Het slagveld van Europa. De rol van de Spaanse Nederlanden in de internationale politiek van Engeland (1665-1668)

While much of the research on the internatinal policy of Restoration England argues that England was a client of France under Louis XIV's rule. Instead this research argues that the Restoration regime practiced a pragmatic policy regarding other nations and had a vested interest in the preservation of the Spanish Netherlands. This thesis wishes to reevaluate the English position in international politics, by researching the neglected relations between representatives from England and the Spanish Netherlands and the development of the English attitude regarding the Spanish Netherlands in particular in the run-up to and during the war of Devolution (1665-1668). An in depth-analysis of the personal dispatches in the State Papers Flanders and a comparison of the attitudes of the different representatives and their governments gives us insight in the development of the English diplomacy towards the Spanish Netherlands. The English attitude towards the Spanish Netherlands shifted from an exploitative to a protective one, regarding the Southern Netherlands as a barrier against expansionist France.Masterproef voor het behalen van de graad van Master in de Geschiedenis aan de Universiteit Gent. Promotor: Prof. Dr. René Vermeir Commissarissen: Dr. Klaas Van Gelder & Prof. Dr. Arjan Zuiderhoekstatus: Published onlin