On This Day In History: British Forces Captured Gibraltar – On August 3, 1704

AncientPages.com - On August 3, 1704, British forces captured Gibraltar from the Spanish and managed to keep it today and for a long time of more than 300 years.

A British Man of War before the Rock of Gibraltar. Image credit: Thomas Whitcombe - Berger Collection - Public Domain

Gibraltar was considered one of the most important strategic points in the entire world.

Gibraltar had been in Spanish hands for over 240 years when they took it from Muslim forces in 1462. After the British took Gibraltar from the Spanish in 1704, Spain formally ceded it to Britain under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

Nevertheless, The Spanish made several attempts to retake Gibraltar from Britain, most notably in a protracted but unsuccessful military siege from 1779 to 1783.

Gibraltar has suffered sieges throughout history due to its strategically important location. The British who captured it on this day were part of a coalition of countries united against the Spanish.

In 1830 Gibraltar became a British crown colony. The opening of the Suez Canal (1869) heightened British determination to keep possession of Gibraltar since the Mediterranean was the main route to Britain's colonies in East Africa and southern Asia.

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