Menorca taken by the English

In September 1706 the Allied fleet supported the uprisings of the people of Ibiza and Mallorca to proclaim Charles king of Spain. Once the Bourbons capitulated, the fleet withdrew to winter in Atlantic ports.

The following month, the Menorcans were debating between two options: wait for the arrival of the Allied fleet or get up themselves. They opted for the second, the uprising led by Juan Miguel Saura and Morell had broad support such as municipal authorities, some aristocrats, almost all the clergy, liberal professionals, artisans and peasants. The governor, Pérez de Nueros, took refuge in the castle of San Felipe, which was not subdued and continued to receive supplies from Sardinia and the south of France.

In January 1707, the French fleet, under the command of the Count of Villars, recaptured Mahon and soon after the rest of the municipalities surrendered without a fight. Two months later, in the face of a new revolt, the new governor, Diego Leonardo Davila, dismissed the municipal authorities, replacing them with Bourbons, whom he rewarded with confiscated goods and property from Carlos’ supporters. On the other hand, he began a crackdown with death sentences and galleys, exiles and confiscations of property; as well as the abolition of city privileges.

In these days, England got Carlos to sign a trade agreement. The British government, apart from the Dutch, decided to repay its investments in the conflict. The treaty contained the concession of the seat of blacks, the same as Philip V had granted to the French with the difference that in this the king of Spain and the government would have no share, and concessions to English trade as an exemption from the payment of consumer rights in Spain, facilities for commercial traffic with Morocco and Spain, direct trade with America on equal terms with Spanish traders, being able to send ten ships of five hundred tons annually and, finally, the creation of a Company formed by traders of both countries. Carlos took six months to sign the agreement, at the request of Vienna, considering such concessions excessive; however, on July 10, 1707, he would sign it because he needed the help of the English fleet to win the war.

On September 14, 1708, two Allied fleets from Sardinia and Catalonia, commanded by Leake and Stanhope, took Menorca without any resistance and with the support of the population. Fifteen days later, the castle of San Felipe capitulated. Stanhope restored the island’s privileges, which would be ratified by Charles a year later, and appointed positions among the Austracists who supported the landing. Queen Anne of England, convinced of Mahon’s commercial advantages, sent a fleet to spend the winter there.

During the remaining years of the war, a heated argument broke out between England and Charles over the sovereignty of Menorca. In fact, there were two governments: one in Ciudadela, presided over by Josep Izaguirri, appointed by Carlos from Barcelona; and another at Mahon, presided over by Louis Petit, Stanhope’s right-hand man.

Published by Jorge Díaz in “Historia de España”.