The First Anglo-Dutch War

HistoryCentral · Primary Source & History

The British and the Dutch were natural maritime rivals both having developed an international trading system that spanned the globe. The first Anglo Dutch War broke out on 1651 after the English passage of the Navigation Act. The Navigation Act limited trading to the British colonies to English or colonial vessels. The English forces succeeded in blockading Dutch ports. There were a number of fleet encounters the last of which is depicted here at Scheveningen, where the Dutch were soundly defeated. They were forced to accept the Navigation Acts under the terms of the Treaty of Westminister.