Battle of the Downs 1639
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 21 October 1639 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1639 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Nearest landmass | At sea (nearest continent: Europe) | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Eighty Years' War, Thirty Years' War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Dutch Republic, Hispanic Monarchy | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 51.2000, 1.5000 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of the Downs took place on 21 October 1639 (New Style), during the Eighty Years' War. A Spanish fleet, commanded by Admiral Antonio de Oquendo, was decisively defeated by a Dutch force under Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp. Victory ended Spanish efforts to re-assert naval control over the English Channel and confirmed Dutch dominance of the sea lanes, while it is also alleged to be the first major action to feature line of battle tactics.
The battle was initiated when Spanish chief minister Olivares sent a large convoy of troops and supplies for the Army of Flanders, escorted by some 50 warships. Since 1621, Spanish naval activity in the Channel had focused on avoiding direct conflict with the superior Dutch fleet, while attacking their merchant ships from privateering bases in Dunkirk and Ostend. In a change from this policy, Oquendo was ordered to deliver the reinforcements but also bring the Dutch to battle; Olivares hoped victory would restore Spanish prestige and force the States General to negotiate peace terms.
The Spanish entered the Channel on 11 September and were intercepted by the Dutch in a series of actions between 16 and 18 September.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of the Downs (revision 1381328694), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Eighty Years' War
- Battle off Lizard Point 1637
- Siege of Breda (1637) 1637
- Siege of Venlo (1637) 1637
- Battle of Cabañas 1638
- Battle of Kallo 1638
- Action of 18 February 1639 1639
- Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1641) 1641
- Battle of San Salvador (1641) 1641
- Battle of San Salvador (1642) 1642
- Attack on Saint Martin 1644
All 110 battles of the Eighty Years' War →
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