Treaty of Dover

Treaty of Dover
Peter Lely · Public domain · source
Name	Treaty of Dover
Date signed	1670
Location signed	Dover
Parties	* Kingdom of England * Kingdom of France
Language	Latin
Type	Alliance treaty

Treaty of Dover was a 1670 alliance between the Kingdom of England under Charles II of England and the Kingdom of France under Louis XIV of France that reshaped European alignments after the Franco-Dutch War and the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The accord combined public guarantees of mutual aid with secret commitments on religion and finance that implicated the Cabinet of Charles II, the Parliament of England, and leading ministers such as the Duke of Buckingham and Earl of Clarendon. The arrangement influenced later events including the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Glorious Revolution, and Anglo-French rivalry in the Nine Years' War.

Background

By the late 1660s, the aftermath of the English Restoration and the Treaty of Breda (1667) left Dutch Republic relations strained after the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Continental power politics involved the Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of Spain, and the rising hegemony of Bourbon France. Charles II sought funding independent of the Tory and Whig factions in the Parliament of England and faced domestic controversies over the influence of his brother James, Duke of York and the role of Anglicanism versus Catholicism in England. Louis XIV pursued a strategy exemplified by the Treaty of the Pyrenees successors and sought allies against the Dutch Golden Age mercantile bloc and maritime competitors including the Dutch East India Company.

Negotiation and Terms

Negotiations involved envoys such as Sir William Temple's rivals and French diplomats like Hugues de Lionne. Informal contacts included intermediaries linked to Clarendon's circle and agents of the Royal Navy and French Navy. The openly declared clause committed England and France to cooperate against the Dutch Republic and coordinate in maritime operations that would affect the Navigation Acts disputes and trade interests intersecting with the East India Company and the Dutch West India Company. The treaty specified subsidies from Louis XIV of France to the English crown to enable sustained military engagement and diplomatic latitude beyond grants from the Exchequer and parliamentary subsidies.

Secret Articles and Religious Provisions

Hidden protocols included confidential assurances concerning religion: Charles II reportedly accepted obligations toward the re-establishment of Catholicism in England and supported measures favoring James, Duke of York's position as a Catholic heir. These secret articles, paralleled by other clandestine accords like the Secret Treaty of Dover (1670) in some historiography, involved promises of French pensions and instructions for royal ministers in handling the Test Acts and the influence of the Court of Chancery and Privy Council. The clauses intersected with contemporaneous debates involving figures such as Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and opponents including members aligned with the Whig Junto.

Ratification, Public Announcement, and Political Reaction

Ratification proceeded amid controversy: Charles II delayed full disclosure to the Parliament of England and managed diplomatic theatre with public declarations that emphasized an anti-Dutch alliance and naval cooperation associated with admirals like Prince Rupert of the Rhine. When elements of the treaty became public, it provoked criticism from political rivals including Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury and pamphleteers associated with Aphra Behn's circle. The political reaction fed into parliamentary measures such as impeachment attempts and debates over the Militia Act's funding, while continental actors like the Dutch States General and the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands adjusted policy toward the Triple Alliance (1668) and sought new coalitions.

Military and Financial Implementation

Financially, the subsidy system paid by France supplemented inadequacies in the English Exchequer and allowed Charles to pursue the Third Anglo-Dutch War alongside Louis's campaigns in the Franco-Dutch War (1672–1678). Militarily, the accord affected deployments of the Royal Navy and coordination with French fleets under commanders influenced by the French Navy's expansion and strategies of Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Operational outcomes included joint operations in the North Sea and adjustments in colonial contests involving the Caribbean and trade conflicts with the Dutch East Indies. The fiscal arrangements also had implications for crown patronage networks and the crown's reliance on foreign subsidies rather than parliamentary supply.

Consequences and Legacy

The treaty's secret religious commitments and its role in provoking the Third Anglo-Dutch War contributed to long-term distrust of Charles II among English political elites and bolstered opposition that culminated in crises over succession leading to the Glorious Revolution (1688), the exile of James II of England, and the rise of William of Orange. Internationally, the Anglo-French rapprochement undercut earlier balancing arrangements such as the Triple Alliance (1668) and helped precipitate realignments that figured in the War of the Grand Alliance and later Peace of Nijmegen (1678–1679). Historiography has debated the treaty's significance in works on Stuart Britain, Early Modern France, and the evolution of diplomatic practice, with scholars referencing archival records in the Public Record Office and analyses by historians of European diplomatic history.

Category:1670 treaties Category:History of England Category:History of France