The Triple Alliance was signed by the Kingdom of England, the Swedish Empire and the Dutch Republic in May 1668. It was created in response to the occupation of the Spanish Netherlands and Franche-Comté by France. Although Spain and Emperor Leopold were not signatories, they were closely involved in the negotiations.
Sir William Temple, English ambassador in the Hague and driving force behind the Alliance
Antwerp, c. 1645, whose closure in 1648 made Amsterdam the richest port in Europe; keeping it shut brought the Dutch into conflict with France.
Johan de Witt, Grand Pensionary from 1653 to 1672; although the treaty was seen as a Dutch triumph, he recognised the danger of antagonising Louis XIV
HMS St Andrew; launched in 1670 as part of an expansion of the Royal Navy, intended to provide military support for the Triple Alliance
The Swedish Empire was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region. The beginning of the period is usually taken as the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, who ascended the throne in 1611, and its end as the loss of territories in 1721 following the Great Northern War.
Sweden's coat of arms (with erroneous tinctures) on a wall of City Hall at Lützen in Germany.
Triumph of King Charles X Gustav over the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1655
King Charles XI
Charles XII
