Battle of Cape Passaro 1718
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 11 August 1718 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1718 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | Italy | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | War of the Quadruple Alliance | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Spain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 36.6869, 15.1483 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Cape Passaro (also known as the Battle of Avola or Battle of Syracuse) was fought on 11–12 August 1718 off Cape Passaro between a British fleet under Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Byng and a Spanish fleet under Lieutenant-general José Antonio de Gaztañeta during the War of the Quadruple Alliance. Fought off the southern tip of Sicily, which Spanish forces had invaded and occupied earlier that year, the battle proved to be the most significant event of the entire war.
Though Britain and Spain were at peace when the battle was fought the British were already committed to supporting the Italian ambitions of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, which included driving the Spanish out of Sicily. The battle was fought without a formal declaration of war but once the Spanish fired on the nearest British ships,this gave Byng his excuse to attack. The outnumbered Spanish fleet suffered a decisive defeat, losing seven ships of the line and six frigates in a single day; several more Spanish warships were scuttled by their crews off the Sicilian coast. The Spanish army in Sicily was isolated, and four months later the War of the Quadruple Alliance was formally declared.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Cape Passaro (revision 1381039283), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Syracuse (1710) 1710 · 44 km
- Siege of Syracuse (827–828) 827 · 44 km
- Siege of Syracuse (311–309 BC) 311 BC · 44 km
- Siege of Syracuse (278 BC) 278 BC · 44 km
- Battle of Syracuse (868) 868 · 44 km
- Siege of Syracuse (877–878) 877 · 44 km
Other battles of the War of the Quadruple Alliance
Browse more: battles in Italy · Europe · Early modern battles