What was the notorious Medway raid

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Q.� The Dutch They're usually our allies.

A.� Not in the 1660s. The Dutch were efficient traders, and competing fiercely with Britain in shared waters for the trade that was the lifeblood of both nations.� In dispute were the East and West Indies, the Mediterranean. King Charles II had a huge navy - 109 large and 30 smaller vessels carrying 21,000 men and 4,200 guns - and decided to finish off the Dutch competition once and for all. Instead, he was humiliated.

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Q.� How

A.� The war went well to begin with. First main engagement was the Battle of Lowestoft on 13 June, 1665. The Dutch, under Admiral Opdam, were resoundingly defeated by the English under James, Duke of York. Sixteen Dutch ships were sunk, nine captured and over 2,000 men, including the Dutch admiral, were killed.

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Q.� The Dutch had revenge

A.� On 12 June, 1667. Part of it was due to England's poor financial state.

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Q.� Explain.

A.� Taxation was high to pay for the war. The Great Fire of London (click here for an account of that) crippled the yield of taxes and many dockyard workers were not being paid for several years. In the winter of 1666, the Government actually laid up the fleet at its principal dockyards - including Chatham, on the Medway - and relied upon two small squadrons and coastal defences.

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Q.� A wise decision

A.� No. The coastal defences of the Medway in 1666 were almost non-existent. Upnor Castle's blockhouse had fallen into decay. On 27 February, the King and the Duke of York visited nearby Sheerness and made plans to build a strong fort to guard the mouth of the Medway. A chain was also placed across the Medway to stop enemy ships. Other plans were - but nothing was done by early June, when the Dutch fleet, led by Admiral de Ruyter, appeared in the Thames estuary.

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Q.� Their action

A.� The Dutch captured a fort on Sheerness and landed on the Isle of Sheppey. The English strengthened their Medway defences by sinking ships in the river to impede the enemy ships' progress.

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Q.� Did that work

A.� No. On 12 June, the Dutch broke through he chain at Gillingham, captured the British ship Unity and destroyed the Charles V and Matthias. Most humiliatingly, the Royal Charles - pride of the Royal Navy - was captured. Enemy troops went ashore to plunder Gillingham. The next day, the English fleet was further ravaged and three other great ships, the Royal James, Royal Oake and Loyal London, were sunk or burned.

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The next day, the Dutch calmly sailed back up the river, towing their prizes behind them, leaving much of the rest of the English fleet. The captured ships were taken back to Amsterdam where to this day, the royal arms from the Royal Charles are displayed in the Rijksmuseum.

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Diarist John Evelyn later called the invasion: 'A dreadful spectacle as ever Englishmen saw and a dishonour never to be wiped off!'

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By Steve Cunningham