Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Great Britain)

This article is about the specific polity Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Great Britain) and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

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In 1585 the Dutch rebels fighting against Spanish rule signed the Treaty of Nonsuch with England. The treaty granted Queen Elizabeth the right to appoint two councillors to the Council of State of the United Provinces. Netherlands was basically an English protectorate in the period 1585-1587.

Summary

In the midst of the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule, the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands sought external alliances to bolster its fight for independence. One such alliance was forged with England (later Great Britain) in the mid-1580s.

In 1585, the impoverished Dutch republic, led by the Prince of Orange, William the Silent, asked Queen Elizabeth I of England for military and financial assistance against the Spanish. In the Treaty of Nonsuch, Elizabeth agreed to provide troops and subsidies in exchange for the right to occupy Dutch port cities as security.

This alliance with England was a strategic move by the Dutch, who recognized the need for powerful allies to withstand the might of the Spanish Empire. The English troops, led by the Earl of Leicester, were able to help the Dutch recapture several key towns from the Spanish. However, tensions soon arose between the Dutch and the English over issues of control and sovereignty.

The Dutch resented the arrogance and interference of the English forces, leading to clashes and uprisings against the Earl of Leicester's rule. Meanwhile, the English grew frustrated with the Dutch's apparent unwillingness to submit fully to English authority. By 1587, the alliance had effectively collapsed, with the English withdrawing their troops.

This episode highlighted the delicate balance the Dutch had to strike - accepting foreign aid while preserving their hard-won autonomy. The experience also underscored the need for the Dutch to develop their own military capabilities and solidify their political unity in the face of external pressures.

While the alliance with England was short-lived, it marked an important chapter in the Dutch Revolt. The republic's ability to navigate these international alliances would be crucial to its eventual victory and the establishment of the Dutch Republic as an independent state.

Establishment

August 1585: After the assassination of William of Orange on 10 July 1584, both Henry III of France and Elizabeth I of England declined offers of sovereignty. However, the latter agreed to turn the United Provinces into a protectorate of England (Treaty of Nonsuch, 1585), and sent the Earl of Leicester as governor-general.

September 1585: Antwerp was besieged and it surrendered to the Spanish in August.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. European wars of religion

Were a series of wars in Europe (and the overseas possessions of European countries) the 16th, 17th and early 18th that started after the Protestant Reformation. Although the immediate causes of the wars were religious, the motives were complex and also included territorial ambitions.

1.1.Eighty Years' War

Was the intermittent war of independence of the Dutch Republic, a breakaway state from the Spanish Netherlands. .

1.1.1.Dutch revolt and establishment of the Dutch Republic

Was the revolt of northern protestant regions of the Spanish Neterlands (the southern part was mainly Catholic) that led to the creation of the Dutch Republic.

1.1.1.1.The Union of Utrecht

Was a treaty signed on 23 January 1579 in Utrecht, Netherlands, unifying the northern provinces of the Spanish Netherlands.

1.1.1.2.English Protectorate in the Netherlands

The Dutch rebels of the northern Spanish Netherlands became an English protectorate with the Treaty of Nonsuch, signed on 10 August 1585, as a measure of protection against Spain.

February 1587: In January 1587, the English garrisons led by Sir John Norreys at Deventer and Zutphen were bribed to defect to Spain by the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, Alexander Farnese. This marked a significant loss for the English forces in the region, as they also lost control of Zwolle, Arnhem, and Ostend to the Spanish.

October 1587: English forces led by the Earl of Leicester (the English supported the Dutch Republic) occupied Gouda, Schoonhoven and a few other cities in September 1587.

January 1588: The English protectorate in the Netherlands was unsuccessful and in 1588 the provinces became a confederacy.