War of Jenkins' Ear

Historical eventNovember 201739

War of Jenkins' Ear

War of Jenkins' Ear: A British naval force arrived at the settlement of Portobello in the Spanish Main, capturing it the next day.

Everything on November 20Original source
Photo: Isaac Basire · Public domain

In context

When
Friday, November 20 1739287 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
18th century · 1730s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

The Gregorian calendar was in use in Catholic Europe from 1582, but Britain and its colonies kept the Julian calendar until 14 September 1752 — sources from those places may date this event 10–11 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: 1739-10-22 – 1748-10-18.

Place: Province of Tierra Firme.

Type: war.

Key figures / parties: Kingdom of Spain, Kingdom of Great Britain, Spain, and Mosquitia.

What came before

Part of: War of the Austrian Succession.

Background While the conflict is often portrayed as a trade dispute, modern historians argue Spanish concerns over British colonial expansion in North America were equally important. [ 1 ] They also suggest a decisive factor in the path to war was the campaign by the Tory opposition, who sought to remove the Whig government led by Robert Walpole , Prime Minister since 1721. [ 2 ] The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht gave British merchants access to markets in Spanish America,

Catalyst / how it started

Linked causes: Jenkins's Ear.

Timeline

Follows: Anglo-Spanish War of 1727–1729. Followed by: Anglo-Spanish War.

What happened

The War of Jenkins' Ear was fought between Great Britain and Spain from 1739 to 1748. Most of the fighting took place in New Granada and the Caribbean Sea, with major operations over by 1742. It is considered a related conflict of the 1740 to 1748 War of the Austrian Succession.

November 20 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1739War of Jenkins' Ear
  2. 1994Angola
  3. 1994Lusaka Protocol
  4. 1996Garley Building fire
  5. 1998Taliban
  6. 1998Zarya (ISS module)
  7. 2003November 15
  8. 20032003 Istanbul bombings
  9. 2015Radisson Blu Bamako attack
  10. 2016Jimmie Johnson
  11. 20222022 FIFA World Cup

Also in 1739

  • September 9Stono RebellionThe Stono Rebellion, at the time the largest slave rebellion in the Thirteen Colonies of British America, erupted near Charleston, South…
  • February 23HighwaymanThe identity of English highwayman Dick Turpin was uncovered by his former schoolmate, who recognised his handwriting, leading to Turpin'…

Everything we record for 1739 →

Sources

Cite this page

“War of Jenkins' Ear”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/war-of-jenkins-ear-1739-november-20, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did War of Jenkins' Ear happen?

November 20 1739 — 287 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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