The Dutch Fleet and the Raid on the Medway

Two of the world's greatest sea powers compete for control of the world's shipping lanes. At the height of the Age of Sail, the Dutch fleet makes one of the most daring naval raids in history. The History Guy remembers the raid on the Medway.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As photographs of actual events are sometimes not available, photographs of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
The episode relates events that occurred during a period of conflict. All information is provided within historical context and is intended for educational purposes. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
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[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

As many viewers have mentioned, I mispronounced the names Gillingham and Pepys. I apologize. I do seek to be accurate. English place names are tricky.

[@jools2323]

I know English people who mispronounce them!

[@bluetownbarry]

I used to live in Sheerness and much of the coastal defences built as a result of the raid still exists today (as does the fort). Incidentally, there’s two Gillinghams in the UK. The other is in Dorset and is pronounced the same way as in your video. Your pronunciation of Pepys made me chuckle :O)

[@coolhand67]

For the sake of the non-English and curious viewers Pepys is pronounced “Peeps” and Gillingham has a soft G so is pronounced “Jillingham”. Another difference in pronunciation between us and our cousins is that the English tend to under, not over pronounce the “ham” in place names such Chatham, Durham etc. so they are pronounced more like “Chatum” and “Durum”. Oh, and I should mention your videos are superb, please keep making these fascinating videos!

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

I lived for a short while in Grain village on the Isle of Grain (which is no longer an island) and only learned of the Dutch raid years later. This little corner of the UK is steeped in history right through to the 20th century.

[@douglasmaccullagh7865]

@@coolhand67 thanks for the pronounciations. Pepys has left me stumped for ages!

[@peterdavy6110]

In the Second World War the Dutch cruiser De Ruyter entering the Thames made a navigation error and crashed into the anti-submarine boom. The Captain signalled the British Admiralty "De Ruyter crashed boom at Chatham". The reply was "What, again!"

[@robvoncken2565]

it as actually the van Brakel. Which is even better as that was actually the guy that broke it

[@sarjim4381]

De Ruyter was still a fighting admiral ten years after Medway. He fought in the Battle of Augusta (or Agosta) in 1677 while fighting the French to an inconclusive outcome, mainly due to his death after being hit by a cannonball. De Ruyter is considered one of the greatest admirals and tacticians of any era and any country. He is a national hero in the Netherlands. Since 1677, and to this day, the Dutch fleet's flagship has always been named the De Ruyter.

[@robvoncken2565]

His body was placed on the ship Eendracht ( the renamed Unity of the video) and sailed home. Every ship, city or fortification they passed dipped their flag and fired a salute. Friend and Foe awknowledging the passing of a great man. He was laid to rest in "de nieuwekerk" in Amsterdam and his grave his the most splendid the Seven Provinces ever made.

[@46numanr]

After this battle, de Ruyter traint group of 'sea soldiers' and this special part of the navy became the start of the Mariners.

[@Dafoodmaster]

also he invented chocolate sprinkles

[@annekedebruyn7797]

@@Dafoodmaster True heroism

[@modernknightone]

Actually the cannon ball hit his leg and badly damaged it. He was not killed at that time but taken below to the surgeon. The leg was amputated, and the Admiral likely died from infection in the wound three days later.

[@briansmith9439]

The Dutch influence on the US is often overlooked - cookies, Santa Claus, freedom of religion all came from the Netherlands through New Amsterdam (being founded in the 1620s). The end of the Anglo-Dutch Wars came with the ascension of the Dutch House of Orange to the English throne. The rapid social advancement experienced in England and their rapid worldwide growth came after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the importation of the Dutch structures of government and social development.

[@casadelosotte]

that was not a revolution, but an invasion! The Dutch fleet that invaded England was 4 times the size of the Spanish Armada and could be seen from the French coast when passing the narrowest pass of the Channel. The British have been well known for rewriting history in their own favor! Time to face facts! The Dutch needed the support of the protestants in England, because Holland was not big enough to conquer and hold England! The Dutch King William of Orange and his wife were 2nd and 3rd in the line of the British thrown and simply took over after replacing the Catholic James II. This masterpiece of an invasion is actually more complex than the Medway story.

[@kimashitawa8113]

@@casadelosotte It was a weird invasion though, after having arrived there the Dutch were actually welcomed in to overthrow the king. Like trying to steal money from someone that already wanted to give you that money.

[@amstrad00]

@@kimashitawa8113 My understanding is that the common people of England have always had a rocky relationship with their ruling monarchies, and often for good cause as those monarchies weren't doing much to make life pleasant for those commoners.

[@99fruitbat]

Late comment here ! I live in Chatham and before the Pandemic the local council funded a ' celebration ' of the Medway attack . Local people were mightly pissed off ! Still annoyed about the Dutch victory 😂

[@scotthedrick2460]

I watched The Admiral: Command and Conquer last night. It's about De Ruyter, and this battle is shown. The Netherlands might have been small in size, but that cannot be said about their fighting balls.

[@danielbolt8730]

I come frome the netherlands an i can only say one thing: hell yah

[@bennieleip579]

Scott Hedrick 🎱🎱 🇳🇱🇳🇱 I hope that mentality comes back

[@AudieHolland]

The Dutch Republic's merchant fleet was the biggest in the entire world at the time. Twice as big as the British merchant fleet. That's because Dutch financing skills meant the Dutch could borrow money from the public in advance to build ships even if the company itself didn't have the money yet. And because Dutch trading skills (and blowing the competitors to Kingdom Come) meant shareholders and investors would be paid their money back with a decent interest rate and profit. Meanwhile, absolute monarchs in Spain, France and Great Britain kept borrowing money to fund their expensive hobbies (war). And once the money ran out, they couldn't borrow anymore because they didn't think they would ever need to pay it back. Why? Because they were ruling and their power was given to them by God himself.

[@modernknightone]

@@AudieHolland Lord Clarendon's report to King Charles from English spies in the Netherlands stated that the Dutch enjoyed a trading fleet of over 20k merchant ships and 60k sailors in 1660 while the English languished far behind with a mere 3k - just a little more than "twice as big" I think. Try over six times larger. These numbers alarmed the English court and were one of the reasons for starting the Second Anglo-Dutch War

[@AudieHolland]

@@modernknightone Yeah well, I haven't researched the numbers myself. But how reliable were Clarendon's figures? Perhaps he had a vested interest himself if the English went to war with the Dutch.

