Dutch+War

The Dutch War lasted from 1672 through 1678 and is also known as the Franco-Dutch War. This was the second war of conquest by Louis XIV of France. His main objective in the war was to establish French possession of the Spanish Netherlands after having forced the Dutch Republic’s acceptance. The Dutch War was also formed by The Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672–74).

In 1670 Louis signed the secret Treaty of Dover with England against the Dutch. In May 1672, he planned an invasion of the Dutch Republic and also had the support of the British navy on his side. The French were able to quickly occupy three of the seven Dutch provinces. The Dutch, under William III retaliated by opening the dikes around Amsterdam which flooded a large area, including the French army. By that fall, William had begun land operations against the French invaders. Meanwhile, the Dutch navy, under Admiral M.A. de Ruyter, managed to hold off attacking the English and French in battles off Sole Bay in 1672 and off Ostend and Kijkduin in 1673. Spain, the Holy Roman emperor, and Lorraine took the side of the Dutch against France, and by the end of 1673 the French had been driven out of the Dutch Republic. England then made peace with the Dutch in the Treaty of Westminster in February 1674.

From 1674 to 1678 the French armies, with Sweden as their only effective ally, advanced into the southern (Spanish) Netherlands and along the Rhine, defeating the forces of the Grand Alliance. Eventually the heavy financial burdens of the war, along with the possibility of England’s reentry into the conflict on the side of the Dutch, convinced Louis to make peace despite his powerful military position. The resulting Treaties of Nijmegen (1678–79) between France and the Grand Alliance left the Dutch Republic intact and France strengthened in the Spanish Netherlands. The year 1672 in Dutch is often referred to as Het Rampjaar, meaning the year of disaster.