Let Slip the Clogs of War Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Batavi

The Batavi were famed for their horsemanship, and allied to Rome under the Roman Empire. Given their ability to cross rivers without breaking rank, the Roman army used the Batavi in their campaigns, and were used to this effect in The Battle of the River Medway, under Aulus Plautius against the Cantiaci in AD 43.

The Batavi, though, rebelled against the Roman Empire, and were forced into a humiliating truce that led to a permanent Roman Legion being stationed in their lands.

Answer: The Franks

The Franks were formed by a combination of the Salians, Sugambri, Chamavi, Tencteri, Chattuarii, Bructeri, Usipetes, Ampsivarii and Chatti tribes that spread from Northern Germany, and what is now The Netherlands to conquer Belgium, and Northern Gaul.

Their reign lasted until 843 when The Netherlands became part of the Middle Frankish Kingdom - distant forerunner of Burgundy.

Answer: Spain

The Eighty Years' War - otherwise known as The Dutch Revolt - was fought by the Protestant Dutch Republic against the zealously intolerant Catholic Spain, ruled by Philip II when the war began in 1568. (There was a truce from 1609-21). As the war escalated, the English, French, Huguenots, as well as the German state of Nassau joined the side of the Dutch to defeat the Spanish and Holy Roman Empire.

The result of the war was the start of the full independence of the Netherlands and its removal from the Holy Roman Empire. The Dutch victory also laid the foundations for the establishment of the Dutch Empire.

Answer: The Dutch East India Company

Form the early to mid 17th century, the Dutch East India Company (often rferred to by its Dutch name - Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie and abbreviated VOC), along with the Dutch West India Company in the Caribbean and the Americas - were involved in a long running war with the Portuguese for control of trade in the Pacific, as well as India, the Americas and Africa.

Although the Portuguese remained in control of their African and South American territories, they ended up losing territories in the Far East. As a result, Britain's influence grew in the Far East as well.

The Dutch, though, were unsuccessful in their efforts to take control of the Philippines from the Spanish, whilst they lost control of Taiwan to the Chinese in 1662 from an army commanded by Koxinga.

Answer: The Scilly Islands

During the English Civil War, part of the Royal Navy made its base in the Scilly Islands under the command of Sir John Grenville. As a matter of course, The Dutch declared war on the Scilly Islands, but the Parliamentarian forces under Admiral Robert Blake forced the rebels surrender, and as a result, the Dutch Navy did not see action and forgot to conclude a peace treaty.

It was not until the mid 1980s that it became known that the Dutch were still technically at war with the Scilly Islands. As a result, an official truce was signed on April 17, 1986, some 355 years after war was declared.

(Nevertheless, the notion of a country being at war with only one small part of another country is unusual, to say the least).

Answer: The Commonwealth of England

As Dutch trading influence grew - especially in North America - tensions grew between the Dutch and the Commonwealth of England when the English parliament past the first Navigations Act, controlling trade in the English Channel.

By this time, the Dutch had a strong trading fleet, but weak navy and early successes went the English under Admiral Blake. This changed briefly as the Dutch rebuilt their navy, but as a stalemate grew between the two forces it led to a peace treaty being signed in 1654.

Answer: Sweden

When Charles X of Sweden lost control of Poland - partly to the relief of the port of Danzig by Dutch traders, he decided to invade Denmark to seal off the Baltic and gain control of trade in the area.

As a result, the Dutch sent a fleet to Copenhagen to support the Danish forces against a Swedish siege on the city in 1658, defeating the Swedish navy in the Battle of the Sound.

Answer: The Royal Navy

During the Second Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch navy under the nominal command of Admiral Michiel de Ruyter the Dutch navy, after some early setbacks, successfully attacked the incomplete fort at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, before sailing up the River Medway to attack the Royal Navy at anchor in Chatham.

A number of attempts were made to halt the attack by sinking block ships in the channels and river leading to the dockyard to halt the progress of the Dutch fleet. This however did not stop the Dutch fleet from causing great damage to the Royal Navy, and led to the lose of a number of English ships, along with the capture of the Royal Charles and the Unity.

Answer: The Battle of the Boyne

Having been ousted from the English throne, James II made one last attempt to regain power in Ireland from his rival William III - who had been invited by prominent English Protestants to become king.

Having been crowned King of England - as well as Scotland and Ireland - William III wanted to cement England's control over Ireland, whilst James II wanted Ireland to remain a Catholic stronghold.

Having landed in what is now Northern Ireland, William marched his forces south to take Dublin. James on the other hand set his forces some 30 miles from Dublin at the River Boyne.

The ensuing battle saw James II finally lose control of Ireland as he fled into exile. As a result his former supporters named him Seamus a' chaca (a derogatory Irish name) for deserting them and leaving them to harsh laws imposed on them by the English.

Answer: Yes

During World War 1, The Netherlands were neutral, but maintained a large army to prevent invasion. However, lack of modernisation both during the war and afterwards had dire consequences, as the country was left unprepared, and quickly surrendered during the German invasion of Western Europe in 1940 in an effort to save Dutch towns and cities from destruction.