Treaty of Westminster (1674) facts for kids

The Treaty of Westminster of 1674 was a very important peace treaty. It officially ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War. This treaty was signed by the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of England.

A key part of the treaty was that the colony of New Netherland was given back to England. This area is now known as New York. The treaty also updated an older agreement called the Treaty of Breda from 1667. It also set up a group to manage trade, especially in the East Indies.

King Charles II of England signed the treaty on February 19, 1674. The Dutch government, called the States General of the Netherlands, approved it on March 5, 1674. England had to sign the treaty because its Parliament would not give more money for the war. Parliament also found out about a secret deal King Charles had made with Louis XIV of France. This made Parliament lose trust in the King. The English were also surprised that Dutch ships had captured more English ships. Plus, the Dutch had taken back New Amsterdam in 1673.

Why the War Ended: The Background

In 1672, England and France had teamed up to attack the Dutch Republic. France took over a large part of the Dutch land. However, the combined English and French navy was badly damaged by the Dutch Admiral Michiel de Ruyter. In 1673, the English navy tried hard to defeat the Dutch fleet. They also tried to land an army on the Dutch coast, but they failed.

Repairing the English warships was very expensive. English trading ships were often attacked by Dutch privateers. Meanwhile, France, England's ally, slowly pulled its troops out of most of the Dutch territory. France also threatened to conquer the Spanish Netherlands. This would have hurt England's important plans. The war was mostly King Charles's idea and was never popular with the English people. It now seemed like a hopeless effort to most people.

Parliament's Concerns and Demands

The English people were also convinced by Dutch messages that the war was part of a plan. They thought it was a plot to make England Roman Catholic again. Prince Rupert of the Rhine, a strong Protestant and leader of the Royal Navy, started a movement. He wanted to end the alliance with France.

In late October, King Charles asked Parliament for money for the war in 1674. Parliament members were very critical. They said it was not necessary to get rid of the Dutch as trade rivals. English trade had grown well between 1667 and 1672. They also disliked the idea of the King's brother, the Duke of York, marrying a Catholic woman.

Parliament demanded protection for the Anglican Church. They wanted the army, led by the Duke of York, to be sent home. They also wanted pro-French ministers to be removed from their jobs.

King Charles's Difficult Choices

When the situation got tense, King Charles stopped Parliament from meeting. He did this against the advice of his own advisors. Charles tried one last time to continue the war without Parliament's money. King Louis XIV of France promised him more money. Charles planned to capture the Dutch treasure fleet coming from the Dutch East Indies.

He removed his enemies from their positions. This included Chancellor Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury. Shaftesbury was a main opponent of the Duke of York's marriage. At the same time, Charles tried to calm fears. He brought back rules against Catholics. He also made many of his secret deals with France public.

To his dismay, Parliament became even more against him. Shaftesbury strongly encouraged them. Some even suggested that William III of Orange, the Dutch leader and grandson of Charles I of England, should become king if Charles died. This would mean removing the Duke of York from the line of succession. William was not surprised by this. He had secret talks with Shaftesbury and other English politicians.

William had people working for him in England. Spain also helped him by threatening to declare war. Spain also paid some members of Parliament. The Dutch government supported the peace party in England. They made a peace offer in October. They also regularly shared their official views in England. In 1672, England and France had agreed not to make a separate peace. But the Dutch now told Charles that France had offered them peace.

In late December, the French general François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg moved most of his army. They left Maastricht and went to Namur. At this point, Charles completely lost hope. He decided to get out of the war.

How the Treaty Was Agreed Upon

King Charles felt that staying allied with France was a big risk to his own power. He believed Parliament would no longer pay for the war. He told the French ambassador that he had to stop England's part in the war. He then told the Dutch, through the Spanish consul in London, that his main goal was achieved. This goal was to make his nephew, William, the Dutch leader. So, he no longer opposed a lasting peace between the two Protestant nations. He just wanted some small payments.

At first, the Dutch leaders did not want to give Charles money. They felt England had done nothing in the war and deserved no reward. Many were happy to see the English suffer a bit longer. However, stadtholder William III of Orange convinced them otherwise. He thought there was a chance to get Charles to join the war against France later. This was more important than small revenge. Also, Spain had not yet declared war on France. Spain would only do so if England made peace. This was because Spain feared English attacks on its American colonies.

