The Battle of Cape St. Vincent was one of the opening battles of the Anglo-Spanish War (1796–1808), as part of the French Revolutionary Wars, where a British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated a greatly superior Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba y Ramos near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal.

The Anglo-Spanish War was fought between 1796 and 1802, and again from 1804 to 1808, as part of the Coalition Wars. The war ended when an unexpected alliance was formed between both countries when the alliance was signed between Great Britain and the Spanish Bourbon dynasty, when Napoleonic France invaded Spain in the French invasion. The Anglo-Spanish alliance eventually ended in military victory against Napoleonic France, instrumental in ending Napoleon's reign and dominance over Europe.