The 335-Year War Nobody Remembered

In 1651, during the English Civil War, the Royalist navy retreated to the Isles of Scilly, a tiny archipelago off the southwestern tip of England. The Netherlands, allied with the Parliamentarians, declared war on the Isles of Scilly specifically — not England, not the Royalists, but these five small islands.

The Royalists surrendered to the Parliamentarians shortly after, and everyone moved on. But nobody ever signed a peace treaty with the Dutch. The declaration of war was simply... forgotten.

For 335 years, the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly remained technically at war. No shots were fired. No troops were deployed. No demands were made. Both sides had completely forgotten about it.

In 1985, Roy Duncan, chairman of the Isles of Scilly Council and an amateur historian, wrote to the Dutch Embassy in London to joke about the old declaration. To his surprise, the Embassy took it seriously. They researched the claim, confirmed that no peace treaty had ever been signed, and agreed that the two parties were, technically, still at war.

On April 17, 1986, the Dutch ambassador Rein Huydecoper traveled to the Isles of Scilly and signed a formal peace treaty, ending 335 years of "hostilities." He reportedly joked that it must have been terrifying for the Scillonians to know the Dutch could have attacked at any moment.

The event made international news, and the islands still commemorate the signing. It remains the longest war in recorded history — and by far the most peaceful.