[@thephilosopherofculture4559]

This video overlooks the fact that the Dutch Republic was the richest nation in the world, by far, and had advanced financial systems that the English could only understand and copy after they embraced a Dutch king as their new king at the Glorious Revolution of 1688-1689. This financing knowhow was the actual treasure gained and it enabled England to conquer the world. Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) writes that he started to cry when he went down in a Dutch ship the English had captured from a trading fleet of over 260 ships. It was the last ship of the line. Easy target. At the time, cloves were more costly than diamonds. When inspecting the captured ship he heard a crack underneath his boot and found some cloves on the deck. He reprimanded the captain for so much carelessness. Didn't he know the value of cloves? Then he descended in the hull of the ship and stood to almost his crotch in a sea of cloves. It was enough to pay for the complete ENglish yearly government budget. The profit from just the Dutch herring trade was higher than the total English marine budget. And that was just one trade type. But the Dutch had a problem. They understood that they were powerless on land because they did not have enough men and the men they had did not want to fight but rather wanted to trade (or paint!). The sailors on the ships were for a large part foreigners, many English. Almost all of their soldiers on land were German mercenaries. So they needed a powerful ally. That is why the Glorious Revolution ended the Golden Age for The Republic of the Netherlands (1575-1672) but also gave her the protection against the greedy devises of Austria, France, even Russia. It was a smart move. After that, the Dutch had THREE centuries of peace, from 1648 till 1940 with a short intermission in 1795 but that was not a real war with Napoléon, many Dutch people had welcomed him. The Dutch elite spoke French with one another anyway, from about 1750 till 1914. You see how culture can create a peaceful society or a belligerent society. thephilosopherofculture.blogspot.com/

[@thephilosopherofculture4559]

@Rick Bear Yes, but there were no great fights in 1672. The French soldiers did not want to 'conquer' Amsterdam or even fight the Dutch because they were afraid not to get paid. They were paid in bills of exchange, a precursor of the cheque (US: check) and of paper money. These bills had to be accepted in order to be paid out in coin. The acceptance was done by intermediaries who needed to be backed up. And the back-up for acceptance, the ultimate acceptance, was in Amsterdam. Belgium was not really a problem. They had been under Spanish and Austrian governance too long and were deeply catholic. After Antwerp, Brugues and Ghand lost their importance, it was no great deal.

[@modernknightone]

@@thephilosopherofculture4559 I disagree there were no great fights in 1672. The French and Germans made great gains during the initial invasion capturing numerous forts/cities. The battles at Nijmegen and Groningen were hard fought. At Groningen the French were thrown back and that was the end of their offensive. Amsterdam was never actually under threat because the Prince of Orange opened the water line defenses flooding the mid lands to prevent the French from advancing any further. Then the Dutch went on the offensive themselves and recaptured most of what the French had taken by the end of the year. DeRuyter also achieved a victory at the Battle of Solebay preventing the English and French fleets from blockading the Netherlands ports. These early Dutch successes caused numerous allies to then come to their aid declaring war on France and England - to include Spain and Brandenburg-Prussia. The French found themselves on the defensive for the remainder of the war and before the end of it the English abandoned them and not only made a separate peace with the Dutch, but also came into the war on the side of the Dutch during the last year of the war (1678). The Dutch were even launching minor offensives into French territory that last year.

[@thephilosopherofculture4559]

@@modernknightone Very good. Thank you. Nevertheless, the payment thing has remained in the dark in text books because it is sordid and politically incorrect, especially from the view of the French soldiers. There was a lot going on and it is not all due to the Dutch that the French had to retreat.

[@lordwallie24]

🎉😂who keeps it in your pants

[@robertcras8151]

The Marines were actually 'invented' for this raid by De Ruyter. Now every country has Marines.

[@chrisholland7367]

The Duke of Albany 's maritime regiment of foot 28th of October 1664 ,355 years later they are known as the Royal marines.

[@sevendam9070]

He just invented the Dutch marines. The first marines came from the Roman Empire during the Punic wars with Carthage. Milites (soldiers) were able to sign in as a naval infantry on ships so they could fight battles on sea. The word Marines comes from the Roman word Marinus.

[@willemthijssen5497]

@@sevendam9070 I would say that the word "marine" comes from the word mare, which means sea in Latin

[@thijsgribnau3638]

@colin minhinnick the marines he is referring to were actually a type of elite soldiers, like the navy seals of the usa. Wich was the first time that existed. What are navy seals in the usa are called marines (mariniers) in dutch. And what are called marines in the usa are just people in the dutch navy for the dutch. Because the dutch navy is a bit small.

[@obimk1104]

@@chrisholland7367 Raid of Medway is considered as a kind of "blueprint" for modern "Marines warfare" (Navy Seals)

[@douglasfleetney5031]

When De Ruyter sailed from the Medway he had a broom tied to the top of the main mast to show he had done a 'clean sweep' and had total victory. Since then it has been tradition, in the Royal Navy at least, that after a battle with no losses to tie a broom to the mast head or highest point on the ship. De Ruyter is still remembered here in Kent....

[@fijnman3813]

England: WE'RE WINNING! BURN ALL THEIR SHIPS. Netherlands: Thank god, more room for new and better ships.

[@swimmad456]

First rate episode. I share an office with a Dutch colleague. Apart from the Battle of Medway he also reminds me that the Dutch were responsible for the last successful invasion of Britain in 1688 or the "Glorious Revolution". Its all good natured and we have yet to come to blows.

[@zeitgeistx5239]

swimmad456 and then the Dutch went into declined and even subjugation while Britannia conquered vast portions of the world. There’s battles, then wars and then there’s clash of civilizations.

[@swimmad456]

@@zeitgeistx5239 I has visited the Netherlands on many occasions. If that's decline can we have some!

[@martind349]

quite right shoe. don't bunbury his curry

[@YouHaventSeenMeRight]

@@zeitgeistx5239 The Dutch were never interested in Empire building. The clashes that we got into with the British were based around trade. Even the exchange of New Amsterdam (current New York)(for Suriname was based on trade value. New Amsterdam was only let go because the beaver pelt trade was no longer profitable enough to keep getting into conflicts with the surrounding British colonies and Britain itself for.

[@YouHaventSeenMeRight]

@Gues Who No, that's not correct. Both Old English and Frisian share the same root language (as do Dutch and German by the way). They are very close to each other and speakers of these two languages can make themselves somewhat understood by the other. Modern English itself however was heavily influenced by the Norman version of French after the influx of Norman nobility following the battle of Hastings. Dutch and German are somewhat closer to the root language (especially in their northern dialects), but have also drifted away from it and each other. This is one of the reasons that words in the three languages are so similar. Father (English) = Vader (Dutch) = Vater (German), the spelling might be slightly different but spoken they sound a lot like each other.

[@hipocampelofantocame]

Marvelous video. As a Scot descendant, and as my great grandmother on my father's side was Dutch, I am always pleased to see the English "learn their manners". History has a way of leveling the playing field.

[@Dibleydog]

In the early sixties we had in our office two history buffs Mr Ennis and Mr Hoogstraated. One afternoon they got into an argument over the attack on the Medway with Mr Ennis claiming that it could never have happened. Mr Hoogstraaten, who happened to be Dutch took a book from his desk, a book produced no less than by the Maritime Museum at Greenwich, that had a whole chapter dedicated to the attack and included pictures and a detailed description. Mr Hoogstraaten proudly placed the book in front of Mr Ennis who thought for a moment, rubbed his chin and said quietly, "It must have been a Sunday."

[@MW-bi1pi]

I had a great History Prof. Every Halloween he dressed in a fantastic Dracula costume and gave a great lecture on Vlad Tspes. He filled a 1000 seat hall easily.

[@robertmorris2388]

Be very wary of apologists who are intent to be little events unproven. Remember the lessons of the intelligentsia and Troy.

