Posted
April 17, 2014
This
is an odd story!
“Peace
at last, peace at last!” one might sing as 335 years of war were
finally ended on this date in 1986.
Except
not a single shot was fired during this “war”! Some say that the
war lasted this long because there was never a peace treaty (until
1986) – but others ask if there ever really was a
declaration of war, in the first place
I'm
all for bloodless wars, but I got to wondering what this was all
about, especially when I heard that the war was between the
Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly. And I knew that the Isles of
Scilly were part of the United Kingdom.
 |
| The Isles of Scilly, looking much more tropical than they really are! |
So...the
Dutch and the English waged a bloodless war for 355 years? Weirder
and weirder.
It
turns out that this “war” was declared as the result of a REAL
war—a bloody one—the Second English Civil War. In England, the
Royalists (supporters of the king) and the Parliamentarians (also
called the “Roundheads,” with the military led by Oliver
Cromwell) were fighting for power and control of the nation. The
Dutch wanted to keep their alliance with England so decided to back
the side that they thought would win: the Parliamentarians.
And
the Dutch were right; the Parliamentarians did win.
In
1648, the Royalists had lost the mainland and had retreated to the
Isles of Scilly. These islands are located in the English Channel,
off the coast of Cornwall.
 |
| I love Dutch names. This is Admiral Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp. |
The
Dutch navy had suffered heavy losses from the Royalist navy, so in
1651 Admiral Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp went to Scilly, where the
Royalist navy was now headquartered, and he demanded reparation
(money repaid for the Dutch ships and goods destroyed or taken).
Apparently
Tromp was told “no,” because he declared war on the Isles of
Scilly.
And
the letter announcing that Tromp had declared war on behalf of the
Netherlands was signed on this date (April 17) in 1651.
Remember,
even though the isles belonged to England, the Dutch were allies of
the group that at that point ruled England, and the isles were under
the rule of the defeated English forces.
Soon
after Tromp declared war, the Parliamentarians forced the Royal fleet
to surrender. The Isles of Scilly were then ruled by the Brits that
were the allies (friends) of the Dutch, so Tromp and the rest of the
Dutch ships left without firing a shot.
The
problem is, they ALSO never bothered to declare peace or sign a peace
treaty.
 |
| The unofficial flag of the Isles of Scilly |
 |
| The flag of the Netherlands |
I wonder why the flags
are so similar!?!
Apparently,
for the past few centuries, stories told have been told and retold,
stories that claimed that the Isles of Scilla were still at war with
the Netherlands. These stories began to be looked on as myths, and in
1985 a historian from the Isles of Scilly wrote to the Dutch Embassy
in London to try to prove that the “war” didn't, in fact, exist.
However, when the Embassy looked into the facts, the Dutch decided
that the “myth” was true. So the British historian invited the
Dutch ambassador to come to the islands and sign a peace treaty. They
decided to sign it on April 17 so that the “war” was exactly 335
years long.
The
Ambassador joked that it must have been so terrible to live in Scilla
during those three centuries, knowing “we could have attacked at any moment.”
(By
the way, some historians argue that Tromp did not have a commission
from his government to declare war on the Isles of Scilly, and
despite the fact that he SAID he declared war, he hadn't really
because he couldn't.)
Also
on this date:
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ahead:
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out my Pinterest boards for:
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