Anglo-Spanish War (1762–1763) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anglo–Spanish War (1762–1763) |
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| Part of the Seven Years' War and the Anglo-Spanish Wars | |||||||||
 The Capture of Havana, 1762, Storming of Morro Castle, 30 July, Dominic Serres |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Portugal Filipino rebels |
 Spain France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 John Campbell George Townshend John Burgoyne George Keppel George Pocock George Eliott William Draper Samuel Cornish Dawsonne Drake Count of Lippe Ralph Burton John Gorham Benoni Danks Diego Silang † Gabriela Silang  |
Nicolás de Carvajal Pedro de Bolea Manuel Rojo Simón y Salazar Juan de Prado Pedro de Cevallos José de Velasco Alejandro O'Reilly Luis de Velasco Gutierre de Hevia Simón y Salazar |
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The Anglo–Spanish War was a conflict between Britain and Spain. It was a part of the larger Seven Years' War that involved many countries. This specific war lasted from January 1762 to February 1763. It ended when the Treaty of Paris was signed.
For most of the Seven Years' War, Spain stayed neutral. France tried to get Spain to join their side, but Spain refused. However, as France started losing badly to Britain, Spain's King Charles III decided to join the war. He worried that Britain was becoming too powerful. Spain and France formed an alliance called the "Family Compact." After this, Spain seized British ships and kicked out British merchants. Because of these actions, Britain declared war on Spain.
In August 1762, British forces captured Havana in Cuba. A month later, they also captured Manila in the Philippines. Losing these important colonial cities was a big blow to Spain. It showed that their empire was vulnerable. Meanwhile, between May and November, France and Spain tried to invade Portugal three times. Portugal was a long-time ally of Britain. All three invasions failed, and the invaders suffered heavy losses. Portugal, with a lot of help from Britain, forced them to retreat. In South America, Spain captured one important port, but other small fights there did not change the war's outcome.
When the war ended with the Treaty of Paris, Spain gave Florida and Menorca to Britain. Spain also returned lands in Portugal and Brazil to Portugal. In return, Britain gave Havana and Manila back to Spain. To make up for Spain's losses, France gave Louisiana to Spain. This was agreed upon in the Treaty of Fontainebleau.
Contents
Why the War Started
After Britain and France declared war in 1756, Spain stayed neutral. King Ferdinand VI of Spain's main minister, Ricardo Wall, worked hard to keep Spain out of the conflict. He was against joining France.
However, things changed when King Ferdinand VI died in 1759. His younger half-brother, Charles III of Spain, became king. Charles was more ambitious. He wanted Spain to remain a strong empire in Europe. He was worried about France losing battles to Britain. He thought this would upset the balance of power among European countries.
British leaders saw that France and Spain were working more closely together. They believed it was only a matter of time before Spain joined the war. Some British leaders, like William Pitt, wanted to attack Spain first. They hoped to capture Spain's annual "plate fleet" (ships carrying silver). This would stop Spain from getting money to fight a war. But other British leaders disagreed, and Pitt resigned.
Despite this, war with Spain quickly became unavoidable. By 1761, it looked like France would lose the Seven Years' War. King Charles III worried that a French defeat would make Britain too powerful. So, in August 1761, he signed the "Family Compact" with France. Both countries were ruled by members of the Bourbon family. In December 1761, Spain stopped British trade, seized British goods, and expelled British merchants. In response, Britain declared war on Spain on January 4, 1762.
Battles Around the World
Fighting in Portugal
For Britain, the most urgent issue was Spain's plan to invade Portugal. Portugal was a long-time British ally. Like Spain, Portugal had stayed neutral for most of the war. France convinced Spain to attack Portugal. France hoped this new front would force Britain to send troops away from fighting France.
Spanish forces gathered at the border with Portugal. Britain quickly sent help to their Portuguese allies. They shipped in supplies and officers to help organize the defense. The Spanish plan was to capture the town of Almeida. Then they would move towards Lisbon, Portugal's capital. However, they changed their target to Porto. They thought attacking Porto would hurt Anglo-Portuguese trade more directly.
Spanish troops crossed into northern Portugal from Galicia. They captured several towns. But their advance towards Porto stopped because of difficult land and floods. British troops started arriving that summer. About 6,000 came from Belle Île, and 2,000 more from Ireland. On May 9, Spain captured the border fortress of Almeida. A British-Portuguese counter-attack captured the Spanish town of Valencia de Alcántara.
French forces arrived to help the Spanish. But like their allies, they suffered many losses from disease and soldiers leaving. By November, the French and Spanish had problems with their supplies and communication. They had lost 25,000 soldiers and decided to withdraw. They then asked for peace. Even though many soldiers were involved, there were no big battles.
