Treaty of Westminster (1654) facts for kids
Old Palace Yard, Westminster Palace, by Thomas Malton
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| Type | Peace treaty |
|---|---|
| Signed | 5/15 April 1654 |
| Location | Westminster |
| Sealed | 19/29 April 1654 |
| Effective | 19/29 April 1654 |
| Expiration | 1660 |
| Signatories |
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| Language | Latin |
The Treaty of Westminster was a peace agreement. It was signed on April 15, 1654. This treaty officially ended the First Anglo-Dutch War. The war had lasted from 1652 to 1654.
The treaty was signed between England and the Netherlands. England was led by Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector. The Netherlands was represented by the States General. This treaty is also important because it was one of the first times countries used international arbitration to solve problems. This means they had a neutral third party help them settle their disagreements.
Contents
How the Treaty Came About
Negotiations for this treaty actually began before the war even started. England had just become the Commonwealth of England in 1649. The new English government wanted other countries to recognize it. Older countries, like the Dutch Republic, were a bit unsure about this "new" England. They saw England as being ruled by people who had executed their king.
The Dutch Republic had supported the royal family in England. This was because the Dutch leader, William II, Prince of Orange, was related to the English royal family. But William II died in 1650. This made it easier for England and the Netherlands to start talking again.
Early Talks and Trade Rules
Serious talks about better relations began in 1651. English ambassadors went to the Netherlands. They wanted to discuss removing English royalists who had found safety there. More importantly, they wanted to talk about a political union between the two countries. They felt England and the Netherlands were similar in politics, religion, and trade.
The Dutch government had its own ideas. They wanted to discuss important international laws. These included the idea of freedom of the seas. This meant ships could travel freely. They also wanted rules about what counted as "contraband" (things banned during war). The Dutch also asked for their merchants to have the same rights as English merchants in English lands.
These talks did not lead to an agreement right away. The English ambassadors went home without a deal.
In October 1651, England passed the first Navigation Acts. These were new laws about trade. Many people thought these laws were designed to hurt Dutch trade. This made the Dutch government send their own group of representatives to London. They wanted to restart talks and stop the Navigation Act. England refused to stop the Act.
Instead, England made more demands. They wanted money for damages to English trade in places like Greenland and Brazil. They also wanted their East India Company to trade freely in the East Indies. The Dutch Dutch East India Company had largely blocked this.
War and Renewed Peace Efforts
Things got very tense between the two countries. The Dutch started building up their navy. England felt threatened because they had also recently expanded their fleet. After a naval incident, the First Anglo-Dutch War began. All peace talks stopped.
The Dutch eventually started losing the war. The English navy blocked their ships, causing big economic problems. But England also faced difficulties. Dutch allies blocked English trade in the Baltic Sea. Dutch ships also made trade difficult in the Mediterranean. Both countries became very tired of the war. They both wanted peace.
Peace Negotiations Begin
In June 1653, Oliver Cromwell and Dutch leader Johan de Witt agreed to open peace talks in London. The Dutch sent a team of negotiators. The English also had their own team.
The talks picked up where they had left off. The Dutch brought up their earlier demands. The English again asked for money for damages. They also suggested a political union between the two countries. Cromwell even proposed that both countries could keep their own laws. But they would be under one main government with representatives from both sides.
The idea of a full union was later softened. England then suggested an alliance. This alliance would be between Protestant countries in Europe and France. England and the Netherlands would lead this group. They also suggested a joint fleet to keep the seas safe. They talked about free trade for people from both countries.
One tricky part was about trade in Asia and America. The English wanted to control trade in the Americas. The Dutch rejected this idea. They had good relations with Spain, and this would hurt them.
The Dutch negotiators returned home for new instructions. They came back ready to reject the union idea. But they still wanted a close alliance that respected Dutch independence.
Final Hurdles and Secret Agreements
The English then presented a draft treaty with 27 articles. Some articles mentioned that people from both countries could trade in each other's lands. But this was "saving the laws and ordinances of either commonwealth." This phrase meant England wanted to keep its Navigation Act. The Dutch wanted to change this to free their trade from the Act's rules.
They went back and forth with different proposals. Finally, they agreed not to talk about trade rules outside Europe. They also agreed that both sides could ask for money for damages they suffered. But they would not ask for money for damages during the war itself.
Just when the treaty seemed ready, two new problems came up. First, the Dutch wanted their ally, the King of Denmark, to be part of the treaty. England agreed to this.
Second, Cromwell demanded something secret. He wanted the young Prince of Orange to be kept out of future government jobs in the Netherlands. This included positions like stadtholder or army leader. The Dutch negotiators were very surprised by this. They went home.
However, Cromwell and De Witt had secret talks. They agreed on the exclusion of the Prince. This was done without the knowledge of the full Dutch government. A secret clause was added to the treaty. It said that the Dutch province of Holland had to pass a law to exclude the Prince. This law became known as the Act of Seclusion.
The Dutch negotiators returned to England. Only the representatives from Holland knew about the secret clause. They finished the talks. They added an important rule about solving future disagreements. If problems came up, a special group would meet in London to settle them. If they couldn't agree, the Protestant Swiss Cantons would make a final decision.
The treaty was signed on April 15, 1654. Both countries approved it within two weeks.
What Happened After the Treaty
The most important part of the treaty, looking back, was the secret clause about the Act of Seclusion. When this secret became public, it caused a big political problem in the Netherlands. But De Witt managed to stay in power. The Act of Seclusion remained in place for many years.
Historians say that the treaty was quite fair to the Dutch. This is because the Netherlands had lost the war. They believe De Witt was very skilled in diplomacy. He avoided making big concessions about trade or colonies.
Cromwell did not get everything he wanted. The political union never happened. The English East India Company still couldn't trade freely in the East Indies. This freedom would only come much later, in 1784.
The Dutch also didn't get everything they wanted from their original 36 demands. Ideas like freedom of the seas for Dutch ships had to wait for later treaties.
The part about merchants respecting each other's laws remained in the treaty. This meant the Navigation Act stayed in place. Dutch merchants tried to get the Act removed, but they failed. This issue was partly resolved in a later treaty. However, the treaty did give both countries "most favored nation" status. This means they would treat each other's merchants as well as they treated any other country's merchants.
A lasting important part was Article 30. This article set up a group to settle all claims between the two sides. It was new because it agreed to use binding arbitration by a third party. The Protestant Swiss Cantons would be the final decision-makers if needed. This was a new way to solve international conflicts.
The Dutch also failed to get approval for an agreement about the border between New Netherland and Connecticut in America. This issue was finally settled later, when New Netherland was given to England.
The Dutch had to make a few small, embarrassing concessions.
- They promised to punish those responsible for the Amboyna Massacre. However, no one involved was still alive to be punished.
- The Dutch also promised to continue saluting the English flag in the "English Seas." This meant mainly the English Channel. This did not mean England owned those seas, but it was a sign of respect.
- The treaty also said that rebels from either country had to be sent away. This was aimed at Charles Stuart, who was living in the Netherlands. He had to move to the Spanish Netherlands. Later, when Charles II became king, similar rules were put in place. But then they were aimed at those who had executed his father.
The island of Run in the East Indies was given to the English East India Company. The Dutch East India Company had always controlled it. But the English didn't actually take control until 1665. The Dutch took it back during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. It was formally given to the Dutch in 1667 in exchange for New Netherland.
See also
- List of treaties
