The
Treaty of Nonsuch was signed by
Elizabeth I of England and the
Netherlands on
August 20,
1585 at
Nonsuch Palace in
Surrey. England initially agreed to supply 400 horses and 6,500 foot soldiers (then changed to 8,000) (initially intended as a way of lifting the
Siege of Antwerp (1584-1585)), and an annual subsidy of 600,000 florins a year (about a quarter of the annual cost of the revolt). This eventually increased to a commitment of 1,000 horse and 6,350 foot. As a surety for this assistance, the Dutch were to hand over
Ostend,
Brill and
Flushing to England. This provoked the objection of
Zeeland, which was to lose the most by this measure. In addition, the treaty provided for an English governor-general of the rebel provinces.
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester was granted this post.
The treaty was provoked by the signing of the
Treaty of Joinville in 1584 between
Philip II of Spain and the Catholic League in France in which Philip II promised to finance the League.
Philip II took the treaty as a declaration of war against him by Elizabeth. Three years later he launched the
Spanish Armada in an attempt to invade and conquer England. The resources spent by Philip on the Armada (10 million ducats) undoubtedly divirted significant resources from fighting the
Dutch revolt at the time. Around 110 million ducats were spent on the partially successful campaign against the resurgent revolt.
See also
Category:1585 in lawCategory:1585 in EuropeCategory:1585 in EnglandCategory:16th century in EnglandCategory:History of SurreyNonsuchNonsuchCategory:Tudor EnglandCategory:Articles lacking sources (Erik9bot)Category:16th-century treatieses:Tratado de Nonsuchfr:Traité de Sans-Pareilnl:Verdrag van Nonsuch 
