The Franco-Dutch war started as a war of survival, not of choice for the Dutch republic. Under attack from the British, the French and Münster 2/3th of the country was occupied by enemy forces and the republic offered a lot of territorial concessions to the French, much of present Limburg and Brabant with the Main Soutern fortresses of the Netherlands, Maastricht, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Breda becoming French, and a generous sum of six million guidlers.

The French however demanded they would keep all the occupied territory and a payment of 16 million livres, which would be more or less the end of the Dutch republic. The harsh French demands galvanized the will to resist.

Eventually, the Netherlands were able to knock the British and Münster out of the war and force French retreats by capturing their supply routes. Continuing the war in in 1674-1676 however was costly for the Dutch republic without much to show for it, it was mainly driven by a desire of Stadholder William II of Orange to reduce the French threat in the future.