The Capture of Minorca saw the island of

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

(called Minorca by the British) captured from Spain by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

forces acting on behalf of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor the Austrian claimant to the Spanish throne in September 1708 during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

. The British would later annex the island as their own possession at the

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne ...

(1713).

Background

Since 1702 a war had been fought over who would inherit the Spanish throne with Britain and the Dutch supporting the Austrian candidate while France and her allies supported a French candidate. In 1704 the Anglo-Dutch fleet had captured

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

and defeated a Spanish fleet at the Battle of Málaga. Allied forces had also landed in

Catalunya Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

where they captured Barcelona in 1705. The Catalans largely supported the Austrian claimant and many joined the Allied armies.

Landing

Sardinie en Minorca ingenomen, NG-VG-1-1960

On 14 September 1708 an Anglo-Dutch naval force under the command of General James Stanhope landed on the island of Menorca and laid siege to the town of Mahón. Sir Edward Whitaker, with his Admiral's flag in , went to join Sir John Leake in the Mediterranean where he assisted in the capture of Menorca taking Fornelle and

Ciutadella de Menorca Ciutadella de Menorca () or simply Ciutadella is a town and a municipalities of Spain, municipality in the western end of Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands (Spain). It is one of the two primary cities in the island, along with Maó. History ...

. The island's inhabitants were—like most Catalans—pro-Austria, and greeted the British and Dutch soldiers as liberators. A week later the Franco-Spanish garrison surrendered.

Aftermath

Realising the potential of Menorca as a British naval base, the British moved to fully take control of it — and received acknowledgement of this at the

. In the aftermath of the island's capture trade boomed, and the British increased prosperity on the island by spending large amounts rebuilding the island's fortifications. The British occupied the island on and off until 1802 when it was finally handed back to Spain as part of the Amiens Treaty. During that time Menorca became an important part of Britain's security architecture in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

with a major naval base.Chartrand p.13-14

References

Bibliography

* Chartrand, Rene. ''Gibraltar 1779-83: The Great Siege.'' Osprey, 2006. * Rodger NAM. ''Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649-1815''. Penguin Books, 2006. *

Simms, Brendan Brendan Peter Simms (born 1967, Dublin) is a Professor of the history of international relations in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge. Early life Brendan Simms is the son of Anngret and David Simm ...

. ''Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire.'' Penguin Books (2008) {{coord, 39, 53, N, 4, 03, E, type:event_source:kolossus-cawiki, display=title Battles of the War of the Spanish Succession History of Menorca 1708 in Spain 1708 in military history Amphibious operations involving the United Kingdom

Background

Landing

Aftermath

See also

References

Bibliography