[@Dibleydog]

@@edwiser3547 Until the late twentieth-century everything in England was closed on Sundays, it was truly a day of rest. Mr. Ennis was making a joke of it by saying the Dutch could only have succeeded by sneaking up on the English by attacking on a Sunday. And by the way, I don't think the Brits have a monopoly when it comes to arrogance.

[@Dibleydog]

@@edwiser3547 I totally agree. History as a subject has been dumbed down in the UK in case it upsets someone. Sadly revisionism is alive and well and the truth is always its first victim. I went to school in the fifties and was told nothing of the Anglo Dutch wars of the 17th century. Regarding the American Civil War, while researching my family history I came across a Johnathon Newcombe who served in the Union Army as a junior officer. He was wounded in action and when he recovered was put in charge of a floating brothel on an old riverboat, all thanks to General Hooker. Johnathon was born in England and the family had emigrated from Thorveton in Devon.

[@ClassicFormulaOne1]

Great story ☺️

[@BernardTheMandeville]

Finally! Somebody who tells this great story of my small country :)

[@WelshRabbit]

Johan van O., the "History with Hilbert" channel does a good job with that, too. And I've become very fond of his little intermissions at every opportunity with the Dutch national anthem, too. Indeed a fine tune and joy to hear.

[@robvoncken2565]

Oranje Boven

[@JeanLucCaptain]

Dutch literally sank the British economy and fleet 😂

[@caveman7729]

@@JeanLucCaptain and we raided various spanish armadas

[@JeanLucCaptain]

@@caveman7729 Everybody raided everybody else's armadas wasn't that the whole idea of commerce raiding?

[@theon9575]

The Anglo-Dutch wars and the Medway raid may be easily forgotten by the English but certainly not here in The Netherlands. Michiel de Ruyter remains a national hero to this day. 🇳🇱👍

[@harrickvharrick3957]

Thank you so much ! I am a citizen of the Netherlands, and this little piece of history is something I must have missed in school. The power struggle between Holland and England in the day had impact on how trade in 'the East' was carried out. The English at the beginning of the 18th century were by far the stronger seagoing nation, and they conquered all of India, also having the most influence in China, the Dutch were sort of allowed to keep their colony of Indonesia, where our trade was based in opium, all of which came from one region in India and through one harbour there: Bengal. The English made fortune by selling 'their' opium in China. I have read the memories (diary) of Mr Pepys, it is a great fun book and gives a terrific insight in the everyday conditions and the lives people lived in those days - I can recommend it. Thanks again!

[@miketriz3100]

36 minutes and 1,300 views, you are a history rock star.

[@billpostscratcher2025]

The Dutch would return, via Parliamentary invitation, in 1688 to defeat James II, in the conventionally named "Glorious Revolution". The Dutch were the last nation to conquer England. The after effects of that would be far more profound than most other events in Anglo/American History.

[@amadeusamwater]

The Dutch were one nation that could match the English in both the quality of their warships and the quality of their crews. The French made nice ships but couldn't crew them. The Spanish lagged behind in both.

[@christopherdenniston746]

Dutch are a tough enemy, for a long time England's equal, respect

[@alwaysright2420]

Dutch are even better allies though

[@TheSuperhoden]

They kinda kicked your ass tho, even successfully conquering England, tho you lads call it the glorious revolution nowdays

[@daanwillemsen223]

@@TheSuperhoden As a Dutch guy I'll still don't understand how the English see the 1688 invasion as their own victory. We occupied London for 6 months.

[@TheSuperhoden]

@@daanwillemsen223 forced them to pay war reparations and put our king on their thrown... minor details

[@daanwillemsen223]

@@TheSuperhoden Oh yeah and where where "invited" by two mp's from the opposition while the invasion was ongoing.

[@ptk18]

Another nice episode ...good job History Guy! ... And I loved your Dutch names pronunciation. This piece of history is known to almost every schoolkid in The Netherlands and schools history teachers often combine lessons with a visit to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam... I understood however that in the UK it’s largely ‘forgotten history’ .... (I wonder why 🤨)

[@vernonbear]

Not entirely forgotten thankfully. I was taught it in my British school (near Manchester), I’m sure we were a rare exception though. Our history teachers were quite keen to tell us about our military failings as well as the more acceptable victories. If you don’t discuss your darkest hours then you are almost certainly going to repeat them. Sadly the children of today aren’t going to get that education, it will be wrapped up in a PowerPoint presentation and one slide might tell them that we got a kicking once but don’t worry about remembering that.

[@doctoroesperanto3663]

This peace of history is absolutely not known to every schoolkid! I teach myself and almost no students learn about this. History teaches mostly about the second world war.

[@philipsalama8083]

If wars were won by feasting Or victory by song Were safety found by sleeping sound How England would be strong! But honour and dominion Are not maintained so They're only got by sword and shot And this the Dutchmen know. -Rudyard Kipling.

[@NickRatnieks]

Let's not forget that in 1704 a combined English and Dutch naval force including English and Dutch marines captured Gibraltar. Best of friends again it seems- for a while!

[@Cl0ckcl0ck]

This was just a little spat between brothers. You broke my best toy? Ok, then I'll take your best toy.

[@NaomiClareNL]

In Dutch this is known as: de tocht naar Chatham whereby tocht can be translated as great voyage but also a trip or walk, take your pick :-). It is also the oldest battle honour of the Korps Mariniers which was founded on 10 december 1665. Its first commanding officer, Willem Jospeh van Ghent (who was one of the major Dutch commanders in the raid on the Medway) is commemmorated in the Van Ghentkazerne in Rotterdam, the barracks where all Dutch marines start their training.

[@jwenting]

Remember Chatham!

[@thadnipper9411]

I wish you had been my history professor.

[@markwhite1780]

As do I. Especially European history since 1789 which I struggled through a three term series of the same boring professor. Yep; a real P(iled)h(ire)&D(eeper). Unlike the Histort Guy who has a TV face and a Radio voice. That's a compliment that nails it down.

[@WvhKerkhof]

A professor that tells in the video he will answer your comments while he doesn't.

[@garylane3921]

@@markwhite1780 Piled Higher and Drier stimulating sleep and changing to alternate majors...I know having completed 16 years of full time college.

[@badlandskid]

Thad Nipper it’s all fun and games until he pops a test.

[@stevehansen5389]

My mother's maiden name was Van Arnam and it traces back to Albany, New York in the 1600s. What is amazing is the number of my relatives, past and present, have, after all these years, a distinct Dutch "look" about them. So, the English took the Dutch out of New York but they could not take New Amsterdam out of the population. Incidentally, two of our Presidents, Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt descended from New Amsterdam Dutch stock.

[@DiederikCA]

The last names are still there, as well as the names of places: Harlem --> Haarlem (cityname), Wall street --> Wallen (tr: docks), Brooklyn --> Breukelen (city), Coney Island --> Konynen eiland (tr: rabbit island). Fun fact: the Amsterdam Red light district is actually called "De Wallen", similar to NY Wall Street. I guess the US took an even more radical and efficient approach to making quick money.

[@dirkarum9703]

@@DiederikCA Wallen are defencive earthworks around a town or city

[@PropagandasaurusRex]

@@dirkarum9703 With prostitutes in them. Or as a famous Dutch saying goes "Leeg je ballen op de wallen".

