Great Siege of Gibraltar
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The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from Britain during the American Revolutionary War. It was the largest battle in the war by number of
The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar John Trumbull, 1789
Martín Antonio Álvarez de Sotomayor Spanish army commander
George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield British Governor of Gibraltar
Panoramic view of Gibraltar under siege from Spanish fleet and land positions in foreground
Treaty of Aranjuez (1779)
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In the Treaty of Aranjuez, Spain agreed to support France in its war with Britain. This was in return for assistance in recovering its former possessions of Menorca, Gibraltar, and Spanish Florida.
Conde de Floridablanca, Chief Minister of Spain 1777–1792
Comte de Vergennes, French Foreign Minister 1774-1781
The Grand Assault, Gibraltar, September 1782; defeat persuaded Spain to end the war