Editing Second Anglo-Dutch War (section)

=== Treaty of Breda ===
{{Main|Treaty of Breda (1667)}}
[[Image:Congress of Breda.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|The conclusion of the [[Treaty of Breda (1667)|Treaty of Breda]], at [[Breda Castle]]]]
On 31 July 1667, what is generally known as the [[Treaty of Breda (1667)|Treaty of Breda]] concluded peace between England and the Netherlands. Under normal cirumstances the [[Raid on the Medway|Dutch victory in the Medway]] would probably have been followed by new demands, but the large scale French invasion of the [[Spanish Netherlands]] meant that the English came off lightly. Fears of growing French power meant that Johan de Witt and many of his fellow Dutch ''[[regenten]]'' preferred a quick end to the war with the English.{{sfn|Miller|1991|p=132–133}}

The treaty allowed the English to keep possession of [[New Netherland]], while the Dutch kept control over [[Pulau Run]], [[Fort Amsterdam, Ghana|Fort Cormantin]] and the valuable sugar plantations of [[Suriname]], while also regaining [[Tobago]], [[Sint Eustatius|St Eustatius]], and its West African trading posts.{{sfn|Israel|1995|p=774}} This ''[[uti possidetis]]'' solution was later confirmed in the [[Treaty of Westminster (1674)|Treaty of Westminster]].{{sfn|Goslinga|2012|p=47}} The [[Act of Navigation]] was modified in favour of the Dutch by England agreeing to treat the German states as part of the Netherlands' commercial hinterland, so that Dutch ships would now be allowed to carry German goods to English ports. The English were also forced to accept the Dutch [[Freedom of navigation|'Free Ship, Free Goods']] principle.{{sfn|Israel|1995|p=774}}{{sfn|MacInnes|2008|p=114}}

On the same date and also at [[Breda]], a public treaty was concluded between England and France that stipulated the return to England of the former English part of [[Saint Kitts|St Christopher]] and the islands of [[Antigua]] and [[Montserrat]], all of which the French had occupied in the war, and that England should surrender its claim to [[Acadia]] to France, although the extent of Acadia was not defined. This public treaty had been preceded by a secret treaty signed on 17 April in which, in addition to these exchanges of territory, [[Louis XIV|Louis]] and Charles agreed not to enter into alliances opposed to the interests of the other, by which Louis secured the neutrality of England in the war he planned against Spain.{{sfn|Davenport|2004|pp=122, 132}}

The order of priorities whereby the Dutch preferred to give up what would become a major part of the United States, and instead retain a tropical colony, would seem strange by present-day standards. However, in the 17th century tropical colonies producing agricultural products which could not be grown in Europe were deemed more valuable than ones with a climate similar to that of Europe where Europeans could settle in comfort.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}

The peace was generally seen as a personal triumph for Johan de Witt and an embarrassment to the Orangists, who seemed reluctant to support the war and eager to accept a disadvantageous early peace.{{sfn|Israel|1995|pp=774–775}} The Republic was jubilant about the Dutch victory. De Witt used the occasion to induce four provinces to adopt the [[Perpetual Edict (1667)|Perpetual Edict of 1667]] abolishing the stadtholderate forever.{{sfn|Israel|1995|pp=791}} However, De Witt also faced criticism. The war exposed a severe neglect of the Dutch army, which had struggled to repel the invasion of the [[Bishop of Münster]]. The situation only shifted in the Republic's favor after the arrival of 6,000 French auxiliary troops.{{sfn|Israel|1995|pp=770}} In addition, the diplomatic situation also seemed bleak for the Dutch. A French conquest of the [[Spanish Netherlands]] could only be stopped by entering an alliance with England.

The next year Johan de Witt entered the [[Triple Alliance of 1668]] with England, although reluctantly, as he considered Charles II an untrustworthy ally.{{sfn|Rowen|1978|pp=697}} The Alliance between the Dutch Republic, England and Sweden was formed to mediate between France and Spain and forced Louis to temporarily abandon his plans for the conquest of the southern Netherlands. At first this seemed like another major diplomatic success for the Dutch, but de Witt's fears of English treachery proved justified. Charles had only entered the Triple Alliance to break the Franco-Dutch one. Both humiliated monarchs intensified their secret cooperation through the [[Secret Treaty of Dover]] and would, joined by the bishop of Münster, attack the Dutch in 1672 in the [[Third Anglo-Dutch War]]. Initially the Dutch Republic seemed unable to counter this attack, and De Witt was scapegoated. He resigned and the young [[William III of England|William III]] became stadtholder.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} That same year de Witt was assassinated.