Wars. L., 1957. S. V. Kondratiev.

Naval art
in the Anglo-Dutch wars

In the 17th century the struggle for colonial, commercial and maritime dominance was mainly between England and the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, as a result of the bourgeois revolution of the 16th century. and liberation from Spanish rule, an independent republic was created - United Provinces of the Netherlands , or, by the name of the largest province, Holland .

By the middle of the 17th century. Dutch Republic turned into one of the most powerful trading states in Europe. “Holland, where the colonial system first received full development,” noted K. Marx, “already in 1648 reached the highest point of its trading power.” Dutch merchant and fishing fleet consisted of 16 thousand ships, which accounted for about half of the entire merchant fleet of Europe. The Dutch entered North America, where they captured what is now the state of New York. They owned a number of islands in the Caribbean Sea (Curacao), part of the southern and western coasts of Africa (Cape Land and the coast of the Gulf of Guinea); trade with the East Indies was in their hands. Finally, owning the mouths of the Scheldt, Meuse and Rhine rivers, i.e. being connected waterways with the central regions of Europe, the United Provinces of the Netherlands occupied an advantageous position for trading overseas goods in European countries. Thus, the Dutch carried out maritime intermediary trade in Europe itself.

Holland's trading activities with the colonies boiled down to the barbaric depletion of natural resources, robbery and brutal exploitation of the local population. K. Marx wrote: “The history of the Dutch colonial economy - and Holland was an exemplary capitalist country of the 17th century - unfolds an unparalleled picture of betrayal, bribery, murder and meanness.”

Thus, first half of the 17th century was a time of Dutch colonial, commercial and maritime dominance. But already in the middle of the 17th century. the situation is changing.

In the first half of the 17th century. English capitalism has made a significant step forward. English bourgeois revolution , which began in 1640, cleared the way for the further development of capitalism.

The ruling classes of England, which created their wealth through the plunder of the colonies, the slave trade and maritime robbery, began to lay claim to colonial and commercial hegemony. In this regard, the English bourgeoisie raised the question of crushing the power of Holland.

Before turning to arms, the British government invited Holland to conclude defensive-offensive alliance , which would mean the subordination of Holland and its colonies to England. Having received a refusal, the English parliament in 1651 issued Navigation Act , directed against Dutch trade. According to this act, foreign goods were allowed to be imported into England only on English ships and only from the places where these goods were produced. Thus, Holland, which was primarily engaged in intermediary trade, was excluded from trade with England.

The aggravation of contradictions between England and Holland led to war. There were three Anglo-Dutch wars: the first in 1652-1654, the second in 1665-1667. and the third - in 1672-1674.

The political goals of the warring parties also determined the nature of the wars. Since each country fought for dominance in the colonies and on sea trade routes, that is, pursued aggressive goals, the wars were unfair in nature on both sides.

Theater of war covered the North Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. In the North Sea, the Dutch had the ports of Texel and Vlieland on the islands of the same name, which, together with other West Frisian islands, covered the entrance to the Suderzee Bay, in the depths of which Amsterdam was located. Further south along the coast there were no convenient anchorages for the fleet until the area of ​​the Meuse and Scheldt rivers, where numerous shoals, islands and narrow fairways provided a number of good positions for the fleet to defend the coast.

The area of ​​the North Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover was the hub of the Dutch maritime trade routes, so the disruption of trade routes in this area led to the disruption of Dutch maritime trade.

England, due to its geographical position in the theater of war, had a large strategic advantage . English naval bases were located on sea routes leading to the shores of Holland. Therefore, Dutch ships passing through the English Channel or rounding Scotland from the north were in danger of attack from the English fleet. On the south coast of England there were the ports of Plymouth, Portsmouth, Dover and further on the east coast - Chatham, Harwich, Solebay and Lowestoft.

Strengths of the parties

Dutch Armed Forces consisted of the armed forces of each province, independent in peacetime and united only in wartime. Each province had its own admiralty , built her own fleet and managed it independently. The Admiralties themselves appointed their admiral, vice admiral, rear admiral and kept on a constant salary a certain number captains . Captain Each ship had to recruit a crew and take care of its maintenance.

