In 1664 Fort Orange surrendered to British forces and New Amsterdam (now known as New York) became a British possession.
On the 3rd of June 1621 the Dutch West-India Company was established and the mouth of the Hudson river became their main trading post. They bought Manhattan from Native Americans for 60 guilders (around £660 in today’s money). The settlement in the area grew and on the 2nd of February 1652 New Amsterdam officially became a city.
After the First Anglo-Dutch War (1652 – 1654) England established itself as a superior naval power over the Dutch. Charles II was invited back to England shortly after the death of Oliver Cromwell and the former republic of England was once again under a Monarch and hostilities between the Dutch and Britain grew once more.
On the 27th of August 1664 Britain increased the hostilities when four of their frigates sailed into the Dutch harbour of New Amsterdam and demanded the whole of New Netherlands surrender. The Dutch Director General of New Netherlands, Peter Stuyvesant, ceded the land to the invaders and on the 6th of September 1664 his lawyer, Johannes de Decker, was sent to sign the signed the official articles of Capitulation giving control of New Netherlands to the British. Decker travelled to Fort Orange (named after the Dutch house of Orange) on the 10th of September giving word of the British invasion and attempting to rally troops against them. But their planned uprising was unsuccessful and British troops were soon at the fort demanding its surrender. on the 24th of September 1664 Fort Orange surrendered to British forces removing the last Dutch stronghold in the area.
On the 12th of June 1665 Britain renamed set up government in the area and legally changed the entire area of New Netherland to New York, after King Charles II brother, the Duke of York (who would become King James II).
On the 4th of March 1665 the Second Anglo-Dutch War began and while the Dutch had created a new fleet supported by new trade roots the British were under much more financial constraints. In 1665 the Great Plague of London took a massive toll on the war effort and killed 100,000 Londoners. Further to this on the 2nd of September 1666 the “Great Fire of London” broke out and raged for three days. This again took a huge financial toll on the UK and led to the majority of the Capitals residents being made homeless. The Dutch were victorious in the second Anglo-Dutch War and the defeat led to more favourable terms for the Dutch in the Treaty of Breda.
Under the Treaty of Breda, Great Britain was allowed to keep the captured territory of New York while the Dutch would retain many of the lands they had claimed from the British including the island of Run and North Maluku.
During the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672 – 1674) New York briefly became under Dutch rule once more and its name returned to New Amsterdam. But with the English Victory and the signing of the Treaty of Westminster signed on the 19th of February 1674 New York was again in English control.
