Queen Anne’s War 1702–13 & The War of Jenkins Ear 1739–42

Queen Anne’s War, a British victory, was fought between Great Britain and France, joined by its Spanish allies. Each side allied themselves to Indian nations, with the British supported by the Iroquois and the French-Spanish, the Abenakis. This war was contemporaneous with the War of the Spanish Succession in Europe, in which most of Europe was embroiled in conflict over which European heir was to succeed to the Spanish throne, with the French claim supported by the Spanish. The war in North America was concentrated in two theatres, with most of the British military support funnelled into defending South Carolina’s borders against French-Spanish forces (tension between Britain and Spain and territorial disputes, again erupted in The War of Jenkin’s Ear 1739–42). This left the New York-New England frontier more exposed to attacks from brutal raids by the French militia and the Abenakis. The British finally captured Port Royal fortress in 1710 and took Acadia.