By the beginning of the war, Holland had 120 ships, most of which were merchant ships, armed with 20-30 small-caliber guns . Due to the shallow waters off the coast of Holland, her ships had a shallower draft than the English ones.

English fleet during the bourgeois revolution it was reorganized. Cromwell, who had experience in army reorganization, sent three colonels to the navy as "naval generals" and "commissars of the fleet". Their advisory body was special committee of the admiralty.

By the beginning of the war, the English fleet consisted of 88 ships; approximately two-thirds of them were specifically military-built.

Personnel was staffed by hiring. The lack of personnel for sailors forced the recruitment of persons who did not have naval training for military service. In this respect, the personnel of the English fleet were inferior to the Dutch.

The centralized construction and management of the English fleet gave it advantages over the Dutch fleet. Seaworthiness and artillery armament of English ships were better than the Dutch. In addition to ships with artillery weapons, the fleets of both sides included fire ships. Deliberately set on fire or stuffed with explosives , they engaged with enemy ships and destroyed them. Small vessels with fairly good maneuverability were used as fire ships. Fire ships due to their low autonomy, they operated as part of fleets only at a short distance from their bases.

In both the English and Dutch navies there was no specific permanent organization.

Brief overview of wars

The British, striving to crush the power of Holland, set a task for their fleet: by acting on the enemy’s sea communications to destroy his trading, fishing and military ships guarding them. The solution to this problem was to apply blow to the economic and military potential of Holland , the basis of which was the trading power of the latter.

Due to the fact that trade, especially maritime trade, was the basis of Holland's power , the main task of its fleet was protection of your maritime communications . This task was carried out by directly ensuring maritime communications, that is, by escorting warships of specially formed detachments of merchant ships as they passed through threatened areas. Therefore, almost all military clashes between opponents took place when escorting convoys.

A feature of the naval battles of this war was the absence of specific battle formations. Battles, as a rule, began with artillery fire and came down to a general dump, i.e. combat of individual ships , in which artillery played a major role . At the same time, combat between ships often ended boarding. In addition, it was of some importance use of fire ships . Only During the course of the war, the battle formation of the wake column is born.

Of the six major naval battles that took place in the first Anglo-Dutch War, each belligerent won three.

In the last two battles at Newport and Texel The Dutch were defeated. In April 1654, a peace treaty was concluded at Westminster, according to which Holland recognized Navigation Act and had to pay a significant amount of money.

Westminster Peace did not resolve the issue of dominance at sea and in the colonies, because the economic power of Holland was not broken.

The latter soon opened her wide again maritime trade . The English bourgeoisie, striving for the most predatory and insatiable trade and colonial expansion, continued to face its strong competitor - Holland. Soon it will led to the second Anglo-Dutch War , which began in February 1665.

Both sides, preparing for war, sought to provide themselves with a fleet consisting of specially built warships, and to minimize the use of armed merchant ships. The English fleet did more in this regard than the Dutch, but nevertheless both England and Holland continued to use armed merchant ships . For reconnaissance purposes, they began to build special ships called frigates. Word "frigate"was borrowed from the galley fleet, in whichSowere called light galleys intended for reconnaissance.

By the beginning of the war, England had 109 ships. On ships it was introduced Marines , which was intended for boarding combat and at the same time served as a police force in the fleet in the event of sailor uprisings.

Dutch fleet by the beginning of the war it consisted of 103 ships. There was still inconsistency in the design of the ships, their artillery armament and the training of personnel, since five separate admiralties were still in charge of all this.

Based on the experience of the first Anglo-Dutch war, a permanent fleet organization was created. By the beginning of the war The Dutch fleet was divided into seven squadrons and then into four squadrons, of which the fourth was to perform reserve duties. However, soon from reserve squadron refused, since Western European admirals at that time were unable to use it correctly in naval battles. For the first time in the history of the sailing fleet, the significance of the tactical reserve was correctly understood much later by the outstanding Russian admiral F.F. Ushakov. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791. F. F. Ushakov allocated a “corps” of reserve, i.e. tactical reserve , and classically used it in battle.

