Battle of the Downs
E14292
The Battle of the Downs was a major 1639 naval engagement in which the Dutch fleet decisively defeated a Spanish armada off the English coast, crippling Spanish sea power.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Battle of the Downs (1639) | 1 |
| Battle of the Downs (land operations context) | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
military conflict
ⓘ
naval battle ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Slag bij de Downs ⓘ |
| belligerent |
Dutch Republic
ⓘ
Spanish Empire ⓘ |
| chronologicalOrderInWar | late phase of the Eighty Years' War ⓘ |
| combatant |
Dutch Republic
ⓘ
Spain ⓘ |
| commander |
Antonio de Oquendo
ⓘ
Maarten Tromp ⓘ |
| conflictOf | Eighty Years' War ⓘ |
| conflictType | fleet action ⓘ |
| countryNear | Kingdom of England ⓘ |
| date | 1639-10-21 ⓘ |
| endDate | 1639-10-21 ⓘ |
| era | 17th century ⓘ |
| fleetCommander |
Antonio de Oquendo
ⓘ
Maarten Tromp ⓘ |
| followedBy | continued Dutch naval dominance in mid-17th century ⓘ |
| hasCasusBelli | ongoing Dutch struggle for independence from Spain ⓘ |
| hasPrimaryTheater | maritime warfare ⓘ |
| historicalRegion | North Sea–English Channel area ⓘ |
| impact |
enhanced Dutch maritime trade security
ⓘ
weakened Spanish ability to supply forces by sea ⓘ |
| involvedNeutralPower | England ⓘ |
| location |
English Channel
ⓘ
surface form:
Downs, English Channel
off the coast of Kent ⓘ |
| militaryBranch | navy ⓘ |
| navalPowerInvolved |
Dutch navy of the Republic
ⓘ
surface form:
Dutch Republic Navy
Spanish Navy ⓘ |
| navalTheater | English Channel ⓘ |
| opponentOf | Spanish armada of 1639 ⓘ |
| outcome | destruction of major Spanish fleet ⓘ |
| partOf |
Anglo-Dutch-Spanish naval operations in the 1630s
ⓘ
Eighty Years' War ⓘ |
| precededBy | earlier Dutch–Spanish naval engagements in the Eighty Years' War ⓘ |
| result | decisive Dutch victory ⓘ |
| significance |
crippled Spanish sea power
ⓘ
marked decline of Spanish naval supremacy ⓘ strengthened Dutch control of sea lanes ⓘ |
| startDate | 1639-10-21 ⓘ |
| tacticalOutcome | large portion of Spanish ships destroyed or captured ⓘ |
| tacticalSituation | Spanish fleet sought refuge in English waters ⓘ |
| usedWeaponType |
cannon
ⓘ
ship of the line ⓘ |
| year | 1639 ⓘ |
Referenced by (6)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Battle of the Downs (land operations context)
this entity surface form:
Battle of the Downs (1639)