The Peace Proposal and Parliament's Approval

On January 4, 1674, the States General of the Netherlands wrote a final peace offer. On January 7, a Dutch trumpeter arrived in Harwich. He carried two letters for the Spanish consul. The town mayor quickly arrested the trumpeter. But the letters were sent to Lord Arlington. Arlington quickly took them to the Spanish consul.

On January 15, Arlington was accused of treason for having secret dealings with the enemy. On January 24, the consul gave the peace offer to King Charles. Charles pretended to be very surprised. This act was a bit spoiled because he had called Parliament back for that very day. Parliament had been stopped from meeting in November.

When speaking to both parts of Parliament, Charles strongly denied any secret parts of the Treaty of Dover. Then he showed them the peace proposal. The members were very happy. They also had to pretend to be surprised, even though the Dutch had told Parliament the full details beforehand. After a few days of discussion, Parliament approved the treaty.

Signing and Ratification

The news of peace made the public very happy. Charles sent his own trumpeter to Holland. The Dutch government received him on February 1. Charles's message said that he and Parliament fully agreed on the peace. He was happy to let Parliament make the decision.

On February 5, a Dutch trumpeter arrived in London. He carried the Dutch government's reply. That very day, Parliament told the King to make a "speedy peace." A Royal Commission was chosen to write the final document. King Charles signed the Treaty of Westminster in 1674 on February 9. The Lord Keeper approved it on February 10 by putting the Great Seal on it.

On February 17, at 10:00 AM, the treaty was publicly announced at Whitehall. The Dutch province of States of Holland and West Friesland approved it on March 4. The Dutch government approved it on March 5. It was announced in The Hague on March 6. Because different calendars were used and the process was complex, the exact date can sometimes be confusing in historical records.

Key Agreements of the Treaty

Many of the first peace demands made by the English in 1672 were not met. However, the Dutch paid two million guilders. This was less than the original demand of ten million. It was paid over three years. This money mostly made up for the loss of French payments to England.

The treaty also confirmed England's right to be saluted at sea. This right, called Dominium Marium, now stretched from "Lands End" in the Bay of Biscay north to "Staten Land" on the Norwegian coast. It was made clear that Dutch ships had to salute any English Royal ship flying the English flag. This was true no matter how small the English ship was or how many Dutch ships were present. This point had caused many arguments before the war. However, it was also stated that this right would not stop Dutch fishing in any way.

The trade and shipping rules from 1668 were confirmed again. Within three months, an English-Dutch group would meet. They would solve trade problems related to the East Indies. For land disputes, the treaty went back to how things were before the war. This is called status quo ante.

The treaty stated: That whatsoever countries, islands, towns, ports, castles, or forts have or shall be taken on both sides, since the time the late unhappy war broke out, either in Europe or elsewhere, shall be restored to the former lord or proprietor, in the same condition they shall be in when the peace itself shall be proclaimed.

This meant that New Netherland, which the Dutch had taken back in 1673, would become English again. It also meant that Suriname, which the Dutch had captured in 1667, would remain their colony. This made the situation from 1667 legal. These issues had not been decided by the Peace of Breda that year. Also, the islands of Tobago, Saba, St Eustatius, and Tortola, which the English had taken in 1672, were to be returned.

Even with the peace, a group of British soldiers led by King Charles's son, James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, stayed with the French army. They were allowed to recruit more soldiers in Britain until the Franco-Dutch War ended. Charles continued to get secret payments from Louis as long as these soldiers fought for France.

Putting the Treaty into Action

Since news traveled slowly, different dates were set for when fighting would legally end around the world.

• From the English coast to Norway, fighting should end by March 8.
• South to Tangier, by April 7.
• From there to the Equator, by May 5.
• In the rest of the world, after October 24, 1674.

Because information spread slowly, conflicts could still happen after peace was declared. The Battle of Ronas Voe happened on March 14, 1674. During this battle, a Dutch trading ship, the Wapen van Rotterdam, was captured. It was taken in Ronas Voe, Shetland, by the English ship HMS Newcastle. The Wapen van Rotterdam had been stuck in Shetland due to bad weather. It was taken back to England as a war prize.

Eventually, William would make Charles use the "payments" to settle debts. These were debts Charles owed to the House of Orange. The House of Orange had helped Charles's father, Charles I of England, during the English Civil War. So, King Charles II actually received very little money from the treaty.

See also

• History of New York City
• List of treaties
• New Netherland
• Anglo-Dutch Treaties of 1814, 1824 and 1870