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The Dutch-speaking people have a long history, the Netherlands as a Nation-state dates from 1568. Belgium (a country with a Dutch speaking majority) became an independent state in 1830 when it seceded from the Netherlands. During the ancient and early medieval periods, the Germanic tribes had no written language. What we know about their early military history comes from accounts written in Latin and from archaeology. This causes significant gaps in the historic timeline. Germanic Wars against the Romans are fairly well documented from the Roman perspective; however, Germanic wars against the early Celts remain mysterious because neither side recorded the events. Wars between the Germanic tribes in Northern Belgium and the present day Netherlands , and various Celtic tribes that bordered their lands, are likely due to their geographical proximity. ANCIENT TIMES Germanic Tribes are thought to have originated during the Nordic Bronze Age in northern Germany and southern Scandinavia . The tribes spread south, possibly motivated by the deteriorating climate of that area. They crossed the River Elbe , most likely overrunning territories formerly occupied by Celtic people. In the East, other tribes, such as Goths , Rugians and Vandals , settled along the shores of the Baltic Sea pushing southward and eventually settling as far away as Ukraine . The Angles and Saxons migrated to England. The Germanic peoples often had unsettled relationships with their neighbours and each other, leading to a period of over two millennia of military conflict over various territorial, religious, ideological and economic issues.
The Batavi The Batavi ('''Batavians''') were a Germanic tribe, originally part of the Chatti , reported by Tacitus to have lived around the Rhine delta, in the area which is currently the Netherlands , "an uninhabited district on the extremity of the coast of Gaul, and also of a neighbouring island, surrounded by the ocean in front, and by the river Rhine in the rear and on either side" (Tacitus, ''Histories'' iv). This led to the Latin name of '''Batavia''' for the area. The same name is used for several military units, originally raised among the Batavi. They were mentioned by Julius Caesar in his commentary '' Gallic Wars '', as living on an island formed by the Meuse River after it is joined by the Waal , 80 Roman Mile s from the mouth of the river. He said there were many other islands formed by branches of the Rhine , inhabited by savage a barbarous nation, some of whom were supposed to live on fish and the eggs of sea-fowl. Tacitus named the Mattiaci as a similar tribe under homage, but on the other side of the Rhine. The areas inhabited by the Batavians were never occupied by the Romans , as the Batavians were allies. The Batavians incorrectly became regarded as the sole and eponymous ancestors of the Dutch people. The Netherlands were briefly known as the Batavian Republic . Moreover, during the time Indonesia was a Dutch colony, the capital (now Jakarta ) was named Batavia. If one would trace back the ancestry of most native Dutch people back to Germanic tribes, one would probably end up with the Franks in most cases. Dutch is in fact a Low Frankish language, and is the only language (together with Afrikaans , which descends from Dutch itself) to be a direct descendant of Old Frankish , the language of the Franks . Military units of the Batavi 's ''Corporis Custodes'' (imperial bodyguard). The bodyguard, Indus, was of the Batavian tribe.]] Later, Tacitus described the Batavians as the bravest of the tribes of the area, hardened in the Germanic border wars, with cohorts under their own noble commanders transferred to describes this surprise tactic employed by Aulus Plautius against the "barbarians" — the British Celts — at the Battle Of The River Medway , 43: The barbarians thought that Romans would not be able to cross it without a bridge, and consequently bivouacked in rather careless fashion on the opposite bank; but he sent across a detachment of Batavians, who were accustomed to swim easily in full armour across the most turbulent streams. {Link without Title} Thence the Britons retired to the river Thames at a point near where it empties into the ocean and at flood-tide forms a lake. This they easily crossed because they knew where the firm ground and the easy passages in this region were to be found; but the Romans in attempting to follow them were not so successful. However, the Batavians swam across again and some others got over by a bridge a little way up-stream, after which they assailed the barbarians from several sides at once and cut down many of them. The Batavians also provided a contingent for the Emperor's Imperial Horse Guard . The Batavian Legacy Numerous altars and tombstones of the Batavi, dating to the 2nd Century and 3rd Century , have been found along Hadrian's Wall , notably at Castlecary and Carrawburgh , Germany , Yugoslavia , Hungary , Romania and Austria . After the 3rd century, however, the Batavians are no longer mentioned, and they are assumed to have merged with the