[@vincentvanhuijstee9764]

You are forgetting Martin van Buren and both George Bush presidents have Dutch roots.

[@willhooke]

What an amazing story! Thank you for sharing about the Raid on Medway and the Anglo-Dutch Wars

[@stashyjon]

Excellent stuff my learned friend. :) Another key result of the fall out of the Chatham raid was that the Royal Navy, under the guidence of Samuel Pepys was completely re-organised and modenised, using a lot of the structure and technology that had made Dutch able to carry out the raid. This gave birth to the Navy of Nelson and the whole Britain rules the waves thing.

[@adm0iii]

I agree; this embarrassing loss enabled Pepys to turn the dogmatic and corrupt Royal Navy into a stable maritime military system that would rule the waves. Pepys, all by himself, has a history that deserves to be remembered. ...and the fact that, according to his own secret diary, he fit well in the 1600s lifestyle of male lechery being so open and acceptable probably deserves remembering as well.

[@sjoerdspoelstra6938]

great effort on the pronunciation of "Scheveningen". It is said that at the start of WWII, when German paratroopers landed around The Hague, and rumors spread about them wearing Dutch uniforms, anyone suspicious was forced to say "Scheveningen". I am sorry but you would have been twigged.

[@Zandanga]

LOL! Good little anecdote ...

[@marijnfly]

To be sure, they had to say: 'Die gekke grote gele ganglantaarns in Scheveningen' (Those weird big yellow streetlanterns in Schevingen). My father told me this, who was a young boy living in The Hagua at the time.

[@tasjaber1]

There's a great dutch film about de Ruyter called "The great Admiral" (i think), well worth a watch. Long live the Dutch Republic!

[@LePrince1890]

In 1673 during the last war, New York was recaptured briefly by the Dutch but renamed New Orange. At the end of that war it was returned to Great Britain.

[@XmarkedSpot]

Your videos become better every time, sir. Your silly intro and flashy overlays made place for well selected contemporary documents kept lively by sensible pans and zooms. Your knowledge paired with a good sense for story telling remains an excellent combination. I'm looking forward to all your future videos, please keep them coming!

[@andrewwhite1793]

Hi, I live in Gillingham. This some gives much more details of this period of history to think about. I regularly race my wooden sailing dinghy on the Medway between Upnor Castle and the forts. It would have been quite a sight to have seen a ship of the line sailing down the river from the dockyard. Medway has some interesting places to visit including the historic dockyard several castles, lots of different walks along the water front and some trips on the river.

[@robvoncken2565]

Thank you. Never has it better and compactly told. Small detail, although de Ruijter was heavely involved in most battles of the war, he left the execution of the Medway raid up to Cornelus De Wit ( Brother of the head of state and architect of the raid ) as he was recovering from a heavy Malaria attack. Towards the end he did join in, going as far as to board a rowboat and direct the burning of ships while under fire ( what can I say the guy was amazing ). Again Loved it

[@ClassicFormulaOne1]

Great video. As a dutchie I know this story very well. One slight addition: the peace treaty of Breda was actually not unfavorable for England taking in mind the defeat they suffered and how much more damage the Dutch could have done by blockading the Medway for let's say another few years. The Dutch however are a noble people (words of Samuel Pepys) so they made sure the treaty of Breda was not a total humiliation for the English. The Dutch were satisfied with the renewed status quo in trading opportunities and also they tried to make a longer lasting peace by NOT humiliating the English in the treaty. This 'noble' treaty however did not prevent a new war, already in 1672 Charles II waged another war on the Dutch, together with catholic France. The rest.. is history.

[@user-td1zo3tv9p]

As always, I am impressed with your presentation of history. I am intrigued that my own small and myopic world is so bland in comparison to what has transpired throughout the course of history, and this is PRECISELY why I so enjoy your historical tidbits, given in manageable blocks of but just a few minutes. You make my day and enlarge my brain, and for that you will always be appreciated, Sir. Have yourself a spectacular day and an epic weekend. Until your next presentation I shall await with eager anticipation. With fond regards, Howard

[@ThisFinalHandle]

I feel like naval history has a history of putting the magazine in the wrong place.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

The lesson may be that there is really no safe place to put a bunch of explosives.

[@user-td1zo3tv9p]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel, exactly true, Sir. Unless WELL below the water line, any bombardment, any magazine storage area is subject to injury and destruction. And that doesn't take into consideration fires which could consume the ship and embers or planks of burning lumber making their way into the magazine in due course. Since black powder is an "explosive" unlike current day gunpowder which is classified as a propellant, it wouldn't take much to end up with an explosion from contained black powder and most certainly a catastrophic conflagration once the powder started to burn. Nosiree, not much safe storage for the magazine during those naval battles of old.

[@TP-tc7vp]

Ya they always seem to put the magazine where a shell will end up.

[@shawnbauman5463]

HMS Hood

[@andrewwhite1793]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel There are navigation buoys on the River Medway named "East Bulwark" and "West Bulwark" to mark the wreck of the WW1 Dreadnought, HMS Bulwark, that blew up due to putting the amunition in the wrong place!

[@typxxilps]

Don't forget: netherlands had to put all their oaks / trees into these ships. Try to find an ancient forrest or forrests at all. If you find them they've been planted in the last century. Many of these nations lost a lot like Spain, Greece: no more forrests, no more fleet - and not to forget the wood needed for building roofs or the house structures as that of "Fachwerkhäuser" like in the netherlands and northern germany were they filled the gaps with a mixture of mud, straw, water. Very much in these era depended on availability of wood / forrests.

[@juststeve5542]

I live close to the UK coast (well, I think all us Brits do to be honest!), so it's very common to find old ship beams reused in houses once the ships were outdated and scrapped.

[@gardenlizard1586]

Something I had read of but never considered the importance of

[@larryg3326]

Trees in the British colonies of North America were considered a valuable resource. At some point laws were passed to reserve larger trees for the exclusive use of the British Navy. The loss of the resources led to protests and riots by the colonists.

[@frzstat]

The U.S. continued that practice and purchased entire forests to have trees for shipbuilding (I think Oak trees often.)

[@opheliabawles9646]

I thank god that we don't need trees any more!

[@erictaylor5462]

It's funny how often a position is so well defended or at least defensible as to make it seem invulnerable to attack actually makes the attack possible.

[@keithbrown7685]

Exactly. I agree. Beware of the unthinkable, or else the enemy will think of it. : )

[@josvanherl5715]

@ History Guy you forgot that: In 1689 the dutch king Willem III also became king of England and Ireland, and the british loved him.5 years later the Bank of England was founded also thanks to the dutch. The dutch then is what is The Netherlands & Belgium today.

[@A.J.K87]

Small correction: Willem III was stadhouder in the republic, he only became king when he was crowned Willem III of England. :) There was a King Willem III of the Netherlands, but he reigned from 1849 to 1890. The Netherlands only became a kingdom after the Napoleonic era.

[@hansgerlsma2672]

Another correction: The Dutch Republic encompassed less than it was today as most of Limburg and Brabant was combined with what is now Belgium as the Austrian Netherlands. The Netherlands only consisted of Modern day Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg from 1815 (after the defeat of Napoleon at Leipzig as a buffer state against France) till 1830 with the cessation and indepedence of Belgium.