Changes in the Second Anglo-Dutch War method of warfare at sea . If in the first Anglo-Dutch war the British tried to disrupt the Dutch sea communications economic and military potential , then in the second Anglo-Dutch War the English fleet was given the task of defeating the enemy fleet. Direct action against enemy trade was of secondary importance in this war.

The Dutch, believing that ensuring freedom of trade depended on the destruction of the British navy, concentrated all their forces on the fight against the enemy fleet.

In the second and especially in the third Anglo-Dutch wars, certain battle formations and tactical techniques of naval combat.

The main battle formation was the wake column , consisting of the largest ships. At the same time, the fleets strive to maintain wake column structure throughout the entire battle. The basis of combat is the artillery fire of ships. However, boarding and fire ships, although they have lost their former importance, still find use. Signals are introduced to control the fleet.

In the Second Anglo-Dutch War, three major naval battles took place, two of which ended in British victory.

In June 1667 Commander of the Dutch Fleet Admiral Ruiter launched a raid on English bases at the mouth of the Thames. Climbing up the Medway to Chatham, the Dutch destroyed some of the English ships and destroyed shipyards and arsenals. Ruyter's raid caused panic in London and forced the British to speed up the peace negotiations that had begun. On July 31, 1667, a peace treaty was signed in Breda, according to which the Dutch recognized the seizure of the colony of New Netherland (now New York) by the British. England returned Suriname to Holland and softened some articles of the Navigation Act.

Peace in Breda was only a temporary respite. The French king Louis XIV, seeking to destroy the neighboring bourgeois republic - the United Provinces of the Netherlands, entered into an alliance with the English king Charles II. Both sides pledged to fight together against Holland.

The conclusion of an alliance between England and France, to which Sweden and the principalities of Munster and Cologne joined, put Holland in a very difficult situation, since this time it was threatened with simultaneous attack from both land and sea.

The balance of forces at sea was not in favor of Holland. Anglo-French fleet consisted of 101 ships (65 English and 36 French), Dutch fleet consisted of 91 ships. In terms of structural strength, seaworthiness, and artillery armament, the Dutch fleet was inferior to the allied fleet.

The commander of the Dutch fleet, Ruiter, taking this circumstance into account, focused his main attention on increasing the combat effectiveness of the fleet. He introduced systematic combat training into practice. Thus, in the summer of 1671, fleet maneuvers were carried out off the Dutch coast.

Things were even worse for the Dutch on land. Against two French armies (80 and 40 thousand people), the Dutch could field small detachments from individual provinces. The fortresses on the eastern border were in complete disrepair, there was little artillery and ammunition, and the garrisons were small.

Anglo-French command plan provided for an attack on Holland from land and sea: the French army was to advance from the south, the armed forces of the German princes from the east, and the Anglo-French fleet was to land troops from the sea.

Dutch plan was to conduct defensive actions on land, relying on a system of fortresses; at sea, to carry out active actions in order to prevent the connection of the English and French fleets and break them up in parts.

The fighting began in March 1672 with an English attack on Dutch merchant ships before war was declared. In April 1672 France entered the war. In the first months of the war, the French captured three provinces and approached Amsterdam. In June, the Dutch decided to open the floodgates to block enemy access to vital areas of Holland.

At sea, events developed more favorably for the Dutch. True, Ruyter failed to prevent the connection of the English and French fleets, but in the battle at Solebey Bay he inflicted a severe defeat on the allied fleet. And although the decisive defeat of the Anglo-French fleet did not occur, the Dutch fleet completed its task - the plan for a large landing on the Dutch coast was thwarted. The allied ships were so badly damaged that they had to go into the Thames for repairs.

Both sides prepared intensively for the campaign of 1673. May 20 1673 The Anglo-French fleet went to sea with a significant number of landing troops on board. Ruyter, covering the Dutch shores from enemy landings, twice had successful military clashes with the Anglo-French fleet in the Schooneveld area in June 1673. Having received significant damage, the Allied ships were forced to return to the mouth of the Thames.

However, the Anglo-French command did not abandon their intention to land troops on the Dutch coast. On July 27, 1673, the Anglo-French fleet of 95 ships under the command of Rupert went to sea again. On the ships were landing troops , intended for landing on the coast of Holland. The Dutch positioned part of their troops along the coast, in places where the enemy might land, but these forces were insignificant. The fleet was to play a decisive role in protecting the coast.