neighbouring Frisian and Frankish people. The Romans and Germania Inferior ]] Until the Franks defeated and pushed them back the Romans established two provinces in the area of the present-day Belgium and a part of the Netherlands. Both were outposts, especially above the Meuse and apart from a few Roman Legions send there to protect the Empires borders, the Roman presence was limited. The provinces were called Gallia Belgica named after The Belgae a group of Celtic tribes conquered by the Romans and Germania Inferior , ''inferior'' means 'low' in Latin , and ''Germania'' refers to the area occupied by the Germanic Tribes . During the Batavian rebellion, which took place in the Roman Province of Germania Inferior between 69 and 70 AD, the rebels led by Civilis managed to destroy four Legions and inflict humiliating defeats on the Roman army. After their initial successes, a massive Roman army led by Quintus Petillius Cerialis eventually defeated them. Following peace talks, the situation was normalized, but Batavia had to cope with humiliating conditions and a legion stationed permanently within her lands. ''For more information see: The Batavian Rebellion '' THE FRANKS The Franks or the '''Frankish people''' were one of several west , Sugambri , Chamavi , Tencteri, Chattuarii , Bructeri , Usipetes , Ampsivarii , Chatti . They entered the late Roman Empire from the present day Netherlands and Northern Germany and conquered northern Gaul where they were accepted as a '' Foederati '' and established a lasting Realm (sometimes referred to as '''Francia''') in an area that covers most of modern-day France and the western regions of Germany ( Franconia , Rhineland , Hesse ) and the whole of the Low Countries , forming the historic kernel of all these two modern countries. The conversion to Christianity of the pagan Frankish king Clovis was a crucial event in the history of Europe. Like the French and Germans, the Dutch too (perhaps most righteously) claim the military history of the Franks as their own. Battle Of Soissons (''' 486 ''')
Battle Of Tolbiac (''' 496 ''')
Battle Of Vouillé (''' 507 ''')
Battle Of Tours (''' 732 ''')
Battle Of Pavia (''' 773 ''')
Saxon Campaigns (''' 773 '''-''' 804 ''')
Siege Of Paris (''' 885 '''-''' 886 ''')
The Frankish Empire (481 - 843) The Frankish Empire was the territory of the ''' Franks ''', from the 5th to the 10th centuries, from 481 ruled by Clovis I of the Merovingian Dynasty , the first King Of All The Franks . From 751 , under the Carolingian Dynasty , it is known as the ''' Carolingian Empire '''. After the Treaty Of Verdun of 843 it was split into ''' East , West and Middle Francia '''. East Francia gave rise to the ''' Holy Roman Empire ''' with Otto I The Great in 962 . Since the term "Empire" properly applies only to times after the coronation of Charlemagne in 800 , and since the unified kingdom was repeatedly split and re-united, most historians prefer to use the term Frankish Kingdoms or '''Frankish Realm''' to refer to the entirety of Frankish rule from the 5th to the 9th century. The Holy Roman Empire (843 - 1648) The Frankish realm underwent many partitions and repartitions, since the Franks divided their property among surviving sons, and lacking a broad sense of a of leaders succeeded each other; first the Merovingians and then the Carolingians . The Holy Roman Empire was a political conglomeration of Land s in Central Europe and Western Europe in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Emerging from the Eastern Part of the Frankish Empire after its division in the Treaty Of Verdun ( 843 ), it lasted almost a millennium until its dissolution in 1806 . By the 18th century, it still consisted of the larger part of modern Germany , Bohemia (now Czech Republic ), Austria , Liechtenstein , Slovenia , Belgium , and Luxembourg , as well as large parts of modern Poland and small parts of the Netherlands and Croatia . Previously, it had included all of the Netherlands and Switzerland , parts of modern France and Italy .In the middle of the 18th century the Empire was hardly an Empire anymore, let alone a powerful nation. THE EIGHTY YEARS' WAR (1568-1648) The Eighty Years' War, or '''Dutch Revolt''', was the war of Secession between the Netherlands and the Spanish king, that lasted from 1568 to 1648. The war resulted in the Seven United Provinces being recognized as an independent state. The region now known as Belgium and Luxembourg also became established as the Southern Netherlands , part of the Seventeen Provinces that remained under royal Habsburg rule. The United Provinces of the Netherlands, or the Dutch Republic, became a world power, through its merchant shipping and huge naval power, and experienced a period of economic, scientific and cultural growth. In the late 16th century military reform by Maurice Of Orange laid the foundation for early modern battlefield tactics. The Dutch army between 1600 and 1648 was the second most powerful in Europe. The main battles of the Eighty Years' War
: The Dutch Geuzen under the command of the Lord of Villers, Joost de Soete, are defeated by a Spanish Garrison.