[@hanskuijsten2380]

He was partly "offered" the English thrones in order to prevent a catholic coup. And so laid the fundament for the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland. The origin of the colour Orange associated with the Irish Unionists.

[@johnclayden1670]

A rare tale of naval woe for the English: but we became friends again with those great folks the Dutch just a few years later and more or less ever since.

[@roadrage9191]

Well this was the 2nd Anglo Dutch war out of 4 so it took a while but we grew on each other.

[@robvoncken2565]

@@roadrage9191 yeah there was the third which we won again and if you want to call it that the 4th ( one battle where we got destroyed ) but the end of the rivallery came after the third war . when we invaded their arses

[@Mr.CliffysWorld]

@@robvoncken2565 ...You.. "Invaded their arses" ?!? Sounds like rather quite an unpleasant business to me . To each his own, as they say ! 🍑💩- 🛸👽-->🤡🍆🍑😳🤯😬💩🥺🥴🤪🤮💩🤪🤭🤫🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🤡🍆🍑😟🤕👽🛸🥺😭💬 stop the abuse💬break the cycle !! 👂👏🙏☝️💪🤜🤛👍🖖🤙✌.. the storm is coming ... 🌩🌫🌬🌊🌪 I don't know what the fuck I'm even talking about now . Lost my train 🚂🚃 of thought, yes I actually had one at the start 😉!! Idk how I even got here 🙄 must be time for bed 💤💤💤🛌🏼💤💤.💤

[@tigerjj233]

Yeah Dutch and English are like two peas in a pod.

[@robvoncken2565]

@Boris Johnson true, but Brits keep bringing it up. We were basicly French at that time. Ans it did not help our admiral was a moron

[@markdavis2475]

Fascinating! Really enjoyed this one, like I enjoy all of them! I guess we get on ok with our Dutch friends now!

[@vingerhoedskruid1]

Very good video. The next Anglo-Dutch war was the one in which England joint forces with France to annihilate the Dutch Republic in 1672. That war the Republic barely survived. Reason to reinstate William of Orange as the commander of the army and fleet and prepare the invasion of England in 1688. I always feel that the Dutch invasion of England is perhaps the most daring feat in European history and at the core of why Eurrope is not rule by authoritarian regimes but by parlementary democracies.

[@danthemansmail]

Good stuff History Guy. I am amazed I have never heard of this battle. Thanks to you, now I have.

[@modernknightone]

Very well done! One of the only commentaries on this event that doesn't leave out the fact that the English scuttled over 30 of their own warships. The only audio/visual commentary I've ever seen that correctly mentions the state of the English economy near bankruptcy and that Dutch privateering/commerce raiding had been far more effective and profitable for the Dutch against the English - thus a major cause of their financial condition. There is only one correction I would mention. Surinam was not altogether English at the time. The Dutch had settlements there as well and wanted to ensure that it would stay completely Dutch after they seized the English towns and forts during the war. Surinam was not the only traded concession against New Amsterdam(New York) however. The English also ceeded the tiny islands of Ai and Run in the far eastern Banda spice islands chain, because the Dutch were obsessed with maintaining a complete monopoly on the spice trade. I would recommend you do a video on the Dutch raid into the Caribbean and up the Eastern North American seaboard to reek absolute havoc as well as take back New York/New Jersey during the Third Dutch War by the audacious Cornelis Evertsen (Kees the Devil) and Jacob Binckes. Most people have no idea how devastating this raid and invasion on North American soil was from 1672-74.

[@davidharris6581]

I had always known New York was New Amsterdam first but never knew the story of the name change. Thanks! Was a real Treat seeing The History Bride fill in on Halloween

[@vectorbrony3473]

I think the Royal navy had four key points in it's history. 1-Spanish armada taught us how skills when handling our ships can out maneuver a larger foe. 2-Anglo-Dutch War taught us the power of infrastructure and strategy. 3- Napoleonic war. Superior training and commanders make all the difference. 4- ww1 arrogance is a dangerous thing and technology must be used. (ie. Using signal flags rather than radio)

[@zeitgeistx5239]

Vector Brony you forget 5. WW2 Appeasement will only get you so far & end of The British Empire.

[@vectorbrony3473]

Zeitgeist X yep that is very true also

[@RCAvhstape]

@@zeitgeistx5239 6-Falkland Islands: CATOBAR aircraft carriers are expensive, but you miss them when you don't have them. Same goes for anti-ship missile defenses.

[@robvoncken2565]

Indeed i Always found it facination that even while our countries were at each others throat we seem to have improved eachother. Did you know that the Invasion of 1688 and the instalment of William the third as king actually was the spark that set of the British Empire. Finally they had someone in charge who was happy to adopt the Dutch ways into british society the hybrid it created was awesome

[@joelmunger2395]

The History Guy: I have to tell you, I've never been very interested in history, in fact it was one of my worst subjects in school. However, I've been absolutely addicted to your videos for the last 2 months since I found your channel. Especially when you get completely enthralled in the telling. Your an amazing story teller and I'm a huge fan of your work. Thank you for what you do and keep putting out awesome content!

[@karoltakisobie6638]

Dutch made pretty decent film somewhat recently titled "De Ruyter" I think, plot covers 2 of the Anglo-Dutch wars and raid covered by this video. It also covers some of the Dutch internal politics of the time Worth watching unlike some of the other recent films

[@bavtie1]

I wasn't the biggest fan of the directing (that annoying slowmotion) and some of the cliché movie things they added, and I could barely understand De Ruyter since his actor was whispering all his lines... Overall I was surprised how fun and accurate it was though, with some great production value and interesting story (I really liked seeing the politics too)

[@keeskoppen9031]

And a nice feature of the film is a lot of the sailors are non active marines and there are a lot people related to admiral De Ruiter in the movie as extras

[@frzstat]

Kipling was a genius, still applicable today! Excellent episode :)

[@jerrygregor1976]

He did of course bake exceedingly good cakes too.

And now they consider him a racist, along with Winston Churchill. An English man was arrested in London for quoting him in public. Can't make it up.

[@frzstat]

Truth is never popular with politicians or other liars :)

[@Mishn0]

I'd like to go to an imaginary bar some day and sit down in a booth with Kipling and Bill Mauldin and just listen to them talk war stories. Chesty Puller should be there too.

[@user-td1zo3tv9p]

@@frzstat, or with revisionist types looking to re-write history for their own needs.

[@TsmithJustin]

I can't get enough of these videos lately. Thanks for all you do!

[@robertmorris2388]

May I say, a revisit of this presentation a year later, Reassures us that the facts expanded on by other interested parties shows the history guy stimulates more discussion many years after the fact about history, than one might expect. I don’t think that history‘s events for any one individual is less meaningful many years later, especially for the followers of the History Guy. Thank you. There is always more to learn.

[@marionhancock-kooijman475]

My wife is Dutch & her great great great etc grandfather was Admiral de Ruijter.

[@AudieHolland]

Over here, he is known as simply: Michiel de Ruyter.

