Capture of Gibraltar

Capture of Gibraltar
Part of the War of the Spanish Succession
Sketch of Gibraltar by an officer of Admiral Rooke's fleet on 1 August 1704
Date 1–4 August 1704[3] Location Gibraltar 36°08′23″N 5°21′14″W / 36.1397°N 5.3539°W / 36.1397; -5.3539 Result Anglo-Dutch victory
Belligerents
England  Dutch Republic[1][2]	Bourbon Spain
Commanders and leaders
George Rooke George Byng	Diego de Salinas
Strength
2,000 63 warships[4][5]	430[6]
Casualties and losses
60 killed 200 wounded[7]	Unknown killed and wounded

Part of a series on the
History of Gibraltar
Prehistory Prehistoric Iberia Neanderthals of Gibraltar Gibraltar 1 Gibraltar 2
Medieval Umayyad conquest of Hispania Al-Andalus Moorish Gibraltar Reconquista First Siege of Gibraltar Second Siege of Gibraltar Third Siege of Gibraltar Fourth Siege of Gibraltar Fifth Siege of Gibraltar Sixth Siege of Gibraltar Seventh Siege of Gibraltar
Early modern Eighth Siege of Gibraltar Ninth Siege of Gibraltar Tenth Siege of Gibraltar Catholic Monarchs Marquisate of Gibraltar War of the Spanish Succession Capture of Gibraltar Twelfth Siege of Gibraltar Treaty of Utrecht Thirteenth Siege of Gibraltar Great Siege of Gibraltar
19th century Royal Calpe Hunt
20th century Military history of Gibraltar during World War II Evacuation of the Gibraltarian civilian population during World War II Operation Felix First sovereignty referendum First constitution Border closure Operation Flavius/Death on the Rock
Modern Gibraltar Second sovereignty referendum Cordoba Agreement, 2006 Second constitution
See also History of nationality in Gibraltar Political development in modern Gibraltar Fortifications of Gibraltar
Timeline
Gibraltar portal
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The capture of Gibraltar by Anglo-Dutch forces of the Grand Alliance occurred between 1 and 4 August 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession.^[3] Since the beginning of the war the Alliance had been looking for a harbour in the Iberian Peninsula to control the Strait of Gibraltar and facilitate naval operations against the French fleet in the western Mediterranean Sea. An attempt to seize Cádiz had ended in failure in September 1702, but following the Alliance fleet's successful raid in Vigo Bay in October that year, the combined fleets of the 'Maritime Powers', the Netherlands and England, had emerged as the dominant naval force in the region. This strength helped persuade King Peter II of Portugal to sever his alliance with France and Bourbon-controlled Spain, and ally himself with the Grand Alliance in 1703 as the Alliance fleets could campaign in the Mediterranean using access to the port of Lisbon and conduct operations in support of the Austrian Habsburg candidate to the Spanish throne, the Archduke Charles, known to his supporters as Charles III of Spain.

Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt represented the Habsburg cause in the region. In May 1704 the Prince and Admiral George Rooke, commander of the main Grand Alliance fleet, failed to take Barcelona in the name of 'Charles III'; Rooke subsequently evaded pressure from his allies to make another attempt on Cádiz. In order to compensate for their lack of success the Alliance commanders resolved to capture Gibraltar, a small town on the southern Spanish coast. Following a heavy bombardment the town was invaded by English and Dutch marines and sailors. The governor, Diego de Salinas, agreed to surrender Gibraltar and its small garrison on 4 August. Three days later Prince George entered the town with Austrian and Spanish Habsburg troops in the name of Charles III of Spain. The Grand Alliance failed in its objective of replacing Philip V with Charles III as King of Spain, but in the peace negotiations Gibraltar was ceded to Britain.