The Dutch Are Coming

by Geoffrey Trease

First published 1965

Amazon

2.5(5)

Young Londoners face naval alarm and espionage as the Dutch fleet challenges English power. River traffic, dockyards and coastal defences become part of an adventure shaped by the vulnerability of the capital.

The story introduces the commercial and naval causes of the Anglo-Dutch conflict. Trease places ordinary workers and families beside the court of Charles II, showing how war at sea affected food, employment and public confidence.

The naval threat reaches London through trade and employment long before enemy ships are visible from the streets. Dockworkers, merchants and families depend on a maritime economy that war can interrupt almost overnight, while rumours of spies magnify fear.

By placing young protagonists near the river and dockyards, the story connects high strategy with the practical life of the capital. Charles II’s government must defend commerce as well as territory, and the conflict shows why control of shipping and ports became central to Anglo-Dutch rivalry.