War of Jenkins' Ear

Colonial conflict between Great Britain and Spain, which was fought from 1739 until 1748.

The name relates to Robert Jenkins, captain of a British merchant ship, who lost his ear to the Spanish coast guard in 1731 because of being accused of piracy. In 1739 Jenkins presented his cut-off ear to Parliament in order to give proof of Spanish attacks against the British. This and other incidents lead to a war, which mainly was about the supremacy over the Caribbean and southern North-American colonies.

In 1739 the capture of Porto Bello, a silver-exporting town at the coast of Panama, was a major success over the Spanish, damaging Spain's finances and naval capabilities. The largest action of the war was an attack against Cartagena de Indias in 1741. Inefficient organization, logistical problems and tropical diseases such as the yellow fever lead to a defeat of the British troops. Several other British attacks took place in the Carribean with little consequence.

After 1742 the war merged into the larger War of Austrian Succession involving most of Europe’s powers. Only with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 peace in Europe could be reestablished.

Sources

• Maurer, Michael. Kleine Geschichte Englands. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2007.
• "War of Jenkin's Ear." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. November 9th, 2009 : http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/302562/War-of-Jenkins-Ear.
• "The War of Austrian Succession." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. November 9th, 2009: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44477/War-of-the-Austrian-Succession
• "War of Jenkin's Ear." US History Encyclopedia. November 9th, 2009: http://answers.com/topic/war-of-jenkins-ear.