Beginning of the Decline

Success breeds jealousy and, in the case of the United Provinces, two countries in particular were determined to see an end to its success.

Between 1652 and 1678 the Dutch were at war with the English and the French at sea and on land. By 1678, despite considerable successes by Admiral van Tromp and Admiral de Ruyter, the Dutch had been defeated, even if their small republic remained intact. From this time onward, the Dutch Republic declined, although slowly, at the expense of the British* and the French. Dutch sea power was finally destroyed in 1784 by Britain.

• 17th Century Europe : Homepage
• The Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648)
• The Conflict Begins
• Sweden and France
• Germany, Spain and Sweden after 1648
• The United Provinces
• Prussia
• Russia
• Social Conditions
• Peter the Great and the Rise of Russia (1682-1725)
• Top of Page