South American Skirmishes
The Seven Years' War also led to fights between Portugal and Spain in their South American colonies. These fights involved small groups of colonial soldiers. They captured and recaptured remote border areas. The fighting ended without a clear winner. The most important event was when Spanish forces captured the port town of Colonia del Sacramento. This town was important because of its location on the River Plate.
Capturing Havana, Cuba
In June 1762, British forces from the West Indies landed on the island of Cuba. They began to attack Havana. They arrived during the hottest, most sickly time of year. Previous attacks on Spanish forts in tropical areas had failed because of tropical diseases. But the British government hoped for a quick victory. They wanted to surprise the Spanish before they could react.
The British commander, Albemarle, ordered his engineers to dig a tunnel. They planned to place a mine under the walls of the city's fortress. British soldiers started getting sick from disease. But they got a boost when 4,000 more soldiers arrived from North America. On July 30, Albemarle ordered the mine to be set off. His troops then stormed the fortress.
With Havana now under British control, they were ready to attack other Spanish colonies. However, many soldiers were sick in hospitals. For a while, the British focused on controlling Havana. During the year that Britain occupied Havana, trade grew a lot. The port was opened to trade with the British Empire. Before, trade was limited to only one Spanish port, Cádiz.
Central American Operations
In early 1762, William Lyttelton, the British governor of Jamaica, sent an expedition. It went to Spanish Nicaragua up the San Juan River. Their main goal was to capture the town of Granada. The main force, along with about two thousand Miskito Sambu settlers, captured cocoa farms. They also took several villages. Soon after, on July 26, this force attacked the Fortress of the Immaculate Conception. However, the attack was eventually called off. This ended military actions in Central America.
Taking Manila, Philippines
As soon as war was declared with Spain, orders were sent. A British force in Madras, India, was to go to the Philippines and capture Manila. A combined force of 10,700 men left India in late July. They arrived in Manila Bay in September 1762. They had to move quickly before the monsoon season began. On October 6, the British stormed the city. They captured it easily because Spanish resistance was weak. The Archbishop surrendered to prevent more bloodshed.
Spanish forces regrouped under Simon Anda, who had escaped Manila. Diego Silang, a local Filipino leader, started a rebellion against Spanish rule. However, Spanish agents ruined his efforts, and the Spanish eventually stopped the rebellion. The British could not control areas beyond Manila and the nearby port of Cavite. British forces in the region also started to suffer from disease. There were also disagreements among their commanders. This made it harder for them to help Silang.
News of Manila's capture did not reach Europe until after the Treaty of Paris was signed. So, no plans were made about its status in the treaty. During the attack, the Spanish lieutenant governor agreed to pay four million silver dollars. This was called the Manila Ransom. It was in exchange for saving the city from damage. However, the full amount was never paid.
The British expedition did get rich from capturing two Spanish ships. One was the Filipina, carrying American silver from Acapulco. The other was the Santísima Trinidad, captured in a battle off Cavite. This ship carried goods from China. Its cargo was worth $1.5 million, and the ship itself was worth $3 million. The British occupied Manila for twenty months, ending in 1764.
What Happened After the War
Britain was in a very strong position during the peace talks. Over the last seven years of the war, they had captured many territories. They took Canada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, Pondicherry, Senegal, and Belle Île from the French. They also captured Havana and Manila from the Spanish. Only one British territory, Menorca, had been taken by the French. Spain had not captured any British land.
Even though Spain had suffered defeats for a year, they were ready to keep fighting. But their French allies did not want to continue the war. The British leader, Bute, suggested that France give its remaining North American land, Louisiana, to Spain. This would make up for Spain's losses during the war. Spain agreed to this plan. This made it easier for Britain and France to negotiate the peace treaty.
Both France and Spain saw the treaty as a temporary break, not a final peace. William Pitt, a British leader, called it an "armed truce." Britain usually made its military much smaller during peacetime. But in the 1760s, they kept a large military. This was meant to stop France and Spain from starting another war.
Sources
- Anderson, Fred. Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754–1766. Faber and Faber, 2001
- Anderson, Fred and Cayton, Andrew. The Dominion of War: Empire and Liberty in North America 1500–2000. Penguin Books, 2005.
- Anderson, Fred. The War that Made America: a Short History of the French and Indian War. Penguin Books, 2006.
- Browning, Reed. The Duke of Newcastle. Yale University Press, 1975.
- Longmate, Norman. Island Fortress: The Defence of Great Britain, 1603–1945. HarperCollins, 1993
- Rodger NAM. Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649–1815. Penguin Books, 2006.
- N. A. M. Rodger, The Insatiable Earl: A Life of John Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich (London: HarperCollins, 1993)
- Simms, Brendan. Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire. Penguin Books (2008)
See also
In Spanish: Guerra anglo-española (1761-1763) para niños
