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The coming of the Dutch Strangers, religious refugees from the Southern Netherlands, to various cities in England – specifically London and Norwich – in the middle of the sixteenth century, is a new stage in the history of the presence of Dutch speakers in Britain; Dutch-speaking churches were founded, and printers in England became involved in printing Dutch texts. The ease with which these new communities established themselves, however, depended on a pre-existing presence of communities of Dutch speakers, and a long history of Anglo-Dutch cultural, mercantile and political interactions. This paper examines evidence for the existence in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century of an Anglo-Dutch infrastructure along which people moved, and on which communities were built [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year 1819 is almost universally taken as a seminal date in Singapore historiography. Yet Stamford Raffles' founding of a British trading post there was controversial from the start. The Dutch and the British haggled as to whether or not Raffles had overstepped his authority, and whether the trading post was legal. From the start, the Dutch demanded that the British quit their occupation of Singapore. During a three-year hiatus in the Anglo–Dutch negotiations (1820–23), Anton Reinhard Falck, the lead Dutch negotiator, decided to drop claims to Singapore in favour of a rearrangement of possessions in the archipelago. Crucially, he concluded that dropping claims over Singapore would not amount to a real loss. Instead, Falck hoped to use Singapore as a bargaining chip to squeeze additional concessions from the British. The Dutch formally relinquished their claim over Singapore in article 12 of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty, which gave full recognition and legitimacy to the British post, and sanctioned a breakup of the Johor-Riau Empire with the Singapore Straits acting as a notional dividing line. Earlier studies were substantially based on English-language materials and present the British as dominating the negotiations. The present article, based on Dutch archival materials as well as studies and sources in French, Dutch and English, reveals a fuller story of diplomatic disputes, territorial concessions, errors of judgement, and the triggering of the Dutch empire in the archipelago, in a paper war for the contested space of Singapore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows how a local consistory from the province of Zeeland, driven by Calvinist loyalty and concern about the national church and state caused by the outbreak of the First English Civil War, laid the foundation for a charitable collection for Irish Protestants. It reviews the effectiveness of transnational Calvinist networks in generating political and financial support for the Puritan cause even though it contravened the official Dutch policy of neutrality. Decentralization of the collection enabled the authorities to avoid conflict with their Puritan citizens and to maintain consensus, thus maintaining the Republic's ideal of harmony. Loyalty with fellow believers, the effective use of local lobbying networks, and the decentralized structure of the Dutch Republic were all crucial in the success of this collection. This case shows that international Calvinist solidarity did not necessarily depend on action at the national level but could be triggered by local initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the ways in which the execution of Dutch statesman John van Oldenbarnevelt in 1619 was understood and represented by contemporaries in England. In contrast to the popular, apocalyptical understanding of the execution as a victory for the Reformed faith, the portrayal of events in Philip Massinger and John Fletcher's play The Tragedy of John van Olden Barnavelt was much more ambiguous. In tracing the way the playwrights used classical analogy to represent the Dutch troubles, this essay highlights the function of the play in the polarizing political context of late Jacobean England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three Anglo-Dutch wars of the seventeenth century are traditionally seen as mercantile confrontations. This view has been challenged by political historians. Firstly, this article discusses the historiographic developments in this field. Secondly, it aims to explore the relationship between Anglo-Dutch mercantile competition and political and diplomatic relations in the period 1650 to 1674. It favours an integrated approach in which all these dimensions are taken into account. The article argues that the 1667 Peace Treaty of Breda was a major turning point in Anglo-Dutch relations after which mercantilism ceased to dominate Anglo-Dutch political relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few would question the notion that architectural links between Britain and the Dutch Republic grew strong during the seventeenth century, culminating with an unusual stylistic congruity achieved during the reign of William and Mary. What surprises is how difficult it is to establish the exact nature of this relationship and the relative benefit each country derived from it. This paper, which approaches the subject from a material culture perspective, takes as its theme the 'building world' shared by the two societies. Exchanges between the British and the Dutch in the broader architectural milieu during the seventeenth century formed a continuum, spanning the full range of activities, from technology transfer and trade in building materials to material culture, landscape and urban design. And the links were not restricted to the upper levels of society either; trades people too played an active role in this relationship -- a factor which in Britain helped to sustain a classicizing vernacular that formed the bedrock upon which an independent British classical tradition would subsequently be built. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the extent to which William's Dutch background impacted on the lavish Stuart court rituals and ceremonies during the first years of his reign. Through a selection of rules of conduct and events it illustrates how William entered English court life as a Dutchman, unaccustomed to the ceremonial aspects of the English court. William was used to the relatively primitive princely household at The Hague and his character and religious beliefs were averse to excessive splendour and ritual. Nevertheless he propagated an image of long-term continuity at Whitehall to prevent suspicions of Dutch influences at court. The king-stadholder, although resolute in realizing his ambitions, was also pragmatic and willing to surrender his own preferences to make his English kingship successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will examine an unexplored episode in Anglo-Dutch relations. At the outset of the War of Spanish Succession, French Foreign Minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Torcy, believing that 'we are about to face the bloodiest war that has ever occurred in history, dispatched Nathaniel Hooke (1664-1738) to the Netherlands Hooke's mission was to penetrate Anglo-Dutch political and military circles. The ultimate aim, originally suggested by Hooke, was to explore the possibility of neutralising England or the Netherlands by diplomatic initiative, political subversion or pre-emptive military strike. Hooke was uniquely qualified to undertake the task. Born in Ireland, he had participated in Monmouth's Rebellion in 1685 and been exiled in the Netherlands. Converting to Catholicism in 1688, Hooke went into exile in France. Following James II's death in 1701, Hooke sought to enter French service. By dint of personal experience and insightful analysis of the English political scene and his connections in the Netherlands, he persuaded de Torcy that he could be a valuable asset. The first test of his abilities was in the Netherlands in 1702. The outcome of the mission could have long term effects on Anglo-Dutch relations and French grand strategy in the crucial conflict to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the course of the seventeenth century the States General and other institutions the Dutch Republic ma de three notable gifts to the English royal family. In 1610 two Dutch marine pictures were given to Henry Prince of Wales. In 1636 Charles I and his queen were presented with horses and a carriage, linen and other luxury items and four Dutch religious paintings. And in 1660 Charles II received furniture, a substantial collection of ltalian and Dutch pictures and antique sculpture, and a yachs. The first part of this double article discusses the significance of the items chosen mainly from the Dutch point of view. They represented the manufacturing and trading interests of the young, Republic and reflected the changing balance of power within the state. At the same time the gifts were intended to appeal to the taste and influence the policy of the Stuart court. The second part of the article considers the Gift of 1660 in the context of contemporary party conflict in the Dutch Republic Despite official propaganda that the Gift was a gesture of admiration and gratitude from the heart of the givers', it was in fact a hastily improvised attempt to appease Charles II and promote Anglo-Dutch friendship and to contain popular Orangism at home. Public opinion, however, did not approve of the Gift. Orangist pamphleteers condemned such gift-making a s corrupt, and even republicans like Pieter de la Court thought it mistaken since a king would always pursue Ins own interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the 2012 Symposium on the English and Dutch in the Early Modern World, held at the Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois, on October 19. The symposium focused on early modern Anglo-Dutch relations and colonialism and dealt with such topics as the 1623 Dutch massacre of English traders at Ambon, Indonesia, the cause of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, and Dutch trade with Iroquois Indians.