17th Century History Help Needed!?

Question:My question is....

In the Seventeenth Century, how did England and the Dutch Republic compete successfully with France and Spain for control of overseas territory and trade?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: My question is....

In the Seventeenth Century, how did England and the Dutch Republic compete successfully with France and Spain for control of overseas territory and trade?

First they needed the best ships possible, and at this stage of history they were competing against the Spanish and their treasure fleets which were extremely well built. To compete for territory, the best examples to look at are the possession of the West Indian islands during this time. You will see that many of them changed who was their ruling mother country several times. Take over something smaller and then you have the assets that came with the island. These islands were also part of peace negotiations between these competing countries and were traded sometimes.
I hope this helps!