Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Dedication
- List of Illustrations
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 The Route to War, 1738–1739
- 2 Mobilisation and the Outbreak of War, June–October 1739
- 3 The Opening Moves, October 1739–January 1741
- 4 The Widening War and the Fall of Sir Robert Walpole, January 1741– February 1742
- 5 Shifting Focus, the Growth of the Continental Commitment, February–December 1742
- 6 The Continental Commitment, January 1743–February 1744
- 7 War with France and Crisis of the Worms Policy, February 1744–December 1744
- 8 Rebellion and the End of the Flanders Policy, January–December 1745
- 9 Europe and America: the Critical Balance, January–December 1746
- 10 Newcastle’s War: the End in Europe and America, January 1747–October 1748
- 11 Conclusion: The Peace and British Naval Power
- Bibliography
- Index
1 - The Route to War, 1738–1739
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 March 2023
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Dedication
- List of Illustrations
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 The Route to War, 1738–1739
- 2 Mobilisation and the Outbreak of War, June–October 1739
- 3 The Opening Moves, October 1739–January 1741
- 4 The Widening War and the Fall of Sir Robert Walpole, January 1741– February 1742
- 5 Shifting Focus, the Growth of the Continental Commitment, February–December 1742
- 6 The Continental Commitment, January 1743–February 1744
- 7 War with France and Crisis of the Worms Policy, February 1744–December 1744
- 8 Rebellion and the End of the Flanders Policy, January–December 1745
- 9 Europe and America: the Critical Balance, January–December 1746
- 10 Newcastle’s War: the End in Europe and America, January 1747–October 1748
- 11 Conclusion: The Peace and British Naval Power
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
On Tuesday 23 October 1739 heralds made their way from St James Palace to the Royal Exchange to proclaim King George II's declaration of war upon Spain. Bells peeled out across the City and the stocks which had been languishing on Exchange Alley began to rise. Preparations for war had commenced in June, but the British ministry was not united on the wisdom of the war. The King and his First Lord of the Treasury, Sir Robert Walpole, only reluctantly came to accept the need for war. Walpole is famously said to have commented on hearing the bells peeling out across London that they now ring their bells, but they will soon wring their hands. In the end, neither George II nor Walpole could resist the popular logic of war: that British sea power would make the war swift, cheap, relatively bloodless and have an positive impact on British power and reputation that would transform Britain's place in the world.
These expectations were exaggerated. Sea power did not bring Spain to a quick or humiliating peace. By 1741 Britain was engaged in a far bigger War of Austrian Succession, which entailed a major commitment of land and sea forces in European campaigns. By 1744 France and Britain were at war and the conflict entered a critical phase as fears of French invasion and a dangerous Jacobite rebellion diverted British efforts to home defence. By the beginning of 1748 the original Anglo-Spanish dispute seemed to have faded into insignificance.
The navy recorded some remarkable achievements. Vice Admiral Vernon's capture of Porto Bello in 1739 became the first truly popular imperial conquest. Commodore George Anson's circumnavigation of the world (1740–1744) and his capture of a rich galleon off the Philippines, was applauded and admired. Anson's and Hawke's two victories against French squadrons, called the First and Second Battles of Finisterre (May and October 1747) demonstrated that the Royal Navy was capable of catching and beating its enemies. However, this was intermixed with many failures that undermined public faith in the navy and naval power. Furthermore, the long-term impact of the naval blows was limited. Just as after the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1713), French colonial trade recovered and flourished.
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- The Emergence of Britain's Global Naval SupremacyThe War of 1739-1748, pp. 9 - 28Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2010