: Dutch victory. After a successful ambush the Dutch killed about 2000 Spanish troops, while losing 50 men (Including one of its commanders, Adolf Of Nassau ) of its own.
: Decisive Spanish victory. Louis Of Nassau failed to capture the city of Groningen . Louis was chased by the Duke Of Alva and defeated at the Battle of Jemmingen by a more numerous and better equipped army.
: Surrender of Dutch troops after a bloody siege by the Spanish troops.
: Dutch victory. During the siege 6.000 of the 18.000 inhabitants of Leiden died. The siege ended because Geuzen opened the Dike s surrounding the city causing the Spanish troops to flee.
: Decisive Spanish victory. The Dutch army, though more numerous, was defeated because a large amount of the, unpaid, mercenaries fled before and during the battle. Both Dutch commanders, Louis Of Nassau and Henry of Nassau were killed.
: Decisive Spanish victory. After the battle, the Spanish commander John Of Austria executed over 1000 Dutch prisoners of war.
: Spanish victory. The siege lasted very long despite 60.000 of the 100.000 inhabitants leaving the city before the Spanish troops arrived.
: Spanish victory.
: Decisive Dutch victory. Fifteen cavalry units and a few hundred Dutch infantry soldiers miraculously defeated a Spanish army consisting of over 5000 men.
: Dutch victory. The Dutch army originally was on a mission to capture the raider port of Dunkirk but was intercepted by a Spanish army.
: Spanish victory. After the siege, which was one of the longest in the entire Eighty Years' War the following saying roamed Europe: "''At Ostend the Spanish assailed the unassailable; the Dutch defended the indefensible''" 60.000 Spanish soldiers died during the siege and this was an important factor during the negotiations for the twelve-year truce (1609-1621) between Spain and the Netherlands.
: Decisive Dutch victory. The Dutch attacked and destroyed a complete Spanish fleet. At a cost of 100 men including the commanding admiral Jacob van Heemskerck the Dutch killed 4.000 Spanish sailors and their commanding officer.
: Spanish victory after a siege of 11 months.
:Dutch victory: Europe's most expensive fortress had to surrender.
: Decisive Dutch victory. Dutch ships led by Maarten Tromp attack the Spanish fleet; they destroy 60 of the 77 Spanish warships and kill 15,200 Spanish sailors in the process, at a cost of one Dutch ship and about a 100 men. The Dutch in the East Indies See Also: Dutch East India Company The in the Moluccas , which was developed into the first secure base of the VOC. The Twelve Year's Truce signed in Antwerp in 1609 called a halt to formal hostilities between Spain (which controlled Portugal and its territories at the time) and the United Provinces . In the Indies, the foundation of Batavia formed the permanent center from which Dutch enterprises, more mercantile than colonial, could be coordinated. From it "the Dutch wove the immense web of traffic and exchange which would eventually make up their empire, a fragile and flexible one built, like the Portuguese empire, 'on the Phoenician Model '." (Braudel 1984, p. 215) One after another the Dutch took the great trading ports of the East Indies: Malacca in 1641; Achem ( Aceh ) the native kingdom in Sumatra , 1667; Macassar , 1669; finally Bantam itself, 1682. At the same time connections in the ports of India provided the printed Cotton s that the Dutch traded for Pepper , the staple of the Spice Trade . The greatest source of wealth in the East Indies, Fernand Braudel has noted, was the trade ''within'' the archipelago, what the Dutch called ''inlandse handel'', where one commodity was exchanged for another, with profit at each turn, with Silver from the Americas, more desirable in the East than in Europe. By concentrating on monopolies in the fine spices, Dutch policy encouraged for Clove s, Timor for Sandalwood , the Bandas for Mace and Nutmeg , Ceylon for Cinnamon . Monoculture linked island economies to the mercantile system to provide the missing necessities of life. WARS OF THE DUTCH