30YearsWar #77: Dutch Loose Ends (Patreon)

[PATRONS]

It's time to get all emotional, as we tie up the Eighty Years' War between the Spanish and Dutch, which had formed an integral part of the Thirty Years' War in its earlier phase, but which had, from 1645, effectively been relegated to a sideshow of the larger war. The Dutch, and its House of Orange, had made a substantial contribution to the war, directing anti Habsburg energies towards several schemes, and chipping away at Spanish prestige and power even as the Habsburg dynasty reached the peak of its powers. By 1646 though, Frederick Henry lay dying, and although none could accuse him of under performing, it was his grandson William III that made arguably the most significant mark not just on British, Irish and European history, but also on the world we live in today.