[@vincentvanhuijstee9764]

De Ruyter being her great great grandfather etc. is IMPOSSIBLE as De Ruyter had no sons and the daughters carried other names.

[@Indylimburg]

The term "yankees" comes from New Amsterdam where the most common names were Jan (yan) and Kees (kase). When the British took over New Amsterdam they began calling the Dutch colonists there Yankees in a somewhat derogatory fashion. By the 1770s a Yankee described a New England commoner of low class or ill educated thus the British song "Yankee Doodle". The defeated British army suffered few greater humiliations than when they surrendered to Washington and marched out of Yorktown to colonial fifes playing "Yankee Doodle".

[@christopherneelyakagoattmo6078]

I remembered virtually every bit of this from history class. But you, sir, turned it into entertainment. Excellent.

[@edwardabel3716]

Yet another Phenomenal Episode of The History Guy !!!

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I think it should also be said that the Dutch Raid on the Medway had 2 causes. Revenge for the English Raid on Vlieland, and ending the war quickly to be able to survive against the French. Furthermore I would like to know your opinion on the Glorious Revolution. In Dutch schools we learn that it was the only successful military invasion of England since 1066. In England schools teach that the Dutch were invited. Both counts are true, but mutually exclusive. Why have years of secret planning and go with 200 ships full of soldiers if you are invited? On the other hand, there was barely any fighting suggesting the invitation was valid. It does not really sit well, does it?

[@earthdog1961]

So weird I know this, but "The Glorious Revolution", also called the "Revolution of 1688", was the overthrow of King James II of England ( or James VII of Scotland) by a pack of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch Prince of Orange, who was James's nephew and son-in-law.. The sending of a large military escort, (a Van Guard, in which there traveled civil officials to carry messages and summon the surrender of towns and castles, or offer treaties of peace) were common in that era. The larger the escort, the more important the offer. I used to work for a Dutch company. They were pretty big on orange, and had a company headquarters building in Amsterdam that looked like a freaking shoe.

[@bikebrains]

Since we are discussing Dutch shipbuilding, Massie's book "Peter the Great: His Life and His World" has an entertaining section where the incognito Czar goes to Holland and obtains employment in a Dutch shipyard so that he can learn shipbuilding. The Czar's 6′ 8″ height made "incognito" the first of many good stories. His goal was to build a Russian navy based on Dutch technology. The Russians of Peter's era were afraid of open water sailing which created another problem that needed to be solved. The appearance of a Russian Navy on the Black Sea sent a shock wave through Turkey. Perhaps there is material here for a video or two.

[@donaldboughton8686]

Peter the Great also visited the ship yards at Greenwich to learn how to build ships. He stayed at Sayes Court. The only thing remaining of Sayes Court is a public park of the same name with a mulberry tree. A russian told me the Peter the Great misbehaved and was sent home. There is a monument to Peter the Great on the foreshore at Greenwich with inscriptions in English and Russian.

[@hanskuijsten2380]

There is a house in the Dutch village of Zaandam, called the "Tsaar Peter huisje" in which he is said to have luved during his stay there.

[@chrisoliver4757]

I enjoyed this one especially, I come from Sheerness and have worked in the docks, I used to walk past garrison point every day.

[@julianratering8500]

Just found this channel, liking it already! It´s very enjoyable to listen to you, you have a nice way of telling history. I´m dutch myself and studying history, so hopefully this channel will be of great use to me! :D

[@sagebiddi]

It's really makes me a lil peeved when I see the veiws vs the likes ... How is the ratio so off ?! .. you just learned something you KNOW you wouldn't have anywhere else NOR on your own... For free... The least you can do is give the man his due ...

[@flagmichael]

I notice the number of "thumbs down" does not vary much. I suspect it is a number of trolls who want to make a mark, no matter how foolish. I understand people not being interested in history but not them complaining about it.

[@rayfairall4126]

I usually watch this channel on my "smart" TV which doesn't easily allow likes. Could explain what you've noticed. THG is my favorite KZbin channel.

[@JeanLucCaptain]

Well I've seen the movie based on these events called Admiral, which is REALLY good.

[@brownpcsuncedu]

@The Mighty Sagetto: 44K views, 3.7K likes, or about 8%. On KZbin, that's really good, a well-earned testament to the excellent quality of The History Guy's work. As far as the dislikes go, there are only 16 right now, so he's running better than 2000-to-1 positive to negative :-). Myself, I haven't the faintest idea what those 16 were thinking. (Perhaps they're Pepys' peeps? :-) )

[@sagebiddi]

@DroehnIng idk about ratings hence me not saying anything about it . If you mean his likes and views then the EXACT opposite of what you said.

[@sarjim4381]

"Ripping yarn!". I haven't heard that one for awhile. :-)

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I like the term.

[@sarjim4381]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel As did Michael Palin and those of us who remember those ripping yarns of yesteryear.

[@jameshoberg1609]

As my 14 years of growing up in the Poughkeepsie area of New York some of these were not surprises. Always great to hear some things you didn't know that school didn't teach

[@jameshoberg1609]

30 years in Central Florida now Southern Illinois. Never stop learning

[@vincentvanhuijstee9764]

Like "Flushing" named after the Dutch city of Vlissingen. Dollar after the Dutch coin "Daalder".

[@paulsinclair2583]

I remember doing history and they only had one sentence in the text book covering this subject.Thank you for all your videos and stimulating my desire to learn more .

[@NickRatnieks]

Gillingham- as you pronounced it is in the county of Dorset. Gillingham, as you didn't pronounce it is on the River Medway in the county of Kent. I would not worry about this as most people in England probably would not know which was the right way to pronounce each town's name. On another point of history, the paddle steamer, the Medway Queen was one of the little ships at Dunkirk having been requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1939 to act as a mine sweeper. When this ship was sold for scrap in 1963, the ship breaker in Belgium when he found out her history refused to scrap her as he felt she was of such significance- the "Heroine of Dunkirk" no less, having shot down three German aircraft and rescued 7,000 men. The ship was bought and is in the process of an epic rebuild at Gillingham and one of the patrons of the preservation society is a certain Mick Jagger who is a Kentish Man- while if you are born east of the River Medway you are a Man of Kent- but that's another story!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I say, respectfully, as a friend across the pond, it is very difficult that virtually no English place name is pronounced as it is spelled.

[@NickRatnieks]

Hull and Newcastle are tricky, I'll grant you! However, all joking aside, you will never guess how Barnoldswick is pronounced by the locals. Barnoldswick is the B in the designation of the Rolls-Royce RB211 turbojet, as it is home to the R-R design centre which dates back to WW2 when R-R did a deal with Rover Cars and took over the production of Frank Whittle's jets there. The local pronunciation is shown on Wiki. If you want a laugh and listen to a genius, this is a great 30 minutes made when he was Technical Director of Rolls-Royce: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKqXnXtorM2boM0

[@danceswithtraffic8147]

Awesome, as a Brit I can say we're fairly proud of our naval history, but this part is genuinely little known... Most naval history's skip the parts between Henry 8ths Mary rose and the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.. good job history guy. Btw Samuel Pepys is pronounced 'peeps' ;-)

[@robvoncken2565]

Yes you can blame victorian hystorians for that...But here has been a lot of change for the better in recent years

[@jwenting]

oh, I can ensure you it's taught in every Dutch history class :)

[@martijnb5887]

It is always a beatyful story to tell English colleagues, who indeed do not know it.

