Attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1706)
| date | November 5-6 , 1706 |
|---|---|
| place | Santa Cruz de Tenerife ( Tenerife , Canary Islands , Spain ) |
| output | Withdrawal of all Royal Navy ships |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
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| Troop strength | |
| 13 ships, 800 cannons | 4,000 militiamen, 70 cannons |
| losses | |
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high |
low |
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In the course of the Spanish War of Succession , a squadron of the English Navy attacked the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife on November 6, 1706 under the then Rear Admiral John Jennings . The attackers saw themselves forced to give up their attack due to violent resistance to the defenses on land.
History of the attack
The 1706 attack is one of many attacks on the Canary Islands over the centuries. It differs from most other attacks in the number of ships involved and the intent of the attackers.
The attack is also viewed in the context of other attacks on the territory of the Kingdom of Spain in the War of the Spanish Succession. (e.g. Cadiz, Gibraltar, Menorca) The War of the Spanish Succession arose around the successor to Charles II, the last Spanish king from the House of Habsburg . While France viewed the grandson of Louis XIV Philip of Anjou as the legitimate heir to the throne, England supported Archduke Karl , the second son of Emperor Leopold I.
Cadiz and Vigo 1702
In August 1702, a fleet of 30 English and 20 Dutch ships under the command of Admiral George Rooke tried to conquer the port of Cádiz . One aim was to destroy the part of the Spanish and French fleet that was in port; it was not achieved. Another goal was to get the population to recognize the Habsburg pretender Charles. To this end, Georg von Hessen-Darmstadt (1669–1705) , who was present at the event, brought out appeals to the population.
In the naval battle of Vigo on October 23, 1702, an Anglo-Dutch fleet under Admiral Sir George Rooke and Philipp van Almonde defeated a Spanish-French fleet under the command of François Louis Rousselet de Château-Renault and Manuel de Velasco. During this action no attempts were made to influence the population.
Gibraltar 1704
In August 1704, an Anglo-Dutch fleet of seventy ships under the command of Admiral George Rookes brought a landing force of 1,800 English and Dutch marines ashore. The troops were under the command of Georg von Hessen-Darmstadt (1669–1705) , who, after the successful conquest as governor, took over command of the fortress and city of Gibraltar in the name of the Habsburg pretender Archduke Karl . Since Karl could not send additional troops to defend Gibraltar, Georg von Hessen-Darmstadt asked Queen Anne of England to take Gibraltar under British protection. The formal transition to the British Crown did not take place until the Peace of Utrecht in 1713.
Attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Situation in Santa Cruz
The port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was a bay (Bahia) open to the east. The urban area was partly closed off from the sea by a wall and partly by a rampart, which were, however, interrupted by the numerous barrancos. This fortification extended from the Barranco Hondo in the south to the Castillo de Paso Alto in the north. Within this complex were the Castillo San Juan in the south, the Castillo San Cristóbal as the command center in the middle and the Castillo de Paso Alto directly on the cliff in the north. A crew of artillerymen was constantly stationed in the Castillos. Between these castillos there were numerous baterías (gun posts ) which were occupied by militiamen in the event of an alarm .
In the Anaga Mountains, which is located northeast of the city of Santa Cruz and in Castillo San Andrés, almost on the northeast tip of the island, observation posts were constantly in use, which provided signals about the ship movements off the coast, so that suspicious constellations in Santa Cruz or alarms could be raised across the island. In the event of an alarm, militia troops were also drawn from La Laguna and other parts of the island in Santa Cruz.
Course of the attack
On the afternoon of November 5, 1706, the alarm was given in Santa Cruz de Tenerife because the observation stations in the Anaga Mountains had discovered about ten ships that could possibly also be Spanish merchant ships on their way to America. But you wanted to be sure and gave the alarm. Troops were mobilized in the town and port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In the evening around 4,000 militiamen occupied the city's fortifications. The three fortifications were fully operational due to the full occupation of artillerymen and other militiamen. In addition, cavalry troops had come from La Laguna to repel landing operations. At dawn on November 6th, 13 ships could be made out. It was the English flagship "Binchier" with 70 cannons and twelve other ships with at least 60 cannons each. Around eight o'clock they approached the little pier in Santa Cruz. They appeared suspicious to the occupation of Santa Cruz, even though they were flying the French flag, as if they belonged to the party of King Philip V, who came from France. (The population of the Canary Islands had recognized Philip V as the successor to the late King Charles II.) After a while, the ships lowered the flags and hoisted the blue flags of the English Mediterranean fleet. (At that time John Jennings was Rear Admiral of the Blue = Rear Admiral of the English Mediterranean Fleet). This change of flag led to the fact that the population of Tenerife remembered this attack under the name The Invasion of the English Squadron with the Blue Flag .
