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30.06.2013 Von …

unhistorical: June 14, 1667: The Raid on the Medway ends in a British defeat. The Second Anglo-Dutch War was one of four wars fought between the Dutch Republic and England (Great Britain after 1707) - at the time Europe’s greatest seafaring and trading powers, and natural rivals in that respect. The first concluded in 1654 (an English victory), and the second began eleven years later, after the restoration of Charles II to the throne, born of widespread pro-war sentiment and the continued competition between the two nations over maritime trade.  The famous Raid on the Medway, also called the Battle of Chatham, was a naval clash that ended in the epic defeat of the Royal Navy, one of the worst in its history, and precipitated a quick end to the war. At this point in the conflict, Charles II was opening peace talks with the Dutch while also soliciting aid from the French, and, with war funds running low, his fleet was left in a temporary state of weakness - perfect conditions for an attack, according to the Dutch grand pensionary and planner of the raid, Johan de Witt. On June 9, the Dutch fleet under Admiral Michiel de Ruyter launched an attack on a group of English ships on the poorly-defended River Medway, destroying thirteen ships and capturing the HMS Unity,a Dutch warship-turned-English guard ship, and the fleet’s flagship HMS Royal Charles. The success of the Dutch attack and embarrassing defeat of the Royal Navy struck a blow to English morale; the ignominy of the loss was accompanied by a wave of panic and fear regarding rumors of a full-blown Dutch invasion. This did not come, but the end of the war did a little over two weeks later. Of the Dutch fleet’s presence on the Thames, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary: …it was pretty news come the other day so fast, of the Dutch fleets being in so many places, that Sir W. Batten at table cried, By God, says he, I think the Devil shits Dutchmen.

unhistorical: June 14, 1667: The Raid on the Medway ends in a British defeat. The Second Anglo-Dutch War was one...