REPUBLIC The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden/Provinciën''; also '''Dutch Republic''' or '''United Provinces''' in short) was a European Republic between 1581 (but was formally recognised in 1648) and 1795, which is now known as the Netherlands . From an economic and military perspective, the Republic of the United Provinces completely out-performed all expectations; it was a surprise to many that a nation, not based on the church or on a single royal leader, could be so successful. This time period is known in the Netherlands as the Golden Age. The free trade spirit of the time — which some would argue was the Protestant spirit of the time — received a strong augmentation through the development of a modern — much better functioning — Stock Market in the Low Countries. At first the Dutch had a very strong standing field army and large garrisons in their numerous fortified cities. From 1648 on however the Army was neglected; and for a few years even the Navy — until rivalry with England forced a large extension of naval forces. The Anglo-Dutch Wars See Also: Anglo-Dutch Wars The Anglo-Dutch Wars ( and the United Provinces for control over the seas and trade routes. They are known as the '''Dutch Wars''' in England and as the '''English Wars''' in the Netherlands. The collapse of Spanish power at the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648 meant that the colonial possessions of the Portuguese and Spanish Empire s were effectively up for grabs. This brought the Commonwealth Of England and the United Provinces of the Netherlands, former allies in the Thirty Years' War , into conflict. The Dutch had the largest mercantile fleet of Europe, and a dominant position in European trade. They had annexed most of Portugal's territory in the East Indies giving them control over the enormously profitable trade in Spice s. They were even gaining significant influence over England's maritime trade with her North American colonies, profiting from the turmoil that resulted from the English Civil War . The Dutch navy had been neglected though, while Cromwell had built a strong fleet. The first Anglo-Dutch War (1652-1654) See Also: First Anglo-Dutch War In order to protect its position in North America and damage Dutch trade, in 1651 the Parliament of the Commonwealth Of England passed the first of the Navigation Acts , which mandated that all goods from her American colonies must be carried by English ships. In a period of growing Mercantilism this was the spark that ignited the first Anglo-Dutch war, the British seeking a pretext to start a war which led to sporadic naval engagements across the globe. The English were initially successful, Admiral Robert Blake defeating the Dutch Admiral Witte De With in the Battle Of The Kentish Knock in 1652. Believing that the war was all but over, the English divided their forces and in 1653 were routed by the fleet of Dutch Admiral Maarten Tromp at the Battle Of Dungeness in the English Channel . The Dutch were also victorious at the Battle Of Leghorn and had effective control of both the Mediterranean and the English Channel . Blake, recovering from an injury, rethought, together with Monck, the whole system of naval tactics, and in mid 1653 used the Dutch Line Of Battle method to drive the Dutch navy back to its ports in the battles of Portland and The Gabbard . In the final Battle Of Scheveningen on 10 August 1653 Tromp was killed, a blow to Dutch morale, but the British had to end their blockade of the Dutch coast. As both nations were by now exhausted, peace negotiations were started. The war ended on 1654 - 04-05 with the signing of the Treaty Of Westminster , but the commercial rivalry was not resolved, the British having failed to replace the Dutch as the world's dominant trade nation. =Battles '' by Ferdinand Bol , painted 1667]]
: Draw, moral English victory
: Minor Dutch victory
: English victory
: Dutch victory
: Dutch victory
: English victory, but moral victory for the Dutch as their fleet escaped certain destruction.
