Invasion of Minorca
Encyclopedia
The island of Minorca
in the Mediterranean Sea
has been invaded on numerous occasions. The first recorded invasion occurred in 252 BC, when the Carthaginians
arrived. The name of the island's chief city, Mahón
(now Maó), appears to derive from their language, Punic
. The name of the island is of Latin origin, and dates from after the Roman
conquest, led by Quintus Caecilius Metellus in 123 BC.
The island was briefly subsumed under the Vandal kingdom of Africa around 427, but it was eventually reconquered by the Romans and incoporated in the Byzantine Empire
. It was an obscure province increasingly outside the sphere of Byzantine influence for the next four centuries. Around 859 a Viking
incursion destroyed or damaged many Byantine churches. In 903 the island was invaded by the Emirate of Córdoba, resulting in the introduction of Islam and renewed contacts with the Iberian peninsula. The taifa of Minorca
, the last Muslim state on the island, accepted the authority of the Crown of Aragon
in 1231–32, and was finally conquered in 1287–88; its Muslim population being either ransomed or enslaved. The island came under attack from the Ottoman Empire
in 1535, when Mahón was sacked
, and again 1558, when Mahón again and also Ciutadella were sacked
.
During the War of the Spanish Succession
, the island was taken by the French in 1707 with no military action, but in 1708 it was captured by the British
, whose sovereignty was recognised in the Treaty of Utrecht
(1713). The French returned in 1756, beating the British at sea
, and capturing Fort St Philip. In 1763, at the end of the Seven Years' War
, the French ceded the island back to Britain. During the American Revolutionary War
, the French sided with Spain and invaded Minorca in 1781. It was a part of Spain until being reconquered by the British
in 1798, during the French Revolutionary Wars
. Britain handed Minorca back to Spain under the Treaty of Amiens
(1802), having chosen to keep Malta
as a Mediterranean base instead.
During the Spanish Civil War
, the island was loyal to the Republic, but was captured by the Nationalists
in 1939.
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
has been invaded on numerous occasions. The first recorded invasion occurred in 252 BC, when the Carthaginians
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
arrived. The name of the island's chief city, Mahón
Mahon
Mahón is a municipality and the capital city of the Balearic Island of Minorca , located in the eastern part of the island. Mahon has the second deepest natural harbor in the world: 5 km long and up to 900m. wide...
(now Maó), appears to derive from their language, Punic
Punic language
The Punic language or Carthagian language is an extinct Semitic language formerly spoken in the Mediterranean region of North Africa and several Mediterranean islands, by people of the Punic culture.- Description :...
. The name of the island is of Latin origin, and dates from after the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
conquest, led by Quintus Caecilius Metellus in 123 BC.
The island was briefly subsumed under the Vandal kingdom of Africa around 427, but it was eventually reconquered by the Romans and incoporated in the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. It was an obscure province increasingly outside the sphere of Byzantine influence for the next four centuries. Around 859 a Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
incursion destroyed or damaged many Byantine churches. In 903 the island was invaded by the Emirate of Córdoba, resulting in the introduction of Islam and renewed contacts with the Iberian peninsula. The taifa of Minorca
Taifa of Menorca
The Taifa of Menorca was a medieval taifa kingdom, which existed from 1228 until 1287, when the Kingdom of Aragon conquered it.-Sources:* http://web.raex.com/~obsidian/taifa.html...
, the last Muslim state on the island, accepted the authority of the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
in 1231–32, and was finally conquered in 1287–88; its Muslim population being either ransomed or enslaved. The island came under attack from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1535, when Mahón was sacked
Sack of Mahon
The Sack of Mahon occurred in 1535, when Hayreddin Barbarossa attacked the harbour of Mahon in the Balearic Islands.The expedition followed closely the defeat of Barbarossa in the Conquest of Tunis by Charles V. Barbarossa had escaped Tunis, and boarded his fleet in Bône.In Mahon, Barbarossa took...
, and again 1558, when Mahón again and also Ciutadella were sacked
Ottoman invasion of the Balearic islands (1558)
An Ottoman raid of the Balearic islands was accomplished by the Ottoman Empire in 1558, against the Spanish Habsburg territory of the Balearic islands.-Background:...
.
During the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, the island was taken by the French in 1707 with no military action, but in 1708 it was captured by the British
Capture of Minorca (1708)
The Capture of Minorca saw the island of Minorca captured from Spain by British-Dutch forces acting on behalf of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor the Austrian claimant to the Spanish throne in September 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession...
, whose sovereignty was recognised in the Treaty of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...
(1713). The French returned in 1756, beating the British at sea
Battle of Minorca
The Battle of Minorca was a naval battle between French and British fleets. It was the opening sea battle of the Seven Years' War in the European theatre. Shortly after Great Britain declared war on the House of Bourbon, their squadrons met off the Mediterranean island of Minorca. The fight...
, and capturing Fort St Philip. In 1763, at the end of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
, the French ceded the island back to Britain. During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the French sided with Spain and invaded Minorca in 1781. It was a part of Spain until being reconquered by the British
Capture of Minorca
In November 1798 a British expedition captured the island of Minorca from Spain. A large force under General John Stuart landed on the island and forced its Spanish garrison to surrender in eight days with only some bloodshed...
in 1798, during the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. Britain handed Minorca back to Spain under the Treaty of Amiens
Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
(1802), having chosen to keep Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
as a Mediterranean base instead.
During the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, the island was loyal to the Republic, but was captured by the Nationalists
Battle of Menorca
The Battle of Menorca took place in Menorca between the 4 and 9 February 1939 during the Spanish Civil War.-Background:After the fall of Catalonia, the island of Minorca, the only Balearic island held by the Republic, was isolated from the Republican held territory...
in 1939.
List of invasions
- Sack of MahónSack of MahonThe Sack of Mahon occurred in 1535, when Hayreddin Barbarossa attacked the harbour of Mahon in the Balearic Islands.The expedition followed closely the defeat of Barbarossa in the Conquest of Tunis by Charles V. Barbarossa had escaped Tunis, and boarded his fleet in Bône.In Mahon, Barbarossa took...
(1535) - Ottoman invasion of the Balearic islands (1558)Ottoman invasion of the Balearic islands (1558)An Ottoman raid of the Balearic islands was accomplished by the Ottoman Empire in 1558, against the Spanish Habsburg territory of the Balearic islands.-Background:...
- Capture of Minorca (1708)Capture of Minorca (1708)The Capture of Minorca saw the island of Minorca captured from Spain by British-Dutch forces acting on behalf of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor the Austrian claimant to the Spanish throne in September 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession...
- Battle of MinorcaBattle of MinorcaThe Battle of Minorca was a naval battle between French and British fleets. It was the opening sea battle of the Seven Years' War in the European theatre. Shortly after Great Britain declared war on the House of Bourbon, their squadrons met off the Mediterranean island of Minorca. The fight...
(1756) - Siege of Fort St Philip (1756)
- Invasion of Minorca (1781)
- Capture of MinorcaCapture of MinorcaIn November 1798 a British expedition captured the island of Minorca from Spain. A large force under General John Stuart landed on the island and forced its Spanish garrison to surrender in eight days with only some bloodshed...
(1798) - Battle of MenorcaBattle of MenorcaThe Battle of Menorca took place in Menorca between the 4 and 9 February 1939 during the Spanish Civil War.-Background:After the fall of Catalonia, the island of Minorca, the only Balearic island held by the Republic, was isolated from the Republican held territory...
(1939)
External links
- Historia de Menorca, menorca.org- accessed 2007-12-17