Ruyter, having 70 ships, considered it risky to attack a numerically superior enemy until his intentions were finally clarified.

The Anglo-French fleet, trying to divert the Dutch fleet from the coast, limited itself to demonstrative actions.

Ruiter's position was complicated by the fact that it was expected Great East India Convoy , which required cover. To ensure the passage of the convoy to the ports of Holland, Ruyter decided to attack the Anglo-French fleet and defeat it.

On August 20, the Dutch fleet set sail from Texel and soon discovered the Anglo-French fleet. Ruyter, finding himself under the wind, moved to the shore and maneuvered throughout the night, waiting for a change in the wind in order to occupy windward position .

The battle took place on August 21 near the island of Texel. The opponents, in formation of wake columns, moved on parallel courses in a southerly direction. The wind was east-southeast. At about 8 o'clock Ruyter, being in the wind, decided to attack the enemy.

Given the weaker combat training of the French, Ruyter allocated a smaller part of his forces against them in order to strike the English fleet with the main forces. According to the decision taken, the Dutch avant-garde, numbering 10 ships, attacked the vanguard French fleet (30 ships). The remaining 60 Dutch ships attacked 65 English ships.

The Dutch vanguard, under the command of Bankers, took a course parallel to that of the French column and vigorously attacked it. Ruiter's calculation that it would be enough to allocate 10 ships against 30 French ships was justified. The attack of the Dutch vanguard forced the French, adding sail, to continue moving south, which led to their separation from the main forces. Some of the French ships tried to turn, bypass the Dutch vanguard, go to the wind and then put them in two fires. At the same time, the distance between the ships increased, which the Dutch took advantage of. Their ships lowered, cut through the formation of French ships, inflicted severe damage on them and went to join Ruyter.

French ships, Instead of going to the British, they began to repair their damage. Almost until the end of the battle, the French remained indifferent spectators. Only at 7 p.m. did they try to approach the British. Thus, the Allied forces were divided.

The remaining enemy forces fought in two groups: the British center (30 ships) under the command of Rupert - against the Dutch center (30 ships) under the command of Ruyter, rearguard the British (35 ships) under the command of Spragge - against the rearguard of the Dutch (30 ships) under the command of Tromp. Rupert sought to fight at long range, for his ships were overcrowded with landing troops. Therefore, he descended into the wind several times. Ruyter, keeping the ships of his center in formation, followed the movements of the British.

In the process of maneuvering, the enemy centers and rearguards were separated and fought independently. When the Dutch vanguard approached Ruyter, the latter could oppose Rupert's 30 ships with 40 of his own ships. Concentrating superior forces against the British center, Ruyter surrounded their ships and put some of them under two fires.

During the battle, Rupert managed to escape from the encirclement. By 14 o'clock, having gathered his battered forces, he went to the aid of his rearguard; Ruyter also followed to his rearguard.

The clash of the rearguards, having reached strong tension by this time, turned into battles of single ships. By 16 o'clock Rupert approached the English rearguard, which was in a very difficult situation. By this time, Ruyter had joined up with his rearguard.

At about 18 o'clock the battle between the British (65 ships) and the Dutch (70 ships) flared up with renewed vigor. By 19 o'clock, at sunset, the battle ended in the defeat of the Anglo-French fleet; The British had two ships sank and seven burned. Casualties the British were twice as numerous as the Dutch (2 thousand people versus 1 thousand people).

conclusions

The success of the Dutch is explained by the fact that the tactical skill of their fleet in this battle was higher than that of the British.

Ruyter, based on a correct assessment of the enemy’s combat capability, dealt the main blow to the British, allocating a small part of his forces against the French. Having achieved the division of enemy forces, he concentrated against the British superior forces . Ruiter achieved this thanks to the good combat training of the Dutch fleet. Familiarization of your flagships with the battle plan ensured the coordination of the actions of the squadrons in battle conditions in three groups. It should be noted the actions of the commander of the Dutch vanguard, who, having achieved the exit of the French fleet from the battle, went to the aid of Ruiter. With this maneuver The Dutch created superiority in forces in the main direction at the decisive moment.

