The discussion opens with the Navigation Act disputes and the States General's decision to expand the fleet by 150 ships. Dutch leaders expected naval strength to protect commerce, but their admiralties could not turn the authorization into an effective force quickly. Much of the Republic's food and livelihood depended on seaborne trade that passed close to English shores, while England was less exposed to immediate commercial strangulation. This geographical imbalance explains the Dutch diplomat's warning that England was attacking a mountain of gold while the Republic faced one of iron.
Chapter · 3:21-5:02
Commercial rivalry and a clash of strategic assumptions
Commercial tension became strategically dangerous because Dutch trade routes and food supply ran close to an English coast that offered the Commonwealth sheltered anchorages and easy access to them.