War of the Quadruple Alliance

The War of the Quadruple Alliance, from 1718 to 1720, was a conflict between Spain and a group of countries including Austria, Great Britain, France, and Savoy. Later, the Dutch Republic also joined the group. The fighting mostly happened in Sicily and Spain, with some smaller battles in North America. One related event was the Jacobite rising of 1719 in Scotland.

Spain wanted to get back lands they lost in the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, so they sent soldiers to Sicily in July 1718. In response, on August 2, Austria, France, Britain, and Savoy formed the Quadruple Alliance. Just days later, on August 11, the Royal Navy won a big battle against the Spanish at the Battle of Cape Passaro. By October 1719, Austrian forces had taken back Sicily, and British troops attacked and captured the city of Vigo. This led Spain to agree to peace talks.

The war ended with the Treaty of The Hague (1720), which returned lands to how they were before 1717. As part of the agreement, Savoy and Austria swapped the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.

Background

The War of the Quadruple Alliance began after the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession. This peace treaty made Spain give up Sardinia to Austria and Sicily to Savoy. The king of Spain, Philip V, wanted these islands back. He was born in France and was supported by his chief minister, Cardinal Giulio Alberoni, and his wife, Elisabeth Farnese, who came from Parma.

The Peace of Utrecht also said Spain could never join with France or Austria, and Philip gave up any claim to the French throne. But when some people in the French royal family died, Philip became the next in line to be king of France. This made other countries nervous. The emperor of Austria, Charles VI, also did not like some agreements. Because of these worries, Britain and France made an alliance in 1716 to make sure the peace terms were followed. They also joined with the Dutch Republic in 1717 to form the Triple Alliance. This alliance wanted Spain and Austria to agree not to join their countries together. But Spain did not like this and decided to try to take back Sicily and Sardinia, since Savoy and Austria did not have strong navies to defend these islands.

War

Outbreak

In August 1717, Spanish soldiers landed on Sardinia and took control of the island by November. Austria was busy fighting another war, and France and the Netherlands were recovering from their own battles, so they did not stop Spain. Talks to make peace failed, and in June 1718, a British navy ship group arrived in the Western Mediterranean to watch things. Spain felt stronger after winning Sardinia, so in July 1718, they sent 30,000 soldiers to Sicily. But things had changed. Austria made a peace deal with the Ottoman Empire and joined Britain, France, and the Dutch in an alliance called the Quadruple Alliance, starting the war.

After capturing Palermo in July, part of the Spanish army laid siege to Messina, while another group took the rest of the island. On August 11, a British navy group led by Sir George Byng defeated the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Cape Passaro. A small Austrian army arrived near Messina to help, but they lost the First Battle of Milazzo on October 15 and could only hold a small area around Milazzo.

In 1718, a man named Cardinal Alberoni tried to change the leader of France, but his plan was discovered. He was sent away, and France declared war on Spain. By December 1718, France, Britain, and Austria were all fighting Spain. The Dutch joined them in August 1719.

San Sebastián

Main article: Siege of San Sebastián (1719)

In April 1719, a French army led by the Duke of Berwick invaded western parts of Spain. They successfully besieged San Sebastián and entered northern Catalonia. Some local leaders supported the French and wanted them to stay. Spain tried to fight back by sending soldiers to Brittany in France, but they found little support and left.

Sicily

In Sicily, the Austrians began another attack. They lost the Battle of Francavilla in June 1719. But the Spanish were blocked by the British navy, so their supplies ran low. The Austrian leader, Count Claude Florimond de Mercy, won the second Battle of Milazzo, took Messina in October, and began besieging Palermo.

Invasion of Britain

Main article: Jacobite rising of 1719

In early 1719, a man named the Duke of Ormonde, supported by Spain, planned to invade Britain and put James Stuart on the throne instead of King George I. However, his ships were scattered by a storm near Galicia in March 1719 and never reached Britain. A small group of Spanish soldiers landed near Eilean Donan but were defeated there and later at the Battle of Glen Shiel. Support for their cause faded away.

Vigo

Main article: Capture of Vigo

To respond to the invasion attempt, Britain planned to attack the Spanish coast. A group of ships gathered and, led by Lord Cobham and George Wade, captured Vigo and moved inland, taking the towns of Redondela and Pontevedra in October 1719. This surprised Spain and showed they were vulnerable to attacks from the sea.

North America

The French captured the Spanish town of Pensacola in Florida in May 1719, preventing a Spanish attack on South Carolina. Spanish soldiers took Pensacola back in August 1719, but the French captured it again later that year and destroyed it before leaving.

By 1719, Spain had expanded their control in North America up to Los Adaes, near the French post at Natchitoches. A French attack on Los Adaes found only two Spanish soldiers there. French troops from Mobile attacked Spanish areas in Texas, and all Spanish missions north of San Antonio were abandoned.

In February 1720, a Spanish force from Cuba tried to capture the British town of Nassau in the Bahamas. After taking much loot, they were driven away by local defenders.

Peace

Main article: Treaty of The Hague (1720)

After being unhappy with how his army performed, King Philip removed a leader named Alberoni in December 1719. He then signed a peace agreement with the other countries involved called the Treaty of The Hague on February 17, 1720.

In this treaty, Philip had to give up all the lands his country had taken during the war. But, it was agreed that his third surviving son could become the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza after the death of his uncle, Antonio Farnese, who had no children. France gave back some areas in northern Spain and a place called Pensacola in return for trade advantages. Also, Victor Amadeus II had to swap Sicily for the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was considered less important.

Legacy

The War of the Quadruple Alliance showed something unusual in the 1700s: Britain and France were friends and fought together. This happened between 1716 and 1731. Later, Spain joined with France in the Bourbon Compact, and they became enemies of Britain again. Spain also got back the Kingdom of Naples during the 1733 to 1735 War of the Polish Succession.