The Anglo-French command made a number of mistakes.

Despite the numerical superiority, it was unable to create superiority in forces in the direction of the main attack; It also failed to achieve consistency in the actions of its squadrons, each of which fought separately. The French, having left the battle, did not take any further part in it. Finally, it should be noted that the Dutch shot better than the British.

The defeat of the Anglo-French fleet had serious consequences. The Anglo-French plan for a landing on the Dutch coast was thwarted. The Allied fleet was forced to retreat to their bases, which gave Ruiter the opportunity to carry out unhindered East India convoy to Holland.

Even more important were political consequences of the battle of Texel. Rupert, upon returning to England, placed all the blame for the defeat on the French. Bourgeois circles in England demanded the dissolution of the alliance with France. While there was discord in the camp of the allies, Holland in August 1673 entered into an alliance with Spain and the German emperor.

In February 1674, a separate peace was concluded at Westminster between England and Holland. The terms of the peace treaty were largely repeated Treaty of Breda 1667

Results of the Anglo-Dutch wars

The struggle for colonial and naval dominance between Holland and England ended in victory for the latter. Despite the fact that in the third Anglo-Dutch war Dutch fleet in the battles of Solebey, Schuneveld and Texel was a success, Holland had to admit defeat. The main reason for the defeat of Holland was that its power was based on trade, while the basis of England's development was its own industrial production.

The Anglo-Dutch wars showed that a country with its own industry is stronger than a trading country. K. Marx in Capital notes: “And trade dominance is now associated with a greater or lesser predominance of the conditions for the existence of large-scale industry. It is worth comparing, for example, England and Holland. The history of the fall of Holland as a dominant trading nation is the history of the subordination of commercial capital to industrial capital.”

Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th century. played a significant role in the development of fleets and naval art.

Fleet composition and ship classification

Based on the experience of the Anglo-Dutch wars, it was developed new classification of fleet ships.

The ships of the first three ranks were called battleships, since they were placed in the battle line. Ships of the fourth and fifth ranks were called frigates and were used for reconnaissance purposes, operations on sea communications and to cover battleships damaged in battle. Ships of the sixth rank had various names and were used as messenger ships.

Fire ships- small-displacement sailing ships with good maneuverability, filled with explosives or flammable substances - intended to explode or set fire to enemy ships by adhering closely to them using special hooks.

Fleet organization

During the Anglo-Dutch wars, a permanent sailing fleet organization . Fleets began to be divided into squadrons. Usually there were three of them and “each consisted of three divisions: vanguard, center and rearguard. At the head of the division was flagship. The eldest was center commander (admiral) , the next oldest was vanguard commander (vice admiral) and younger - rearguard commander (rear admiral).

Strategy

There have been changes in the way warfare is conducted at sea.

The first Anglo-Dutch war was characterized by fighting on sea communications as the main method of warfare . In the first war the main task of the English fleet was destruction of Dutch maritime trade . The main task of the Dutch fleet was protecting your trade and fighting the enemy's trade.

To ensure maritime communications, both sides introduced convoy system , i.e. escort and protection of merchant ships by warships . Thus, the first Anglo-Dutch war was characterized by direct provision of maritime communications . Naturally, all the battles of this war are connected with the escort of convoys.

In the second and, especially, in the third Anglo-Dutch war, both opponents abandoned the method of directly providing merchant ships with naval forces. The main task of the fleet is to conduct combat operations against enemy combat forces with the goal of destroying them in battle, which at the same time ensures their own troublesome trade.

Tactics

The first Anglo-Dutch war was characterized by the absence of established battle formations. The battle, which began with an artillery exchange, soon turned into a general melee, where the outcome was decided by a boarding battle between individual ships.

In the second and especially in the third Anglo-Dutch war, the battle loses the character of a dump. The main battle formation becomes the wake column (battle line), which the fighting fleets try to hold during the entire battle. The appearance of the wake formation was due to the onboard placement of artillery, which became the main weapon of a sailing ship, the ability to pass attacking fireships into the wind without changing formation, simply increasing the intervals between ships, and the ease of controlling ships in battle.

The battle line included the most powerful artillery ships, with approximately the same tactical and technical data, capable of destroying the main enemy forces.

