The Cautionary Towns were three strategic Dutch towns which, under the 1585

Treaty of Nonsuch A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, conventio ...

, were held by English troops as security for assistance provided by

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

against

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. They included Brill (Brielle) in Holland and Flushing (Vlissingen) and Fort Rammekens on the nearby island of

Walcheren Walcheren () is a region and former island in the Dutch province of Zeeland at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Eastern Scheldt in the north and the Western Scheldt in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus. The two ...

. The bases were returned to the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

in 1616.

Background

English and Scottish volunteers serving with the Dutch Protestants against Spain helped capture

Brill Brill may refer to: Places * Brielle (sometimes "Den Briel"), a town in the western Netherlands * Brill, Buckinghamshire, a village in England * Brill, Cornwall, a small village to the west of Constantine, Cornwall, UK * Brill, Wisconsin, an un ...

, Rammekens and Flushing in 1572 and garrisoned them soon after. When the Anglo-Spanish War began in 1585, it was important to keep these strategic ports out of Spanish hands. In the

, the Dutch effectively ceded control of the three towns to

as security for her assistance and it was agreed that England would garrison them at its own expense. Elizabeth's favourite,

Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester (19 November 1563 – 13 July 1626), was an English courtier, soldier, and landowner. He was chamberlain to Anne of Denmark. Family background Robert Sidney was the second son of Sir Henry Sidney, was ...

was made governor of Flushing in 1588, with Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, appointed governor of Brill; he was succeeded by Sir Edward Conway who named his daughter Brilliana in honour of the town. When the 1604 Treaty of London ended the Anglo-Spanish War, the Spanish demanded the Cautionary Towns be returned to them but the English refused.

Philip III of Spain Philip III (; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain and King of Portugal, Portugal (where he is known as Philip II of Portugal) during the Iberian Union. His reign lasted from 1598 until his death in 1621. He held dominion over the S ...

eventually conceded the point, having decided their neutrality permitted him to gain access to the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

. This presented a threat to the Dutch and when it became apparent the 1609

Twelve Years' Truce The Twelve Years' Truce was a ceasefire during the Eighty Years' War between Habsburg Spain, Spain and the Dutch Republic, agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609 and ended on 9 April 1621. While European powers like Kingdom of France, France began tre ...

would not be renewed, they sought to recover the towns; with James I unwilling to recall

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

and thus short of funds, the Dutch ambassador was authorised to offer up to £250,000 for their purchase. In May 1616, they agreed a price of £213,000. During the

Third Anglo-Dutch War The Third Anglo-Dutch War, began on 27 March 1672, and concluded on 19 February 1674. A naval conflict between the Dutch Republic and England, in alliance with France, it is considered a related conflict of the wider 1672 to 1678 Franco-Dutch W ...

in 1672, when a combined attack by

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

and

Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

brought the Dutch close to defeat, Charles demanded the permanent cession of Brill, Flushing and Sluys to England. However, the Dutch rejected these terms and their position soon recovered.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cautionary Towns 1585 in England Eighty Years' War (1566–1609) Tudor England 1585 in law Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) 1585 in the Dutch Republic