The balance of sea power in the early modern era: The Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652–1674)

Abstract

The balance of power is among the foundational principles in international relations. This principle, however, has been analysed mostly in relation to land powers on the European continent, while the historiography has failed to appropriately recognize its naval aspect so far. This article compares the English and Dutch sea powers or fleets during the three Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652–1674). Warships or ships of the line were the main instruments of naval warfare, and hence key to any measurements of sea power. Detailed tables of the fleets with the number of warships and guns for the major engagements show the balance of sea power at the time. Attaining and maintaining the balance of (sea) power in the early modern era was not just an abstract idea, but also an interactive process, based on numerical analysis. The author argues that there was a real or naval balance of sea power between the fleets or alliances of fleets; that the balance of sea power was acknowledged in the international alliance treaties; and that the balance of sea power became an element of early modern political discourse.