Holmes's Bonfire in Second Anglo-Dutch War

Date: August 19, 1666 • Location: West-Terschelling, Netherlands

Second Anglo-Dutch War: Rear Admiral Robert Holmes leads a raid on the Dutch island of Terschelling, destroying 116 to 160 merchant ships, an act later known as "Holmes's Bonfire".

The Second Anglo-Dutch War began on 4 March 1665 and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Breda on 31 July 1667. It was the second in a series of naval wars fought between England and the Dutch Republic and it was driven largely by commercial rivalry, competition over maritime trade, and disputes over overseas colonies and trading posts.