St. James's Day Battle
Encyclopedia
The naval St James' Day Battle (also known as the St James' Day Fight), the Battle of the North Foreland
and the Battle of Orfordness
) took place on 25 July 1666 — St James
' day in the Julian calendar
then in use in England (4 August 1666 in the Gregorian calendar), during the Second Anglo-Dutch War
and was fought between fleets of England
, commanded jointly by Prince Rupert of the Rhine
and George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
, and the United Provinces
commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
. In The Netherlands, the battle is known as the Two Days' Battle.
, the leading Dutch politician, Grand Pensionary
Johan de Witt
, ordered Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
to carry out a plan that had been prepared for over a year: to land in the Medway
to destroy the English fleet while it was being repaired in the Chatham dockyards. For this purpose, ten fluyt
ships carried 2,700 marines of the newly-created Dutch Marine Corps, one of the first in history to be specialised in amphibious landings. Also, De Ruyter was to combine his fleet with the French one.
The French, however, didn't show up and bad weather prevented the landing. De Ruyter had to limit his actions to a blockade of the Thames. On the 1st of August, he observed that the English fleet was leaving port - earlier than expected. Then a storm drove the Dutch fleet back to the Flemish coast. On 3 July, De Ruyter again crossed the North Sea, leaving behind the troop ships.
, then turned sharply east to regain the weather gauge and De Ruyter followed to keep it. This proved to be a fatal manoeuvre for the Dutch. They now sailed right into the core of a high-pressure area. The Dutch van, commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Johan Evertsen
, lost all speed and couldn't maintain a line of battle. This awkward situation lasted for hours; then, again, a soft breeze began to blow from the northeast. Immediately, the English van, commanded by Thomas Allin
, and part of the centre formed a line of battle and sailed right to the Dutch van, still in disarray and basically defenseless. Ship after ship of the Frisian fleet was mauled by the combined fire power of the English line. Vice-Admiral Rudolf Coenders was killed. Lieutenant-Admiral Tjerk Hiddes de Vries
had an arm and a leg shot off, yet still tried to bring cohesion to his forces, but to no avail. Unable to reach them with his centre, the horrified De Ruyter saw the Frisian ships drifting to the south, now no more than floating wrecks full of dead, the moans of the dying clearly audible above the other sounds of battle.
Now Rupert combined his full van and centre to deliver the coup-de-grâce to the Dutch centre. George Monck, accompanying Rupert, predicted that De Ruyter would give two broadsides and run, but the latter put up a furious fight on the Dutch flagship De Zeven Provinciën. He withstood a combined attack by Sovereign of the Seas
and Royal Charles
and forced Rupert to leave the damaged Royal Charles for Royal James
. This way, De Ruyter managed to cover the retreat of the Dutch van.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Tromp
, commanding the Dutch rear, had seen the sad events evolve from a great distance. Annoyed by the lack of competence shown, he decided to give the correct example. He turned sharply to the west, crossed the line of the English rear, commanded by Jeremy Smith, separating it from the rest of the English fleet and then, having the weather gauge, kept on attacking it rabidly until, at last, the English were routed and fled to the west. He pursued well into the night, destroying Resolution
with a fireship. After Tromp thrice shot the entire crew from its rigging, Smith's flagship Loyal London
had to be towed home. The vice commander of the English rear was Edward Spragge
, who felt so humiliated by the course of events that he became a personal enemy of Tromp, dying himself while trying to kill his foe in the Battle of Texel
.
on the morning of 26 July. There, to great mutual relief, he discovered the rest of the Dutch fleet.
It took Tromp six hours to gather enough courage to face De Ruyter. It was obvious to him that he should never have allowed himself to get completely separated from the main force. Indeed De Ruyter, not being his usual charitable self, immediately blamed him for the defeat and ordered Tromp and his subcommanders Isaac Sweers
and Willem van der Zaan
from his sight, and told them to never again set foot on De Zeven Provinciën. The commander of the Dutch fleet still hadn't mentally recovered from the events of the previous day.
