Wars and Battles

The Oxford Companion to British History A Dictionary of British History Further reading

Cape Passaro, battle of

The Oxford Companion to British History | 2002 | | Copyright

Cape Passaro, battle of, 1718. Cape Passaro is the extreme southerly cape of Sicily. On 31 July 1718 a British fleet under Sir George Byng defeated a Spanish fleet of twice its numerical strength, destroying or capturing 17 Spanish warships. The Spanish fleet was newly built and hardly fit for action, but it was supporting an invasion of Sicily by Philip V to wrest the island from the Emperor Charles VI. Britain was not yet at war with Spain but, in part owing to the ‘personal union’ with Hanover, was already committed to supporting Charles's ambitions in southern Italy.

David Denis Aldridge

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JOHN CANNON. "Cape Passaro, battle of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "Cape Passaro, battle of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-CapePassarobattleof.html

JOHN CANNON. "Cape Passaro, battle of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-CapePassarobattleof.html

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Cape Passaro, battle of

A Dictionary of British History | 2004 | | Copyright

Cape Passaro, battle of, 1718. Cape Passaro is the southerly cape of Sicily. On 31 July 1718 a British fleet under Sir George Byng defeated a Spanish fleet, destroying or capturing seventeen Spanish warships. Britain was not yet at war with Spain but was already committed to supporting the ambitions in southern Italy of the Emperor Charles VI.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

JOHN CANNON. "Cape Passaro, battle of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "Cape Passaro, battle of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-CapePassarobattleof.html

JOHN CANNON. "Cape Passaro, battle of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-CapePassarobattleof.html

Learn more about citation styles