THE BATTLE OF TERHEIDE 1653

On 10 August, 1653, the English and Dutch fleets engaged each other in the North Sea during the First Anglodutch War. The conflict was one of the first major foreign policy crises of the new English Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. The English fleet was led by General George Monck, who would later preside over the return of Charles II. The Dutch fleet was commanded by Admiral Maerten Harpertsz Tromp – his flagship the Brederode, the largest vessel in the Dutch fleet, is depicted in the centre of this painting by artist Jan Abrahamsz. The Brederode is firing its cannons at an English ship. The Dutch Republic won the battle but lost its commander Tromp, who was fatally wounded during the engagement.