On the morning of 5 August, after a short summer's night, De Ruyter discovered that his position had become hopeless. Lieutenant-Admiral Johan Evertsen had died after losing a leg, De Ruyter's force was now reduced to about forty ships, crowding together and most of these were inoperational, being survivors of the van. Some fifteen good ships had apparently deserted during the night. A strong gale from the east prevented an easy retreat to the continental coast, and to the west the British van and centre (about fifty ships) surrounded him in a half-circle, safely bombarding him from a leeward position.
De Ruyter was desperate. When his second-in-command of the centre, Lieutenant-Admiral Aert Jansse van Nes
visited him for a council of war, he exclaimed "With seven or eight against the mass!" He then sagged, mumbling: "What's wrong with us? I wish I were dead." His close personal friend Van Nes tried to cheer him up, joking: "Me too. But you never die when you want to!" No sooner had both men left the cabin than the table they had been sitting at was smashed by a cannonball.
The English, however, had their own problems. The strong gale prevented them from closing with the Dutch. They tried to use fire ships, but these, too, had trouble reaching the enemy. Only the sloop Fan-Fan, Rupert's personal pleasure yacht, rowed to the Dutch flagship De Zeven Provinciën to harass it with its two little guns, much to the hilarious laughter of the Dutch crews.
When his ship had again warded off an attack by a fire ship (the Land of Promise) and Tromp still didn't show up, for De Ruyter tension became unbearable. He sought death, exposing himself deliberately on the deck. When he failed to be hit, he exclaimed: "Oh, God, how unfortunate I am! Amongst so many thousands of cannonballs, is there not one that would take me?" His son-in-law, Captain of the Marines Johann de Witte, heard him and said: "Father, what desperate words! If you merely want to die, let us then turn, sail in the midst of our enemies and fight ourselves to death!". This brave but foolish proposal brought the Admiral back to his senses, for he discovered that he wasn't so desperate and answered: "You don't know what you are talking about! If I did that, all would be lost. But if I can bring myself and these ships safely home, we'll finish the job later."
Then the wind, that had brought so much misfortune to the Dutch, saved them by turning to the west. They formed a line of battle and brought their fleet to safety through the Flemish shoals, Vice-Admiral Adriaen Banckert
of the Zealandic fleet covering the retreat of all damaged ships with the operational vessels, the number of the latter slowly growing as it turned out that only very few ships had actually deserted in the night; most had merely drifted away, and now, one after the other, they rejoined the battle.
and the Great Fire of London
, however, combined with his financial mismanagement, left Charles II
without the funds to continue the war. In fact, he had had only enough reserves for this one last battle. The Dutch soon recovered; within a month, they again took sea, but only a minor skirmish resulted. During this later fight, De Ruyter inhaled a burning fuse filament that burnt a fistula
in his throat; he would recover just in time to inflict a severe blow on the English navy in the Raid on the Medway
in 1667, when, at last, he could carry out the plan he was prevented from executing in 1666.
During the weeks that the Dutch fleet was in repair, Admiral Robert Holmes
, aided by the Dutch traitor Laurens van Heemskerck, penetrated the Vlie
estuary, burnt a fleet of 150 merchants (Holmes's Bonfire
) and sacked the town of Ter Schelling (the present West-Terschelling
) on the Frisian island of Terschelling
. Fan-Fan was again present.
In the Republic, the defeat also had far-reaching political effect. Tromp was the champion of the Orangist party; now that he was accused of severe negligence, the country split over this issue. To defend himself, Tromp let his brother-in-law Johan Kievit
publish an account of his conduct. Shortly afterwards, Kievit was discovered to have planned a coup, secretly negotiating a peace treaty with the English king. He fled to England and was condemned to death in absentia; Tromp's family was fined and he himself forbidden to serve on the fleet. In November 1669 a supporter of Tromp tried to stab De Ruyter in the entrance hall of his house. Only in 1672 Tromp would have his revenge, when Johan de Witt was murdered; some claim Tromp has had a hand in this. The new ruler, William III of Orange
, succeeded, with great difficulty, in reconciling De Ruyter with Tromp in 1673.
North Foreland
North Foreland is a chalk headland on the Kent coast of southeast England.North Foreland forms the eastern end of the Isle of Thanet. It presents a bold cliff to the sea, and commands views over the southern North Sea.-Lighthouse:...
and the Battle of Orfordness
Orford Ness
Orford Ness is a cuspate foreland shingle spit on the Suffolk coast in Great Britain, linked to the mainland at Aldeburgh and stretching along the coast to Orford and down to North Wier Point, opposite Shingle Street. It is divided from the mainland by the River Alde, and was formed by longshore...
