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, signed by Charles's sister Henrietta-Anne, 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. When, in 1674, Charles assured Parliament that there were no secret clauses in the treaty, it was observed that his hand shook. Suspicions of his sincerity were an important factor in allegations of a Popish plot in 1678.

J. A. Cannon

Dover, Treaty of made in 1670 between Charles II and Louis XIV; there were in fact two treaties, in the second and secret one of which Charles promised to declare himself a Catholic in return for a French subsidy.