treaty of Dover

Dover, treaty of, 1670. Louis XIV's attack upon the Dutch in 1667 had been halted by the Triple Alliance of Holland, Sweden, and England. To prepare for a decisive victory, Louis needed to smash the alliance and in 1669 began negotiations with Charles II. The treaty of May 1670 pledged the two powers to a joint attack on the Dutch and not to make a separate peace. A secret clause committed Charles to declaring himself a catholic and Louis to providing him with an army if disaffection followed. Suspicions of Charles's sincerity were an important factor in allegations of a Popish plot in 1678.