) took place on 25 July 1666 — St James
Saint James the Great
James, son of Zebedee was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle...
' day in the Julian calendar
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
then in use in England (4 August 1666 in the Gregorian calendar), during the Second Anglo-Dutch War
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo–Dutch War was part of a series of four Anglo–Dutch Wars fought between the English and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries for control over the seas and trade routes....
and was fought between fleets of England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, commanded jointly by Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
and George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
Duke of Albemarle
The Dukedom of Albemarle has been created twice in the Peerage of England, each time ending in extinction. Additionally, the title was created a third time by James II in exile and a fourth time by his son the Old Pretender, in the Jacobite Peerage. The name is the Latinised form of the ancient...
, and the United Provinces
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter is the most famous and one of the most skilled admirals in Dutch history. De Ruyter is most famous for his role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th century. He fought the English and French and scored several major victories against them, the best known probably...
. In The Netherlands, the battle is known as the Two Days' Battle.
Dutch intentions
After the Dutch had inflicted considerable damage on the English fleet in the Four Days BattleFour Days Battle
The Four Days Battle was a naval battle of the Second Anglo–Dutch War. Fought from 1 June to 4 June 1666 in the Julian or Old Style calendar then used in England off the Flemish and English coast, it remains one of the longest naval engagements in history.In June 1665 the English had soundly...
, the leading Dutch politician, Grand Pensionary
Grand Pensionary
The Grand Pensionary was the most important Dutch official during the time of the United Provinces. In theory he was only a civil servant of the Estates of the dominant province among the Seven United Provinces: the county of Holland...
Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt, heer van Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp and IJsselveere was a key figure in Dutch politics in the mid 17th century, when its flourishing sea trade in a period of globalization made the United Provinces a leading European power during the Dutch Golden Age...
, ordered Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter is the most famous and one of the most skilled admirals in Dutch history. De Ruyter is most famous for his role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th century. He fought the English and French and scored several major victories against them, the best known probably...
to carry out a plan that had been prepared for over a year: to land in the Medway
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
to destroy the English fleet while it was being repaired in the Chatham dockyards. For this purpose, ten fluyt
Fluyt
A fluyt, fluit, or flute is a Dutch type of sailing vessel originally designed as a dedicated cargo vessel. Originating from the Netherlands in the 16th century, the vessel was designed to facilitate transoceanic delivery with the maximum of space and crew efficiency...
ships carried 2,700 marines of the newly-created Dutch Marine Corps, one of the first in history to be specialised in amphibious landings. Also, De Ruyter was to combine his fleet with the French one.
The French, however, didn't show up and bad weather prevented the landing. De Ruyter had to limit his actions to a blockade of the Thames. On the 1st of August, he observed that the English fleet was leaving port - earlier than expected. Then a storm drove the Dutch fleet back to the Flemish coast. On 3 July, De Ruyter again crossed the North Sea, leaving behind the troop ships.
First day
In the early morning of 25 July, the Dutch fleet of 88 ships discovered the English fleet of 89 ships near North Foreland, sailing to the north, and pursued it from the southeast in a leeward position, as the wind blew from the northwest. Suddenly, the wind turned to the northeast. The commander of the English fleet, Prince Rupert of the RhinePrince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
, then turned sharply east to regain the weather gauge and De Ruyter followed to keep it. This proved to be a fatal manoeuvre for the Dutch. They now sailed right into the core of a high-pressure area. The Dutch van, commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Johan Evertsen
Johan Evertsen
Johan Evertsen was a Dutch admiral from the 17th century.- Biography :Johan was the eldest surviving son of Johan Evertsen, known as Captain Jan, who died in 1617 fighting near La Rochelle against a French corsair...
, lost all speed and couldn't maintain a line of battle. This awkward situation lasted for hours; then, again, a soft breeze began to blow from the northeast. Immediately, the English van, commanded by Thomas Allin
Sir Thomas Allin, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Allin, 1st Baronet was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service in the English Civil War, and the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars...
