The Dutch Republic was very successful economically and militarily around 1650. The Dutch were a highly respected nation in Europe due to the power they held over trade routes during the mid-17th century. Subsequently, the Dutch Republic began to decline due to wars initiated by power-hungry competing nations, growing internal problems, and deteriorating trade in the latter part of the 17th century. Having witnessed the rise of the Dutch Republic to become a dominant controller of European trade, other countries in the area were eager to share in the success, even if it meant using force. According to Document 3, England attacked the Dutch in three Anglo-Dutch Wars between 1652 and 1674. Compared to the five hundred English ships seized by the Dutch, the English took approximately two thousand Dutch ships. This loss to Dutch merchant shipping would not be easily recoverable. It is clear from the battle markers shown in Document 1 that many English battles for economic influence occurred near trade routes. Everyone was desperate for a chance to get into a profitable trade. France even allied itself with England in the Treaty of Dover (Document 6) so that “the allied sovereigns [could] then jointly declare war on the Dutch Republic…” As an official treaty, Document 6 is a clear vision of the true and blatant violent intentions of other nations to eliminate the power of the Dutch Republic to increase their own. It was a strategic partner to eliminate the Dutch before they absorbed all the trading power: a victory for England and France. At the Amsterdam City Council, people were obviously biased towards the Dutch side of the war. However, their opinion that “the other kings seem more and more to be plotting how to ruin… half of the paper… on the one hand with the decline of trade due to war and on the other with the citizens, angry that their taxes had to fight wars. Economic problems made raising finance for the war desperate, while internal conflicts constantly strained the fragile central government. The Dutch Republic suffered a steady decline after 1650. Although their nascent trading power in Amsterdam was exceptional both for them and for Europe, other countries saw that power as a potential threat. Seeking to exploit some of that trade for their own use, nations such as England and France banded together to wage a devastating war against the Dutch Republic. They damaged their morale and their wallets. Trade declined as battles wore out Dutch merchant ships and devastated trading roots. With repeated military defeats, the commercial economy with damaged roots and the accumulation of debts, it was impossible for the Dutch to maintain success.