Bringing to an End the Three Hundred Thirty-Five Years’ War

Bringing to an End the Three Hundred Thirty-Five Years’ War

      Today marks the anniversary of the end of the Three Hundred Thirty-Five Years’ War, the final peace treaty having been signed on April 17, 1986. It will not be surprising if you are not familiar with this conflict. In fact, the belligerents in the action seem to be unaware that they were at war.

      The Three Hundred Thirty-Five Years’ War is/was alleged to existed between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly, which are off the southwest coast of England at the far western tip of Cornwall. The conflict arose at the end of the English Civil War the “Parliamentarians” being under the control of, amongst others, Oliver Cromwell, they being pitted against the Royalist. In the course of the war, the Royalist army and navy were forced into Cornwall. That fleet in turn was attacking the Dutch Merchant Navy. Ultimately, a representative of the Dutch Navy arrived in Scilly to demand reparations from the Royalist fleet. When the request for reparations was rejected, the representative of the Dutch Navy is alleged to have declared war on the Isles of Scilly. Not long thereafter, the Royalist fleet surrendered to the Parliamentarians and the Dutch Fleet left. However, nobody saw it necessary to address the alleged state of war between the Dutch Republic and the Isles.

      Finally, in 1986, it was realized that there was no formal peace treaty ending the war, even though apparently nobody was really aware that a state of war existed. A peace treaty was signed bringing the “conflict” to a resolution.