, and part of the centre formed a line of battle and sailed right to the Dutch van, still in disarray and basically defenseless. Ship after ship of the Frisian fleet was mauled by the combined fire power of the English line. Vice-Admiral Rudolf Coenders was killed. Lieutenant-Admiral Tjerk Hiddes de Vries
Tjerk Hiddes de Vries
Tjerk Hiddes de Vries was a naval hero and Dutch admiral from the seventeenth century. The French, who could not pronounce his name, called him Kiërkides...
had an arm and a leg shot off, yet still tried to bring cohesion to his forces, but to no avail. Unable to reach them with his centre, the horrified De Ruyter saw the Frisian ships drifting to the south, now no more than floating wrecks full of dead, the moans of the dying clearly audible above the other sounds of battle.
Now Rupert combined his full van and centre to deliver the coup-de-grâce to the Dutch centre. George Monck, accompanying Rupert, predicted that De Ruyter would give two broadsides and run, but the latter put up a furious fight on the Dutch flagship De Zeven Provinciën. He withstood a combined attack by Sovereign of the Seas
HMS Sovereign of the Seas
Sovereign of the Seas was a 17th century warship of the English Navy. She was ordered as a 90-gun first-rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, but at launch was armed with 102 bronze guns, at the insistence of the king...
and Royal Charles
HMS Royal Charles
Two ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Royal Charles, both after King Charles II.* The first Royal Charles was an 80-gun ship of the line, launched as Naseby for the Commonmwealth Navy in 1655, renamed in 1660, and captured by the Dutch in the Raid on the Medway in 1667.* The...
and forced Rupert to leave the damaged Royal Charles for Royal James
HMS Royal James
Several ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Royal James:, a 70-gun second-rate ship of the line launched in 1658 as the Richard, renamed in 1660 when she was reclassed as a first rate, and burnt by the Dutch in 1667., a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line launched in 1671, and burnt in...
. This way, De Ruyter managed to cover the retreat of the Dutch van.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Tromp
Cornelis Tromp
Sir Cornelis Maartenszoon Tromp, 1st Baronet was a Dutch naval officer. He was the son of Lieutenant Admiral Maarten Tromp. He became Lieutenant Admiral General in the Dutch Navy and briefly Admiral General in the Danish Navy...
, commanding the Dutch rear, had seen the sad events evolve from a great distance. Annoyed by the lack of competence shown, he decided to give the correct example. He turned sharply to the west, crossed the line of the English rear, commanded by Jeremy Smith, separating it from the rest of the English fleet and then, having the weather gauge, kept on attacking it rabidly until, at last, the English were routed and fled to the west. He pursued well into the night, destroying Resolution
HMS Resolution
Several ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Resolution. However, the first English warship to bear the name Resolution was actually the first rate Prince Royal , which was renamed Resolution in 1650 following the inauguration of the Commonwealth, and continued to bear that name until...
with a fireship. After Tromp thrice shot the entire crew from its rigging, Smith's flagship Loyal London
HMS Loyal London (1666)
Loyal London was an 80-gun second-rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, launched on 10 June 1666 at Deptford Dockyard with a burthen of 1,236 tons...
had to be towed home. The vice commander of the English rear was Edward Spragge
Edward Spragge
Sir Edward Spragge was an English admiral. His name was also written as Spragg or Sprague.Spragge was a fiery, brilliantly accomplished Irish seaman who fought in many great actions after the restoration of King Charles II in 1660.Spragge was an officer of the Royal Navy who remained loyal to the...
, who felt so humiliated by the course of events that he became a personal enemy of Tromp, dying himself while trying to kill his foe in the Battle of Texel
Battle of Texel
The naval Battle of Texel or Battle of Kijkduin took place on 21 August 1673 between the Dutch and the combined English and French fleets and was the last major battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War, which was itself part of the Franco-Dutch War , during which Louis XIV of France invaded the...
.
