Both fleets were alliances, though of different kinds. England and France were separate national partners, while the Dutch navy drew ships from provincial groups with different ambitions. The two sides therefore faced distinct coordination problems: one between allies and the other within a republic. This institutional contrast helps explain why ship numbers alone did not determine how their fleets acted.
Chapter · 1:44-2:19
Alliance structures before Texel
The Anglo-French coalition joined separate states, while the Dutch Republic's provincial ship-producing groups brought their own ambitions to a common fleet.