: English victory
: English tactical victory, strategic Dutch victory The second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-1667) is right of center.]] See Also: Second Anglo-Dutch War After the English Restoration , Charles II tried to serve his dynastic interests by attempting to make Prince William III Of Orange , his nephew, Stadtholder of The Republic, using some military pressure. This led to a surge of patriotism in England, the country being, as Samuel Pepys put it, "mad for war". This war, deliberately provoked by the English in 1664, witnessed quite a few significant English victories in battle, (but also some Dutch ones such as the capture of the ''Prince Royal'' during the Four Days Battle in 1666 which was the subject of a famous painting by Willem Van De Velde ). However the Raid On The Medway entailing the burning of part of the English fleet whilst docked at Chatham in June 1667 when a flotilla of ships led by Admiral De Ruyter broke through the defensive chains guarding the Medway and wrought havoc on the English ships, ended the war with a Dutch victory. For a few years the greatly expanded Dutch navy was now the world's strongest. The Republic was then at the zenith of its power. =Battles
: Dutch catastrophic defeat, arguably the worst naval defeat in Dutch history.
: Dutch victory.
: English victory, but the main body of the Dutch fleet escaped, while the Dutch rear beat its counterpart.
: Decisive Dutch victory; worst naval defeat in British history. The third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-1674) 1673 '']] See Also: Third Anglo-Dutch War Soon the English navy was rebuilt. After the embarrassing events in the previous war, English public opinion was unenthusiastic about starting a new one. Bound by the secret Treaty Of Dover Charles II was however obliged to assist Louis XIV in his attack on The Republic in the Franco-Dutch War . This he did willingly, having manipulated the French and Dutch into war. The French army being halted by Inundation s, an attempt was made to invade The Republic by sea. De Ruyter, gaining four brilliant strategic victories against the Anglo-French fleet, prevented invasion. After these failures the English parliament forced Charles to sign peace. =Battles
: Tactical draw, Dutch strategic victory.
: Dutch minor victory.
: Dutch minor victory.
: Tactical draw, huge Dutch strategic victory. Action of March 1677 The Action of March 1677 was a maritime battle that took place in March, 1677 at West Indies when a Dutch fleet under Jacob Binkes repulsed a French force attempting to recapture the island of Tobago .There was much death and destruction on both sides:one of the Dutch supply ships caught fire and exploded. The fire then quickly spread in the narrow bay causing several ships, among them the French flagship 'Glorieux', to catch fire and explode in turn which resulted in great loss of life on both sides. The French under d'Estrees retreated. The Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (1780-1784) See Also: Fourth Anglo-Dutch War The Glorious Revolution of 1688 was the last successful invasion of England and ended the conflict by placing Prince William III Of Orange on the English throne as co-ruler with his wife Mary . Though this was in fact a military conflict between Great Britain and The Republic, William invading the British Isles with a Dutch fleet and army, in English histories it is never described as such because he had strong support in England and was partly serving the dynastic interests of his wife. Ironically, the Regime Change brought about the ultimate downfall of the Dutch Republic. The Dutch merchant elite immediately began to use London as a new operational base. Dutch economic growth slowed. William ordered that any Anglo-Dutch fleet be under British command, with the Dutch navy having 60% of the strength of the British. From about 1720 Dutch wealth declined. Between 1740 and 1770 the Dutch Navy was neglected. Around 1780 the per capita Gross National Product of the Kingdom Of Great Britain surpassed that of the Dutch Republic. Now it was the Dutch who in turn became prone to petty jealousy and began to support the American rebels. This led to the fourth war, and the loss of the alliance made the Dutch Republic fatally vulnerable to the French. The Dutch navy was by now only a shadow of its former self, having only about twenty ships of the line, so there were no large fleet battles. The English tried to reduce the Republic to the status of a British Protectorate , using Prussia n military pressure and gaining factual control over most of the Dutch colonies, those conquered during the war given back at war's end. The Dutch then still held some key positions in the European trade with Asia, such as the Cape, Ceylon and Malacca . The war sparked a new round of Dutch ship building (95 warships in the last quarter of the 18th century), but the British kept their absolute numerical superiority by doubling their fleet in the same time. =Battles