Second day
On the morning of 26 July, Tromp broke off pursuit, well-pleased with his first real victory as a squadron commander. During the night, a ship had brought him the message that De Ruyter had likewise been victorious, so Tromp was in a euphoric mood. That abruptly changed upon the discovery of the drifting flagship of the dying Tjerk Hiddes de Vries. Suddenly he feared that his ship was now the only remnant of the Dutch fleet and that he was in mortal peril. Behind him, those ships of the English rear still operational had again turned to the east. In front, the other enemy squadrons surely awaited him. On the horizon only English flags were to be seen. Manoeuvring wildly, Tromp, drinking a lot of gin to restore his nerve, dodged any attempt to trap him and brought his squadron safely home in the port of FlushingFlushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
on the morning of 26 July. There, to great mutual relief, he discovered the rest of the Dutch fleet.
It took Tromp six hours to gather enough courage to face De Ruyter. It was obvious to him that he should never have allowed himself to get completely separated from the main force. Indeed De Ruyter, not being his usual charitable self, immediately blamed him for the defeat and ordered Tromp and his subcommanders Isaac Sweers
Isaac Sweers
Isaac Sweers was a 17th century Dutch admiral.HNLMS Isaac Sweers was Gerard Callenburgh class destroyer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, named after the admiral....
and Willem van der Zaan
Willem van der Zaan
Willem van der Zaan was a Dutch Admiral. His name is often given in the 17th century spelling Zaen.Willem was born in Amsterdam. He joined the Dutch navy at a young age and had risen to the rank of captain by 1652...
from his sight, and told them to never again set foot on De Zeven Provinciën. The commander of the Dutch fleet still hadn't mentally recovered from the events of the previous day.
On the morning of 5 August, after a short summer's night, De Ruyter discovered that his position had become hopeless. Lieutenant-Admiral Johan Evertsen had died after losing a leg, De Ruyter's force was now reduced to about forty ships, crowding together and most of these were inoperational, being survivors of the van. Some fifteen good ships had apparently deserted during the night. A strong gale from the east prevented an easy retreat to the continental coast, and to the west the British van and centre (about fifty ships) surrounded him in a half-circle, safely bombarding him from a leeward position.
De Ruyter was desperate. When his second-in-command of the centre, Lieutenant-Admiral Aert Jansse van Nes
Aert Jansse van Nes
Aert Jansse van Nes was a 17th century Dutch naval commander, notable for commanding the second squadron in the raid on the Medway in 1667....
visited him for a council of war, he exclaimed "With seven or eight against the mass!" He then sagged, mumbling: "What's wrong with us? I wish I were dead." His close personal friend Van Nes tried to cheer him up, joking: "Me too. But you never die when you want to!" No sooner had both men left the cabin than the table they had been sitting at was smashed by a cannonball.
The English, however, had their own problems. The strong gale prevented them from closing with the Dutch. They tried to use fire ships, but these, too, had trouble reaching the enemy. Only the sloop Fan-Fan, Rupert's personal pleasure yacht, rowed to the Dutch flagship De Zeven Provinciën to harass it with its two little guns, much to the hilarious laughter of the Dutch crews.
When his ship had again warded off an attack by a fire ship (the Land of Promise) and Tromp still didn't show up, for De Ruyter tension became unbearable. He sought death, exposing himself deliberately on the deck. When he failed to be hit, he exclaimed: "Oh, God, how unfortunate I am! Amongst so many thousands of cannonballs, is there not one that would take me?" His son-in-law, Captain of the Marines Johann de Witte, heard him and said: "Father, what desperate words! If you merely want to die, let us then turn, sail in the midst of our enemies and fight ourselves to death!". This brave but foolish proposal brought the Admiral back to his senses, for he discovered that he wasn't so desperate and answered: "You don't know what you are talking about! If I did that, all would be lost. But if I can bring myself and these ships safely home, we'll finish the job later."
Then the wind, that had brought so much misfortune to the Dutch, saved them by turning to the west. They formed a line of battle and brought their fleet to safety through the Flemish shoals, Vice-Admiral Adriaen Banckert
Adriaen Banckert
Adriaen van Trappen Banckert was a Dutch admiral. In English literature he is sometimes known as Banckers. His first name is often rendered in the modern spelling Adriaan. Van Trappen was the original family name, but the family was also and better known under the name of Banckert...
of the Zealandic fleet covering the retreat of all damaged ships with the operational vessels, the number of the latter slowly growing as it turned out that only very few ships had actually deserted in the night; most had merely drifted away, and now, one after the other, they rejoined the battle.