The marching formation was a formation of one, two and three wake columns , depending on the number of ships participating in the voyage.

Naval combat tactics boiled down to the following. Before the battle, the fleets sought to take a windward position, which made it possible to dictate the time, place and distance of the attack to the enemy, and, in favorable conditions, to use fireships. After occupying a windward position, the fleet in battle formation of a wake column began to descend onto the enemy line until artillery fire distances . Having reached this distance, the fleet was brought to the wind, set on a course parallel to the enemy, and opened artillery fire. Although artillery became the main weapon of a sailing ship, due to its still insufficiently high combat qualities, it could not always decide the outcome of the battle. Therefore, boarding and fireboat attacks continue to be used.

In conditions squadron battle has grown importance of fleet management . To maintain control of the squadrons, the fleet commander was located on the strongest ship in the center or at the head of the battle formation. Control in battle was carried out by signals or orders transmitted by messenger ships.

These are the results of the development of naval art in the Anglo-Dutch wars.

Pavel Gost's work on naval tactics

Experience of combat operations at sea in the wars of the second half of the 17th century. generalized Jesuit Pavel Gost , who published a work in 1697 entitled "The Art of War Fleets or an Essay on Sea Evolutions." Pavel Gost was a professor of mathematics at the naval school in Toulon and for many years served as a priest on the flagship ships of the French fleet.

Basic principles of linear tactics , set out by Gost, boiled down to the following.

1. Sailing ships have artillery as their main weapon. Based on the on-board arrangement of artillery on a sailing ship, Gost considered the best battle formation to be a wake column, which the ships maintain throughout the entire artillery phase of the battle. Gost believed that the warships from which the battle line was built should be ships armed with at least 50 guns.

2. The fleet should strive to take a windward position, which had more advantages, because it allowed:

- dictate to the enemy the time, place and distance of the battle;

- use fire ships against enemy ships;

- do not be in powder smoke that interferes with movement and shooting;

- cut through the enemy's formation through gaps formed in his line or envelop the enemy's rearguard.

Gost saw the disadvantage of the windward position in the fact that in a strong gusty wind, the guns of the lower decks of the windward fleet were deprived of the opportunity to operate, because they were flooded with water when the ships rolled. The leeward position had the advantage that in case of damage the ships could easily fail.

3. The main form of strike in combat is artillery attack at the distance of an actual salvo.

The battle of sailing fleets, according to GOST, consisted of several phases.

Preliminary phase - struggle for windward position.

First phase - building a battle line parallel to the enemy's line. In this case, the ships of the windward fleet are distributed strictly opposite the corresponding ships of the leeward side.

After this it starts second phase - approaching the enemy. At a signal from the commander, all ships of the windward fleet simultaneously turn away from the wind by 3-4 points and, having established bearing constancy on the designated enemy ship, descend on the enemy, maintaining a place in the battle formation.

When windward fleet came within range of actual artillery fire, lee fleet , being located with the lag facing the enemy, fires with its entire side. The windward fleet can only use a small number of bow guns during this period.

When the windward fleet reaches attack range, at the commander’s signal, all ships are brought to the wind. From this moment it begins third phase of the battle , consisting of battles between individual ships.

This is the basic scheme of the battle given by Gost.

It should be noted that Gost considered it possible, given a favorable environment and the presence of quantitative superiority cutting through the enemy's formation or enveloping his rearguard. True, he pays little attention to these issues, considering cutting through the formation or enveloping its rearguard possible in very rare cases.

For its time, Gost's tactics were a well-known step forward in the development of naval art. However, being a metaphysician, Gost actually reduced his provisions to several eternal principles given once and for all.

Positions of linear tactics, set out by Gost were accepted in all Western European fleets and dominated there almost throughout the entire 18th century.

Western European and especially English theorists elevated some of Gost's provisions into dogma, which led to the introduction of rigid legalized methods of linear tactics, unchangeable and constant in any situation.

Advanced Russian naval art developed independently; stagnation and dogmatism, so characteristic of the linear tactics of Western European fleets of the 18th century, were alien to it. Russian naval art, unlike Western European art, developed creatively and was of an active nature.