The English ships launched 37 rowing boats, which moved towards the beach. Thereupon the fortifications on land opened fire, which the English ships returned. The exchange of fire lasted about two hours. This led to damage to the ships, which could also be seen from land. The row boats were withdrawn. Jennings now turned to negotiations. He had a rowboat launched with a white flag on it. Some officers should deliver a letter to the defense attorney commanding officer. After the parliamentarians were blindfolded on the beach, they were taken to the Castillo San Cristobal. Since the Captain General of the Canary Islands, Agustín de Robles y Lorenzana, was at a court session in Gran Canaria , the Corregidor José de Ayala y Rojas led the defense. In the letter to the commanding officer of the Spanish defenders, Jennings wrote that he had been sent to the Canary Islands to combat French ships. He was not an enemy of the Spaniards and his ships would have opened fire without his instruction. He then went into the fact that the Habsburg heir to the throne, the Jennings as King Charles III. said that he was gaining more and more followers on the mainland and that all Spaniards who would recognize him as king would also be under his protection. José de Ayala then, after a consultation with the most important authorities of the island present in the Castillo San Cristóbal, formulated a letter in which it said that for him Philip V was the Spanish king and that even if the king's enemies were on the mainland Got the upper hand, the islands would be loyal to him.
Rear Admiral Jennings had to realize that he could neither attack the port and the city of Santa Cruz nor induce negotiations to turn the population over to the side of the Habsburg pretender. He withdrew with his ships from the Bahia de Santa Cruz. When the general captain of the Canary Islands, Agustín de Robles y Lorenzana, who had been informed of the attack in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, returned to Santa Cruz de Tenerife on November 9th, he was able to raise the alarm, since there was apparently no danger of one new attack existed.
Consequences of the military action
The English fleet cruised off the coast of Tenerife for another day and then returned to rejoin the Anglo-Dutch armada, which was off the coast of the Spanish peninsula. This rather unsuccessful mission had no impact on the career of - at the time - Rear Admiral of the Blue Sir John Jennings. He rose to Lord of the Admiralty .
King Philip V paid tribute to the bravery and loyalty of the citizens of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the island in a letter dated December 28, 1706. The event was taken up again after the British attack of 1797 in the title given to the place by King Charles III. was awarded: Muy Noble, Leal, Invicta y Muy Benéfica Ciudad, Puerto y Plaza de Santa Cruz de Santiago de Tenerife (Very noble, loyal, undefeated and very blessed city, port and place of the Holy Cross of Saint James of Tenerife) and in the coat of arms, which shows three lion heads, immortalized as a symbol for the victory over the English / British attackers of 1657 , 1706 and 1797 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Antonio Rumeu de Armas: Piraterías y Ataques Navales contra las Islas Canarias . Volume III, part 1.1. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto Jerónimo Zurita, Madrid 1950.
- ↑ César-Javier Palacios: Orígenes de la ciudad de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1494-1750). (PDF; 144 kB) Archived from the original on May 12, 2013 ; Retrieved March 8, 2012 (Spanish).
- ↑ José de Viera y Clavijo: Noticias de la historia general de las islas de Canarias. 1783, Retrieved December 27, 2012 (Spanish).
literature
- Antonio Rumeu de Armas: Piraterías y Ataques Navales versus Islas Canarias . Volume III, part 1.1. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto Jerónimo Zurita, Madrid 1950, p. 221 ff .
- Alejandro Cioranescu: Historia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1494-1803 . 2nd Edition. tape I . Confederación Española de Cajas de Ahorro, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1998, ISBN 84-7985-063-9 (Spanish).
- Alejandro Cioranescu: Historia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1494-1803 . tape II . Confederación Española de Cajas de Ahorro, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 1998, ISBN 84-7985-064-7 (Spanish).
- José de Viera y Clavijo: Noticias de la historia general de las islas de Canarias . Four. Blas Román, Madrid 1783 (Spanish).
Web links
- José de Viera y Clavijo: Noticias de la historia general de las islas de Canarias. 1783, Retrieved December 27, 2012 (Spanish).
- Antonio Rumeu de Armas: Piraterías y Ataques Navales versus Islas Canarias. ULPGC, accessed December 28, 2012 (Spanish).