Nootka Crisis

Common card · No. 377755

The Nootka Crisis, also known as the Spanish Armament, was an international incident and political dispute between Spain and Great Britain triggered by a series of events revolving around sovereignty claims and rights of navigation and trade. It took place during the summer of 1789 at the Spanish outpost of Santa Cruz de Nuca on Vancouver Island. The commander of the outpost, Esteban José Martínez Fernández y Martínez de la Sierra, seized several British merchantmen intending on engaging in the maritime fur trade and building a permanent outpost at Nootka Sound. A public outcry in Britain led to the mobilization of the Royal Navy, and the possibility of war. Both sides called upon allies. The Dutch joined the side of the British; the Spanish Navy was mobilized in response along with the navy of Spain's ally France, though the French soon announced they would not go to war. Without French help, Spain had little hope against the British and Dutch, resulting in the Spanish seeking a diplomatic...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Marina Real Española (Spanish Royal Navy), CC BY-SA 3.0