Battle of Cádiz (1702)

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Battle of Cádiz

Part of the War of the Spanish Succession

Date	August 23 - September 29, 1702
Location	Cádiz, Spain
Result	Spanish victory

Combatants

Spain

England
United Provinces

Commanders

Francisco de Villadarias

George Rooke
James, Duke of Ormonde
Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt

Strength

300 infantry
150 cavalry

50 ships
14,000 infantry

Casualties

Unknown

War of the Spanish Succession
Carpi – Chieri – Cremona – Luzzara – Cádiz – Málaga – Friedlingen – Vigo Bay – Höchstädt - Schellenberg – Blenheim – Cassano – Calcinato – Ramillies – Turin – Almansa – Toulon – Oudenarde – Malplaquet – Saragossa – Almenara – Brihuega – Villaviciosa – Denain – Barcelona

The Battle of Cádiz was a siege of the Spanish city of Cádiz in 1702 by an Anglo-Dutch fleet and army in the War of the Spanish Succession. It reached Cadiz August 23, 1702 and besieged it for about a month. The city was successfully defended by the Marquis of Villadarias with less than 500 men.

[edit] The battle

In July 1702 a large Anglo-Dutch fleet under the command of George Rooke and James, Duke of Ormonde was sent to capture Cadiz, and thus gain a naval base near the Mediterranean. Petty squabbling between the commanders, and difficulty landing the troops, allowed the Count of Fernán Núñez to reach the citadel in time with a smattering of reinforcements. Villadarias's light cavalry, the famous Spanish jinetes, were deployed to excellent effect, exploiting the terrain to harass the English and impede their advance. Anglo-Dutch abuses infuriated the civilian population, and the seemingly hopeless defence of the city took on the character of a popular crusade against the Protestant aggressors.[1]

The Anglo-Dutch fleet, meanwhile, boasting 25 ships of the line, was unable to reduce Cádiz's outer defences. After a month of vain fighting the English and Dutch withdrew and set sail for Lisbon.

[edit] Aftermath

The English and Dutch had to retreat, but heard on the way home that a Spanish treasure fleet from America, escorted by a French fleet, had anchored in the bay of Vigo. Rooke compensated for the greater part the failure at Cádiz by recovering £14,000 worth of silver at the Battle of Vigo Bay.

Rooke would go on to capture Gibraltar two years later, ostensibly in the name of "Charles III of Spain," although this distinction would become less clear to the British over the course of peace negotiations.