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Brief History
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The island of Minorca was captured by the British during the War for the Spanish Succession in 1708 by General Stanhope. This was confirmed by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It remained a British colony and naval base for the next half a century until the Seven Years War when the French invaded the islands. Twelve to fifteen thousand French soldiers laid siege to Port Mahon's garrison of five thousand. A fleet was assembled by Admiral Byng to relieve the garrison, but it was defeated and could not land. A second expedition arrived just after the garrison had surrendered after a 71 day siege. Admiral Byng would be executed by firing squad for his incompetence. The French occupied the island for the duration of the war, but returned the islands as part of the peace agreement at the end of the war in 1763.
During that period they embarked on a hugely expensive renovation of the St Philip's Castle complex although the Spanish still managed to take possession of the island during the American Revolutionary Wars when they and the French combined forces to besiege the Castle. They had been able to take advantage of Britain's pre-occupation in the New World.
However, the British would return to reoccupy the islands once more during the Napoleonic Wars from 1798 until it was returned to Spain as part of the Peace of Amiens in 1803.
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