Jenkins ear incident

E462737

The Jenkins ear incident refers to the 1731 maritime confrontation in which Spanish coast guards allegedly severed British captain Robert Jenkins’s ear, an episode later used by Britain as a pretext to declare the War of Jenkins’ Ear against Spain.

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Statements (37)

Predicate Object
instanceOf historical incident
maritime confrontation
chronologicallyPrecedes formal British declaration of war on Spain in 1739
countryInvolved Kingdom of Great Britain NERFINISHED
Kingdom of Spain NERFINISHED
describedBySource British parliamentary records NERFINISHED
contemporary British newspapers
later historical accounts of the War of Jenkins’ Ear
followedBy War of Jenkins’ Ear NERFINISHED
hasAspect alleged mutilation of a British captain
example of using a minor incident as casus belli
symbol of Spanish cruelty in British propaganda
hasCause Spanish efforts to enforce trade restrictions
tensions over trade in the Caribbean
hasEffect increased anti-Spanish sentiment in Britain
parliamentary debates in Britain about war with Spain
used as pretext for the War of Jenkins’ Ear
hasInterpretation possibly exaggerated or mythologized in later retellings
hasLegalAspect dispute over rights of search and seizure at sea
hasLocation Atlantic Ocean NERFINISHED
Caribbean Sea NERFINISHED
off the coast of Spanish Florida
hasPart severing of Robert Jenkins’s ear
hasParticipant British merchant sailors NERFINISHED
Robert Jenkins NERFINISHED
Spanish coast guards
hasSymbol Robert Jenkins’s severed ear
notableFor giving its name to the War of Jenkins’ Ear
role in British war propaganda against Spain
partOf Anglo-Spanish conflicts in the 18th century
pointInTime 1731
relatedTo British colonial trade in the Caribbean
Spanish guarda costa operations
asiento trade disputes
significantPerson Robert Jenkins NERFINISHED
Spanish coast guard commander Julio León Fandiño NERFINISHED
usedAs casus belli for war with Spain

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Battle of Jenkins' Ear (incident) alsoKnownAs Jenkins ear incident