Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672–1674)

Timeline

1. 1672London and The Hague · EnglandIn March 1672 England declared war on the Dutch Republic under the Secret Treaty of Dover, and France subsequently invaded from the east, leaving the Dutch fighting on land and sea—the beginning of what history calls the "Rampjaar" (Year of Disaster).
2. 1672–1673Hollandse Waterlinie · Dutch RepublicWilliam III became stadtholder and organized the Dutch waterline defense; in summer 1672 dikes were breached to flood the land and slow the French advance, preserving core cities such as Amsterdam.
3. 1672–1673North Sea and English Channel · North SeaDe Ruyter led the Dutch fleet in repeated engagements against the combined Anglo-French fleet in the North Sea, the Zuiderzee, and the Channel, including the Battles of Schooneveld and Texel; colonies in North America and the West Indies also changed hands.
4. 1674Westminster · EnglandThe Treaty of Westminster was signed in February 1674, with England making a separate peace with the Dutch, while France continued fighting the Dutch until the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War.