Battle of Scheveningen
1653 · Off Scheveningen (modern Netherlands) · World · Modern
After a full day of fierce fighting, the famed Dutch admiral Tromp was shot and killed; Dutch morale collapsed and the fleet withdrew, while the English, though also badly damaged, held the field.
Belligerents
Commonwealth of England
- Commanders
- George Monck
- Strength
- About 100 warships
Dutch Republic
- Commanders
- Maarten Tromp (killed in battle)
- Strength
- About 100 warships
Background
In the First Anglo-Dutch War, the English navy, using the Navigation Act as its pretext, blockaded and intercepted Dutch maritime trade; the two fleets clashed repeatedly off the Dutch coast, and this was the decisive battle.
Course of the battle
- Fleets clash head-onThe two countries' huge fleets formed lines of battle off the Dutch coast and fought the largest artillery duel of the day.
- Tromp killedTromp, commanding from the Dutch flagship, was struck and killed by a sharpshooter while directing the battle.
- Dutch withdrawWithout unified command, the Dutch fleet was forced to leave the battlefield and return to port.
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 1653 |
|---|---|
| Place | Off Scheveningen (modern Netherlands) |
| Result | After a full day of fierce fighting, the famed Dutch admiral Tromp was shot and killed; Dutch morale collapsed and the fleet withdrew, while the English, though also badly damaged, held the field. |
| Winner | Commonwealth of England |
| Casualties | Each side lost more than ten warships, and the Dutch lost several thousand killed; Tromp's death was an especially heavy blow. |
| Territorial change | Dutch maritime trade was forced to make concessions in the armistice negotiations that followed. |
Impact
After this battle the Netherlands was forced to accept the unfavorable Treaty of Westminster, but the struggle between the two sides over maritime trade and command of the sea did not end there, and war broke out again a few years later.
See the world in 1653 on the map →