[@kenbellchambers4577]

I adore your presentations, and with your excellent showmanship, these lessons are classical works of genius. Thanks so much.

[@densealloy]

Probably your best one to date, Sir!

[@alexandrepereira3902]

Vera good . I envy your profissional quality ...

[@gardenlizard1586]

By Dutch free trade you mean Dutch East India Company. Nothing free about or noble about it. Always liked reading how the Dutch sailed up Thames.

[@BigPete7407]

Once again THG makes history more than interesting, he makes it captivating. Nicely done THG, Pete

[@joeverna5459]

History Guy, I love your passion for history. Keep up the good work. I am learning a lot.

[@Granattaaaaaa]

May that orange banner fly proudly for eternity! Lang leve de republiek!

[@OneofInfinity.]

Concordia res parvae crescunt.

[@generalleenknassknotretire9180]

*Ah, the Battle of Medway.* I know it well. It was Dec 7th, 1491...

[@Packless1]

...kind of...! ;-)

[@generalleenknassknotretire9180]

Silly me! I was thinking of the attack, on Pearl Baily.

[@bretthess6376]

@@generalleenknassknotretire9180 I thought that was the attack on Moms Mabely? Or did I just dream it?

[@pjeverly]

Another great episode. Keep up the great work. Love it.

[@Danstaafl]

Have you considered doing an episode on Edwards air force Base, Capt. Glen Edwards and his untimely death in the experimental YB 49 Northrup flying wing? I grew up in the company of Glen's nephew Dale Edwards years ago in Hemet CA. Dale was also an Air Force SAC Bomber Pilot, Navigator and Observer in the B 47 stratojet . My surrogate father for many years. In my humble opinion Glen's story is definitely history that deserves. Thank You for all you do. I binge watch your productions frequently as they are so well done. You certainly are "The History Guy".

[@andraslibal]

Imagine if the Dutch kept New Amsterdam. We zouden dit gesprek in het Nederlands hebben :)

[@MrXandervm]

We'd probably lose it at a later date, since the surrounding area was all colonized by the english.

[@mathewkelly9968]

Andras Libal imagine if you ditch idiots had colonised Australia instead of plundering Indonesia ...... You could have been known for building something

[@MrXandervm]

@@mathewkelly9968 1. With what population? We never had the manpower to do so. 2. Why would we? It wasn't the Dutch prime minister or king who personally went to Indonesia to conquer it, it was the voc, a Dutch company focussed on earning money. There was no financial reason to colonize Australia. 3. "Plundered Indonesia" sure, whatever. We conquered it. War was the name of the game back then, and if Indonesia was united and had economic incentive to go to Europe and conquer the Netherlands then they would have done the same.

[@rick0201]

Andras Libal Nee die tering angelsaksen zouden onze kolonieën weer stelen

[@docthebiker]

It wasn't just a couple of Pilots in the Dutch navy. Due to the economic difficulties and crew being laid off a lot of British sailors had taken employ with the Dutch and were part of the crews involved in the raid. Also for many of them it would have been political, as memories of the English Civil War were still fresh and they would have blamed the restoration of the monarchy 7 years earlier for their current impoverishment.

[@robvoncken2565]

Yes many Dutch Crews included a large percentage of English born sailors. Captured sailors were very happy to seek employ with their captors as we did not force our sailors into service and they were payed very well indeed. You should not call it the Dutch though. It is the Seven Provinces. becoming the Netherlands would take another 150 years and a French invasion

[@docthebiker]

@@robvoncken2565 If I had fought in a civil war back then I might have joined the Dutch Navy as Holland was a Republic, Poffertjes are just so delicious (Raw Herrings are disgusting for breakfast though). I'm a European; Medway born but living and traveling the mainland and have been to The Netherlands a few dozen times, and even I didn't know about The Seven Provinces. If HGuy had called them that I would only know who was involved from knowing Medway History. If many Europeans wouldn't have known where the Seven Provinces were (are?) then his American audience would stand a chance.

[@robvoncken2565]

@@docthebiker true, though even we dont eat raw herring for breakfirst bread with Hagelslag is more my thing. I love kent, have some friends there and been there many times.

[@docthebiker]

@@robvoncken2565 All I could find at a dockside stall at 6am was soused herring. Seemed pretty raw to me LOL. I'd have been very happy to have eaten sugar sprinkles, but in that part of Amsterdam at that time in the morning I think they were catering for night workers and people with hangovers.

[@robvoncken2565]

@@docthebiker if you ever get into that position be sure to buy buns and hagelslag the day before

[@SuperKingslaw]

A great and important bit of history that I never knew about. Thank you!

[@gavinharvey2663]

Congratulations on another fine video you always have quality graphics edited timelessly you obviously put the work in and it shows.

[@BeLittleBeHumble]

Just stumbled over your channel. Really like what I see! On topic: the USA has arguably received a lot from the Dutch. Next to cookies (orig: ‘koekje’ not biscuit) and boss (orig: ‘baas’ not master), the American Dream tells of opportunity to move up through social classes. This could have originated from Dutch mercantile society, which allowed for greater social movement than the Englisch class system (master vs servant; ‘baas’ implies a functional superior position only, it is “class-free” so to say. Those interested, get a copy of Shorto’s The island at the center of the world. Some suggestions, if I may... I’d like to see your presentation of the 2nd Boerwar and the Nazi airborne landings (and tactical defeat) in May ‘40 in The Netherlands.

[@vincentvanhuijstee9764]

What about "Yankees". This name was given by the English to Dutchmen in New Amsterdam (Newyork) as a majority of the Dutch had names as Jan or Kees.

[@TheIamIrving]

Excellent. Two small things: Gillingham is pronounced "Jillingham" and Samuel Pepys is pronounced Samuel "Peeps".

[@Erik-ou3tl]

I won't even start on the pronounciation of the Dutch places and names :p

[@Aramis419]

Pronouncing the Veerinidge Oosidiche Compagnie is a challenge, too, and I probably spelled it wrong.

[@docthebiker]

Gillingham born and bred (Man of Kent, not one of those Upnor born Kentish Men), so I couldn't help but let out an audible groan when he said GILL-ingham.

[@Erik-ou3tl]

@@Aramis419 Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, aye :P

[@sagebiddi]

Yeah...in comparison of what the point is ... Doesn't bother me. Plus .. I knew wtf he meant.

[@kuhndj67]

The daring raids during the age of sail make even dry historical discussion exciting... and when you put them in the hands of masters like Forrester and my personal favorite Patrick O'Brian, the books telling these stories are impossible to put down.

[@Annur375]

Absolutely brilliant! Thanks for sharing.

[@edschermer]

This is fascinating to learn about! We have traced my family name to the days of New Amsterdam...and it also a village an hour north of Amsterdam which I had the privilege to visit a few years ago when I had a free day after a week of business in Amsterdam.