: Indecisive outcome. No ships were lost on either side; this alone meant a moral victory for the Dutch. The Franco-Dutch War Franco-Dutch War (1672–1678) was a war fought between France and a Quadruple Alliance consisting of Brandenburg , the Holy Roman Empire , Spain , and the United Provinces . The war ended with the Treaty Of Nijmegen (1678); this granted France control of the Franche-Comte (from Spain ). France led a coalition including Münster and Great Britain . Louis XIV was annoyed by the Dutch refusal to cooperate in the destruction and division of the Spanish Netherlands . As the Dutch army had been neglected, the French had no trouble by-passing the fortress of Maastricht and then marching to the heart of the Republic, taking Utrecht . Prince William III Of Orange is assumed to have had the leading Dutch politician Johan De Witt deposed and murdered, and was acclaimed Stadtholder . The French were halted by Inundation s, The Dutch Water Line , after Louis tarried too much in conquering the whole of the Republic. He had promised the major Dutch cities to the British and tried to extort huge sums from the Dutch in exchange for a separate peace. The bishop of Münster laid siege to Groningen but failed. An attempt was made to invade the Republic by sea, but this was thwarted by Admiral Michiel De Ruyter in four strategic victories against the combined Anglo-French fleet (these events are usually called the Third Anglo-Dutch War ). Great Britain then abandoned the war in 1674. Already, allies had joined the Dutch — the and the Bourbons . Dutch-Swedish War (1657-1660) The Dutch-Swedish War, 1657-1660, was a Dutch intervention in the Northern Wars . When Charles X Of Sweden had been unable to continue his hold on Poland — partly because the Dutch fleet relieved the besieged city of Danzig in 1656 — he turned his attention on Denmark , invading that country from what is now Germany. He treacherously broke a new agreement with Frederick III Of Denmark and laid siege to Copenhagen . To the Dutch the Baltic trade was vital, both in quantity and quality. They had always been able to convince Denmark by threat of force to keep the Sound tolls at a low level but they feared a strong Swedish empire might not be so complying. In 1658 they sent an expedition fleet of 75 ships, 3000 cannon and 15.000 troops; in the Battle Of The Sound it defeated the Swedish fleet and relieved Copenhagen. In 1659 the Dutch liberated the other Danish Isles and the essential supply of grain, wood and iron from the Baltic was guaranteed once more. War of the Grand Alliance (1688-1697) The War of the Grand Alliance was a major war fought in Europe and America from 1688 to 1697, between France and the League Of Augsburg — which, by 1689, was known as the " Grand Alliance ". The war was fought to resist French expansionism along the Rhine , as well as, on the part of England, to safeguard the results of the Glorious Revolution from a possible French-backed restoration of James II . The North American theatre of the war, fought between English and French colonists, was known in the English colonies as King William's War . The League of Augsburg The League of Augsburg was formed in 1686 between the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I , and various of the German princes (including the Palatinate , Bavaria , and Brandenburg ) to resist French aggression in Germany. The alliance was joined by Portugal , Spain , Sweden , and the United Provinces . France had expected a benevolent neutrality on the part of James II's England , but after James's deposition and replacement by his son-in-law William Of Orange , Louis's inveterate enemy, England declared war on France in May of 1689, and the League of Augsburg became known as the "Grand Alliance", with England, Portugal, Spain, the United Provinces, and most of the German states joined together to fight France. Campaign in the Netherlands In the war's principal theatre, in continental Europe, the early military campaigns, which mostly occurred in the Spanish Netherlands , were generally successful for France. After a setback at the Battle Of Walcourt in August 1689, in which the French were defeated by an allied army under Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck, the French under Marshal Luxembourg were successful at the Battle Of Fleurus in 1690, but Louis prevented Luxembourg from following up on his victory. The French were also successful in the Alps in 1690, with Marshal Catinat defeating the Duke of Savoy at the Battle Of Staffarda and occupying Savoy. The Turkish recapture of Belgrade in October of the same year proved a boon to the French, preventing the Emperor from making peace with the Turks and sending his full forces west. The French were also successful at sea, defeating the Anglo-Dutch fleet at Beachy Head , but failed to follow up on the victory by sending aid to the Jacobite forces in Ireland or pursuing control of the Channel. The French followed up on their success in 1691 with Luxembourg's capture of Mons and Halle and his defeat of Waldeck at the Battle Of Leuze , while Marshal Catinat continued his advance