The Dutch War (1672-1678)
Though Louis XIV choose to end the War of Devolution because of the secret treaty that he made, he felt cheated out of his chance for glory. For this reason, Louis declared war on Holland with the support of England on his side. This meant that in 1672 the Dutch Republic faced Louis’ one hundred and twenty thousand regular soldiers and England’s naval fleet, while the Dutch had only thirty thousand men. By 1673, the French took such territories as Maastricht, the Alsatian cities, Trier, and Franche-Comte. In reaction to Louis' rapid advancement, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and Lorraine formed a coalition to stop Louis’ progression. BY 1674, Louis faced four enemies from all sides, deserted by England, and running a financial deficit at home, Louis signed the Treaty of Nijmegen. In this treaty Louis gained the territories of the duchy of Frenche-Comte, parts of Flanders, and Hainault.
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The Dutch War displayed the strength of Louis' standardized forces. The French military advanced so quickly and the Dutch armies could not stop them, so the Dutch had to resort to flooding their lands to prevent the French from advancing further into their territory. The French forces even stood their ground at the face of the Holy Roman Empire's forces. If it had not been for England's and France's economic downturns and the fact that Louis spread his forces so thin, the war would have turned out quite differently. Regardless, Louis still achieved his goal of territorial expansion through the might of his military.