[@bigblue6917]

Couple of quick points. Gillingham has a soft G and Samuel Pepys name is pronounced Peeps. For a time many thought the Great Fire of London was started by the Dutch in retaliation for the English burning of the Dutch town. The English did not fare well under the Stuarts. The behaviour of James 1 triggered the Gunpowder Plot. He would have been on the #metoo list alongside Kevin Spacey. His son Charles I triggered three civil wars which included his son Charles who would become Charles II. James II tried to place Catholics into positions of power which led to his overthrow. He did lead a rebellion in the north of Ireland which is still having repercussions even today. And then the final act was the man known as Bonnie Prince Charlie with his invasion of England. So we have never done well with the Stuarts.

[@deanstuart8012]

Thank you for reminding the world that my family were a bit of a disaster. 😉 And as I've posted elsewhere, Gillingham in Dorset is pronounced with a hard G. I believe that THG has been to Dorset (he made reference to Bovington in a previous video) and he may have gotten the pronunciation from here.

[@bigblue6917]

@@deanstuart8012 The Gillingham in Kent is a soft G. We have entertained their football team on more then one occasion. As for the Stuarts, well there is always part of the family no one likes to talk about, the blacksheep as they are referred to. The rest are fine, nice people who you'd be happy to meet. Just do not stand outside Kingston upon Hull and demand entry. We had a Charles Stuart who did that and it ended badly for him.😊

[@KarimDeLakarim]

@@bigblue6917 No you spoiled it for me.Hate it when people do that. I know for a fact where id rather to go on holiday.Suppose i better watch it now.

[@bigblue6917]

@@KarimDeLakarim We were City of Culture last year which was a huge success . When we applied five years ago hardy anyone applied and of those that did only Hull took it seriously. But because it had such a massive impact on the city with millions of people visiting nearly twice as many have applied for the new City of Culture title and all are taking it much more seriously this time. So if you want to come you are very welcome.

[@bigblue6917]

Reading some of the comments I was reminded of a sign in a shop window on an English town near an American air base. it read English Spoken, American understood. Having said that I freely admit that the opposite is probably true and that there are America words I would struggle with.

[@williamthethespian]

Great piece. Saving the twist for last is fantastic.

[@Duncan_Idaho_Potato]

You are a master at this. Absolutely riveting.

[@toroon]

I vaguely remember this from high school history class. Britannia rules the waves? Eventually but not during the battle of Medway. Bad form!

[@AudieHolland]

*toroon01 001* And before the British Empire was created, there was also this minor incident you call the "Glorious Revolution" in which the greatest armada in history up till that time, sailed across from Holland to England and peacefully invaded the British isles and installed Dutch stadtholder Willem III as king of England and Scotland, and North Ireland. He ruled till his death in 1700, during which many Dutch traders, bankers and politicians moved from Holland to England, teaching the British how to built and keep a powerful fleet and how to rule the waves.

[@sirwolfnsuch]

Eventually, the rise of Louis XIV's France meant the Dutch on the mainland could not effectively focus their military (and expansionist) efforts, because attention and money needed to be divided between the army and navy. The Royal Navy, on the other hand, could exert power overseas and guard the borders of the realm simultaniously, and the British were thus more free to dedicate to their naval capabilities.

[@SW-uy1kr]

And now De Ruyter is rememberd in a chocolate sprinkle brand

[@senator1295]

Thank you, you are the consummate professional...knowledgeable and capable

[@michaelfuller2153]

I am enjoying your presentations! I am an "armchair" historian. One of my heroes is...Andrew Ellicott, surveyor during the early days of our country. He could take a sighting on the stars like a mariner and find boundaries on the earth. He, and a small party...including gifted black mathematician, Benjamin Banneker surveyed the 10 x 10 mile site of Washington, D.C. When the Pinckney-Godoy treaty gave Spanish lands over to the new nation, George Washington sent Ellicott to mark the boundary. The stone is still in the woods, about 20 miles North of Mobile, Alabama today. Ellicott was talented at his field, a devoted family man, and a reverent Quaker. When Georgia and North Carolina had a boundary dispute they hired Ellicott. After surveying, he declared that Georgia was claiming land too far North of the line....and Georgia wouldn't pay him!! Thanks again...

[@pastorflaps6819]

Medway is now very rundown the closing of the dockyards has sadly made the town a unpleasant place to go it has a very large imergrant problem and is a hi crime area drugs and alcohol have made a large number of the local community places into no go places it's a dump

[@juststeve5542]

The local council attempting to form a single "Medway" identity from the distinct towns of Strood, Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham hasn't helped either. Old Rochester is still worth a visit before it's too late.

[@RalphReagan]

That's sad

[@AdstarAPAD]

So Medway has been culturally enriched..

[@BrassLock]

+@joe jitsu: Good observation.

[@pastorflaps6819]

@@TheFunkadelicFan I would love to

[@deelarry2137]

Hey good morning HG!

[@27GX76R]

This channel

[@AudieHolland]

The entire text of Kipling's poem. It goes remarkably well set to the British Grenadiers song! If wars were won by feasting, Or victory by song, Or safety found in sleeping sound, How England would be strong! But honour and dominion Are not maintained so. They're only got by sword and shot, And this the Dutchmen know! The moneys that should feed us You spend on your delight, How can you then have sailor-men To aid you in your fight? Our fish and cheese are rotten, Which makes the scurvy grow - We cannot serve you if we starve, And this the Dutchmen know! Our ships in every harbour Be neither whole nor sound, And, when we seek to mend a leak, No oakum can be found; Or, if it is, the caulkers, And carpenters also, For lack of pay have gone away, And this the Dutchmen know! Mere powder, guns, and bullets, We scarce can get at all; Their price was spent in merriment And revel at Whitehall, While we in tattered doublets From ship to ship must row, Beseeching friends for odds and ends - And this the Dutchmen know! No King will heed our warnings, No Court will pay our claims - Our King and Court for their disport Do sell the very Thames! For, now De Ruyter's topsails Off naked Chatham show, We dare not meet him with our fleet - And this the Dutchmen know!

[@thomas316]

New York for Suriname? Fair deal.

[@jdekkers3262]

It was at the time, in case you're being sarcastic based on the knowledge that New York has become the city it is today.

[@kevindegraaff9875]

Eeeeehhh swa eet di roti jonge

[@michaeljhogantoronto]

Small point Pepys is pronounced Peeps. Love the podcast

[@istvansipos9940]

and I thought, I knew every tiny detail about the madness of English pronunciation. :- )) once upon a time, my mother didn't wanna believe me that "one" was like "wun". Names acan be even stranger, I see.

[@michaeljhogantoronto]

@@istvansipos9940 And the British variation of English has peculiarities of pronunciation that are baffling for English speakers who don't happen to be from England.

[@istvansipos9940]

@@michaeljhogantoronto yes. one of my favourites in this respect is Sir David Attenborough. whenever an American (or any other non-Brit) mentions him, the comment section gets full of pronunciation corrections

[@SurfinScientist]

Those sea battles must have been a great spectacle to watch!

[@peterblood50]

Excellent video with a lot of interesting information. I especially liked how you tied the rise and fall of the to nations to the outcome of the battles and their differing economies. Reminds me of the old song "Instanbul". "Even old New York was once New Amsterdam... Why they changed it I can't say, people just liked it better that way."