into Italy, and another French army advanced into Catalonia, and in 1692 Namur was captured by a French army under the direct command of the King, and the French beat back an allied offensive under William of Orange at the Battle Of Steenkerque . Early French dominance When the war began in 1689, the British Admiralty was still suffering from the disorders of the reign of King Charles II , which had been only in part corrected during the short reign of James II. The first squadrons were sent out late and in insufficient strength. The Dutch, crushed by the obligation to maintain a great army, found an increasing difficulty in preparing their fleet for action early. Louis XIV, with as yet inexhausted resources, had it within his power to strike first. English and Dutch resurgence A large French fleet entered the English Channel , and gained a success over the combined British and Dutch fleets on July 10 , 1690 in the Battle Of Beachy Head , which was not followed up by vigorous action. During the following year, while James's cause was finally ruined in Ireland, the main French fleet was cruising in the Bay Of Biscay , principally for the purpose of avoiding battle. During the whole of 1689, 1690 and 1691, British squadrons were active on the Irish coast -helping to win the Williamite War In Ireland for the allies. One raised the Siege Of Derry in July 1689, and another convoyed the first British and Dutch forces sent over under the Duke Of Schomberg . Immediately after Beachy Head in 1690, a part of the Channel fleet carried out an expedition under the Earl Of Marlborough , which took Cork and reduced a large part of the south of the island. William of Orange himself arrived in Ireland in 1690 with veteran Dutch and allied troops, defeating the James II at the Battle Of The Boyne -an engagement largely decided by Dutch infantry. The war was ended in Anglo-Dutch favour in 1691, when Dutch general Ginkel destroyed the Franco-Irish army at the Battle Of Aughrim . In 1691 the French did little more than help to carry away the wreckage of their allies and their own detachments. In 1692 a vigorous but tardy attempt was made to employ their fleet to cover an invasion of England at the Battle Of La Hougue . It ended in defeat, and the allies remained masters of the Channel. The defeat of La Hougue did not do so much harm to Louis's naval power, and in the next year, 1693, he was able to strike a severe blow at the Allies. In this instance, the arrangements of the allied governments and admirals were not good. They made no effort to blockade Brest, nor did they take effective steps to discover whether or not the French fleet had left the port. The convoy was seen beyond the Scilly Isles by the main fleet. But as the French admiral Tourville had left Brest for the Straits Of Gibraltar with a powerful force and had been joined by a squadron from Toulon , the whole convoy was scattered or taken by him, in the latter days of June, near Lagos Bay . Although this success was a very fair equivalent for the defeat at La Hogue, it was the last serious effort made by the navy of Louis XIV in this war. Want of money compelled him to lay his fleet up. The allies were now free to make full use of their own, to harass the French coast, to intercept French commerce, and to cooperate with the armies acting against France. Some of the operations undertaken by them were more remarkable for the violence of the effort than for the magnitude of the results. The numerous bombardments of French Channel ports, and the attempts to destroy St Malo , the great nursery of the active French Privateer s, by infernal machines, did little harm. A British attack on Brest in June 1694 was beaten off with heavy loss, the scheme having been betrayed by Jacobite correspondents. Yet the inability of the French king to avert these enterprises showed the weakness of his navy and the limitations of his power. The protection of British and Dutch commerce was never complete, for the French privateers were active to the end, but French commerce was wholly ruined. BATAVIAN REPUBLIC AND FRENCH RULE For more detailed discussions, see the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom Of Holland . Against this background it is less surprising that, after the French Revolution , when Napoleon invaded and occupied the Netherlands in 1795, the French encountered so little united resistance. William V Of Orange fled to England. The Patriots proclaimed the short-lived Batavian Republic , but government was soon returned to stabler and more experienced hands. In 1806 Napoleon restyled the Netherlands (along with a small part of what is now Germany) into the Kingdom Of Holland , with his brother Louis (Lodewijk) Bonaparte as king. This too was short-lived, however. Napoleon incorporated the Netherlands into the French Empire after his brother put Dutch interests ahead of those of the French. The French occupation of the Netherlands ended in 1813 after Napoleon was defeated, a defeat in which William V Of Orange played a prominent role. Batavian Republic (1795-1806) From 1795 to 1806, the Batavian Republic (''Bataafse Republiek'' in Dutch ) designated the Netherlands as a Republic modeled after the French Republic, to which it was a Vassal State . The Batavian Republic was proclaimed on January 19 , 1795 , a day after Stadtholder William V Of Orange fled to England . The invading French Revolutionary Army , however, found quite a few allies in Holland. Eight years before, the Orange faction had won the upper hand in a small, but nasty civil war only thanks to the military intervention of the King Of Prussia , brother-in-law of the stadtholder. Many of the revolutionaries (see: Patriots (faction) ) had fled to France and now returned eager to realize their ideals. In contrast to events in France, revolutionary changes in the Netherlands occurred comparatively peacefully. The country had been a Republic for two centuries and had a limited nobility. The Guillotine proved unnecessary to the new state. The old Republic had been a very archaic and ineffective political construction, still largely based on old Feudal institutions. Decision-making had proceeded very slowly and sometimes did not happen at all. The individual provinces had possessed so much power that they blocked many sensible innovations. The Batavian Republic marked the transition to a more centralised and functional government, from a loose Confederation of (at least nominally) independent provinces to a true Unitary State . Many of its innovations were retained in later times, such as the first official spelling standard of the Dutch Language by Siegenbeek (1804). Jew s, Lutheran s and Roman Catholic s were given Equal Rights . A Bill Of Rights was drafted. The new Republic took its name from the Batavi , a Germanic tribe who had lived in the area of the Netherlands in Roman times and who were then romantically regarded as the ancestors of the Dutch nation. Again in contrast to France, the new Republic did not experience a reign of terror or become a dictatorship. Changes were imposed from outside after Napoleon Bonaparte 's rise to power. In 1805 Napoleon installed the shrewd politician Schimmelpenninck as ''raadspensionaris'' (" Grand Pensionary ", i.e. president of the republic) to strengthen the executive branch. In 1806 Napoleon forced Schimmelpenninck to resign and declared his brother Louis Bonaparte King of the new Kingdom Of Holland . The only signs of political instability were three Coups D'état . The first occurred in 1798, when the unitarian democrats were annoyed by the slow pace of democratic reforms. A few months later a second coup put an end to the dictatorship of the unitarians. The National Assembly, which had been convened in 1796, was divided by a struggle among the factions. The third coup occurred in 1801, when a French commander, backed by Napoleon, staged a conservative coup reversing the changes made after the 1798 coup. The Batavian government was more popular among the Dutch population than was the prince of Orange. This was apparent during the British-Russian invasion of 1799. As a French vassal state, the Batavian Republic was an ally of France in its wars against Great Britain. This led to the loss of most of the Dutch Colonial Empire and a defeat of the Dutch fleet in the Battle Of Camperdown (Camperduin) in 1797. The collapse of Dutch trade caused a series of economic crises. Only in the second half of the 19th century would Dutch wealth be restored to its previous level. Occupation of the Netherlands / French Revolutionary campaign of 1795 The French Revolutionary Wars continued from 1794 between France and the First Coalition . The year opened with French forces in the process of attacking Holland in the middle of winter. The Dutch people where rather indifferent to the French call for revolution, as they'd already been a republic for 2 centuries, nevertheless city after city was occupied by the French. The Dutch fleet was captured, and the Stadtholder fled to be replaced by a the Batavian Republic , and, as a vassal state of France, supported the French cause and signed the treaty of Paris , ceding the territories of Brabant and Maastricht to France on May 16. With the Netherlands falling, Prussia also decided to leave the coalition, signing the Peace Of Basle on April 6, ceding the left bank of the Rhine to France. This freed Prussia to finish the occupation of Poland . The Kingdom of Holland (1806-1810) The Kingdom of Holland 1806-1810 (''Koninkrijk Holland'' in Dutch , ''Royaume de Hollande'' in French ) was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a Puppet Kingdom for his third brother, Louis Bonaparte , in order to better control the Netherlands . The name of the leading Province , Holland , was now taken for the whole country. Louis did not perform to Napoleon's expectations - he tried to serve Dutch interests instead of his brother's - and the kingdom was dissolved in 1810 after which the Netherlands were Annexed by France until 1813 when the French were defeated. Battle of Waterloo 18 June 1815 |
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