Results
The battle was a clear English victory, though the separate clash of the two rears was a victory for Tromp. Dutch casualties were enormous, estimated immediately after the battle at about 5,000 men, compared with 300 English killed; later, more precise information showed that only about 1,200 of these had been killed or seriously wounded. However, the Dutch only lost two ships: De Ruyter had been successful at saving almost the complete van, only Sneek and Tholen struck their flag, and they could quickly repair the damage. The twin disasters of the Great Plague of LondonGreat Plague of London
The Great Plague was a massive outbreak of disease in the Kingdom of England that killed an estimated 100,000 people, 20% of London's population. The disease is identified as bubonic plague, an infection by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted through a flea vector...
and the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
, however, combined with his financial mismanagement, left Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
without the funds to continue the war. In fact, he had had only enough reserves for this one last battle. The Dutch soon recovered; within a month, they again took sea, but only a minor skirmish resulted. During this later fight, De Ruyter inhaled a burning fuse filament that burnt a fistula
Fistula
In medicine, a fistula is an abnormal connection or passageway between two epithelium-lined organs or vessels that normally do not connect. It is generally a disease condition, but a fistula may be surgically created for therapeutic reasons.-Locations:Fistulas can develop in various parts of the...
in his throat; he would recover just in time to inflict a severe blow on the English navy in the Raid on the Medway
Raid on the Medway
The Raid on the Medway, sometimes called the Battle of the Medway, Raid on Chatham or the Battle of Chatham, was a successful Dutch attack on the largest English naval ships, laid up in the dockyards of their main naval base Chatham, that took place in June 1667 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War...
in 1667, when, at last, he could carry out the plan he was prevented from executing in 1666.
During the weeks that the Dutch fleet was in repair, Admiral Robert Holmes
Robert Holmes (admiral)
Sir Robert Holmes was an English Admiral of the Restoration Navy. He took part in the second and third Anglo-Dutch wars, both of which he is, by some, credited with having started. He was made governor of the Isle of Wight, where he is buried in Yarmouth parish church...
, aided by the Dutch traitor Laurens van Heemskerck, penetrated the Vlie
Vlie
The Vlie or Vliestroom is the seaway between the Dutch islands of Vlieland, to its southwest, and Terschelling, to its northeast. The Vlie was the estuary of the river IJssel in medieval times...
estuary, burnt a fleet of 150 merchants (Holmes's Bonfire
Holmes's Bonfire
Holmes's Bonfire was a raid on the Vlie estuary in the Netherlands, executed by the Royal Navy during the Second Anglo-Dutch War on 19 and 20 August 1666 . The attack, named after the commander of the landing force, Rear-Admiral Robert Holmes, was successful in destroying by fire a large merchant...
) and sacked the town of Ter Schelling (the present West-Terschelling
West-Terschelling
West-Terschelling is a village on Terschelling in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has about 2580 citizens.The town was burned by the English Navy in 1666, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, in an event referred to as "Holmes's Bonfire"....
) on the Frisian island of Terschelling
Terschelling
Terschelling is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands.Waddenislanders are known for their resourcefulness in using anything and everything that washes ashore. With few trees to use for timber, most of the farms and barns are built with masts...
. Fan-Fan was again present.
In the Republic, the defeat also had far-reaching political effect. Tromp was the champion of the Orangist party; now that he was accused of severe negligence, the country split over this issue. To defend himself, Tromp let his brother-in-law Johan Kievit
Johan Kievit
Johan Kievit was an Orangist Rotterdam Regent, who may have been one of the instigators of the murder of former Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt, of the Dutch Republic, and his brother Cornelis de Witt on 20 August 1672, together with his brother-in-law, Cornelis Tromp.- Early life :Johan Kievit...
publish an account of his conduct. Shortly afterwards, Kievit was discovered to have planned a coup, secretly negotiating a peace treaty with the English king. He fled to England and was condemned to death in absentia; Tromp's family was fined and he himself forbidden to serve on the fleet. In November 1669 a supporter of Tromp tried to stab De Ruyter in the entrance hall of his house. Only in 1672 Tromp would have his revenge, when Johan de Witt was murdered; some claim Tromp has had a hand in this. The new ruler, William III of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
, succeeded, with great difficulty, in reconciling De Ruyter with Tromp in 1673.