Dutch Empire/Wars With Sweden
| “ | We cannot forget that our flag received its first foreign salute from a Dutch officer, nor that the Province of Friesland gave to our independence its first formal recognition. | ” |
Dutch-Swedish War
editThe Dutch-Swedish War began with the 1658 Swedish invasion of Denmark, during which Copenhagen was put under siege. The Dutch, worried about their trade in the Baltic, sent a fleet of 75 ships to break the siege resulting in the Battle of the Sound. The Danish ships were unable to help their Dutch allies due to unfavorable wind conditions. The Dutch fleet sunk 4 Swedish ships and forced the Swedish to abandon the siege of the city. In 1659, the Dutch, led by Michiel De Ruyter, liberated the other Danish isles under Swedish control, once more guaranteeing the essential supply of grain, wood, and iron from the Baltic region.
Scanian War
editThe Dutch were drawn into the Scanian War in 1676, when France asked for Swedish help in the Franco-Dutch War (see Anglo-Dutch Wars). In reply, the Dutch asked for Danish help. Denmark agreed and launched an invasion of Sweden.
At the Battle of Bornholm(1676), the Dutch-Danish fleet, half the size of the Swedish fleet, attacked and forced the fleet to retreat. The Dutch admiral Cornelis Tromp, with a squadron of 16 warships pursued the Swedish navy. The Swedish withdrew and tried to make it back to various Swedish ports but Tromp found the Swedish fleet near Öland. 14,000 Dutch-Danish troops were released from the ships and attacked the Swedish fortresses. At sea, the Swedish Navy was once again forced to withdraw. The Dutch and Danish troops soon captured the cities of Helsingborg and Landskrona, while taking other Swedish fortresses in the area within a month. These two battles gave control of the Baltic to the Dutch-Danish Navy.
After the Franco-Dutch war ended in 1678, the Dutch had a reduced role in the war. A French-dictated peace was negotiated at the Treaty of Fontainebleau on August 23, 1679, stipulating that all territory lost by Sweden be returned. Thus the terms formulated at the Treaty of Roskilde remained in force. It was reaffirmed by the Treaty of Lund, signed by Denmark-Norway and Sweden themselves.
