Treaty of Westminster (1654)
The Treaty of Westminster, concluded between the Lord Protector of the English Commonwealth, Oliver Cromwell, and the States General of the United Netherlands, was signed on 5/15 April 1654. The treaty ended the First Anglo-Dutch War (1652–1654). The treaty is otherwise notable because it is one of the first treaties implementing international arbitration as a method of conflict resolution in early modern times. A secret clause, obliging the States of Holland to enact the Act of Seclusion, played an important part in Dutch internal politics during the First Stadtholderless Period.
Old Palace Yard, Westminster Palace, by Thomas Malton
English commissioner John Lambert
Dutch commissioner Hieronymus van Beverningh
The Act of Seclusion
States General of the Netherlands
The States General of the Netherlands is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague.
States General of the Netherlands
The Great Assembly of the States General in 1651.
The Binnenhof, seat of the Staten-Generaal
The Trêveszaal, where the Council of the Ministers takes place every week and foreign delegations are received