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Polity that includes all territories militarly occupied by Spain that are not part of a specific military territory.
Establishment
September 1513: While the Spaniards were unable to conquer Padua thanks to the determined Venetian resistance, they penetrated deep into Venetian territory and towards the end of September they were in sight of Venice.
October 1513: Venetian captain Alviano's army, having been reinforced by hundreds of volunteers from the Venetian nobility, pursued the Spanish led by Cardona and confronted him outside Vicenza on 7 October.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Were a series of conflicts covering the period between 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The primary belligerents were the Valois kings of France, and their Habsburg opponents in the Holy Roman Empire and Spain.
1.1.War of the League of Cambrai
Was one of the so-called Italian wars.
1.1.1.Fourth Phase - Alliance between Venice and France
Was the fourth phase of the War of the League of Cambrai, one of the so-called Italian Wars.
September 1515: The morning of 14 September 1515 resulted in a strategically decisive victory for King Francis I of France and the Republic of Venice, allowing them to retake all of the Duchy of Milan from the Swiss forces.
1.2.Italian War of 1551-1559
Was one of the so-called Italian Wars.
1.2.1.Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis
Was the treaty that ended the Italian War of 1551-1559, the last of the Italian Wars (1494-1559).
January 1557: The territory of Saint Quentin, Ham, Le Catele were seized by Spain during the Italian War of 1551-1559.
April 1559: With the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis, Spain gave Saint Quentin, Ham, Le Catelet and other places back to France.
Were a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice
2.1.Ottoman-Venetian War (1537-1540)
Was one of the Ottoman-Venetian wars which took place during the 16th century.
August 1539: Siege of Castelnuovo.
Was a conflict between the Spanish Empire and several Muslim states in Southeast Asia, including the Sultanates of Brunei, Sulu, and Maguindanao.
April 1578: In 1578, Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo led the invasion of Kota Batu, the capital of Brunei. This military occupation marked Spain's successful expansion into the region, establishing their presence in Southeast Asia.
June 1578: In 1578, Spanish forces led by Governor Guido de Lavezaris suffered heavy losses in Kota Batu, Brunei due to a cholera or dysentery outbreak. Weakened by illness, they decided to abandon the territory and return to Manila on 26 June 1578.
Was a succession crisis caused by the death of the King of Portugal without heirs. The conflict saw two main claimants to the Portuguese throne: António, Prior of Crato, proclaimed in several towns as King of Portugal, and his first cousin Philip II of Spain, who eventually succeeded in claiming the crown, reigning as Philip I of Portugal.
August 1580: Battle of Alcântara: a decisive victory of the Habsburg King Philip II over the other pretender to the Portuguese throne.
October 1580: Philip II of Spain succeeded in claiming the Portuguese crown, reigning as Philip I of Portugal.
Was a war of succession from 1613 to 1617 over the Duchy of Montferrat in northwestern Italy.
December 1616: The Spanish army led by Pedro Álvarez de Toledo y Colonna conquered Vercelli after 2 months of siege.
September 1617: After a treaty was signed in Paris, Spanish and Savoiard forces left the regions occupied during the War of the Montferrat Sucession.
Were a series of wars in Europe (and the overseas possessions of European countries) the 16th, 17th and early 18th that started after the Protestant Reformation. Although the immediate causes of the wars were religious, the motives were complex and also included territorial ambitions.
6.1.Thirty Years' War
Was a war that took place mainly in central Europe between 1618 and 1648. The war began as a religious conflict between Catholics and Protestant in the Holy Roman Empire but then escalated into a conflict for the hegemony in Europe between Habsburg Spain and Austria, Sweden and France.
6.1.1.Bohemian-Palatine period
Was the first period of the Thirty Years' War. It started with a protestant revolt in Bohemia, at the time a territory of the Habsburg Domains.
6.1.1.1.War in Palatinate
Was the theatre of war in Palatinate during the first phase of the Thirty Years' War.
September 1620: Ambrosio Spinola was a Spanish general who led the military occupation of the Left Rhine territories of the Palatinate in 1620. Spinola was known for his successful campaigns in Flanders and was tasked with expanding Spanish control in the region.
June 1621: Frederick V, Elector Palatine and his wife Elizabeth Stuart withdrew to Flanders in the spring of 1621 after losing the Battle of White Mountain in the Left Rhine territories of the Palatinate.
6.1.2.Thirty Years' War Minor Scenarios
A series of conflicts related to the Thirty Years' War.
6.1.2.1.War of Valtellina
Was a war over the control of Valtellina (today in northern Italy) mainly between Spain and France.
August 1620: The Grisons were forced to retreat north of the Alps and the Valtellina was militarily invaded by the Spaniards.
6.1.2.2.Invasion of Franche Comté (Ten Years War)
Was French invasion of modern-day Franche-Comté, at the time a possession of the Habsburg, during the Thirty Years' War.
September 1639: After the death of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar in 1639, the Marquis de Saint-Martin, a French military leader, took over the territories of Nozeroy, Château-Vilain, and the Château de La Chaux.
January 1645: Following a treaty concluded with Cardinal Mazarin in 1644, France committed to cease hostilities in Franche-Comté, in exchange for the considerable sum of 40,000 écus, thus guaranteeing the region's neutrality once again. The year 1644 thus marked the end of the Ten Years' War in Franche-Comté.
6.1.3.Bündner Wirren
Was a war in in what is now the Swiss canton of Graubünden that started as a revolt by local Catholics against their Protestant overlords.
March 1626: The peace treaty of Monzon (5 March 1626) between France and Spain, confirmed the political and religious independence of the Valtellina.
6.1.4.First Genoese-Savoyard War
Was the theatre of war in Liguria during the Thirty Years' War.
September 1625: In 1625, the Spanish army occupied Acqui, a town in Italy.
November 1625: By October the Republic of genoa recuperated all the territories lost to the French (with the exception of the castle of La Penna) and additionally conquered Oneglia, Ormea, and a number of localities in Piedmont.
November 1625: In 1625, the Lérins Islands, including Île Sainte-Marguerite and Île Saint-Honorat, were conquered by the Spanish army. The islands are known for their historical significance, including being the location where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned.
6.1.4.1.Treaty of Monzón
Was a treaty that ended the Veltellina War and the Ligurian theatre of War of the Thirty Years' War.
March 1637: The Spanish retained Île Sainte-Marguerite and Île Saint-Honorat until they were reconquered by the French admiral Philippe de Poincy.
6.1.5.Franco-Swedish Period
Was the fourth main period of the Thirty Years' War. It started with the intervention of the Kingdom of France.
6.1.5.1.Low Countries Front (France)
Was the Low Countries front during the Franco-Swedish period of the Thirty Years' War.
January 1636: Spanish occupation of Philippsbourg, Speyer, Landau and Treviri.
6.1.5.2.Spanish Front (France)
Was the Spanish front during the Franco-Swedish period of the Thirty Years' War.
January 1637: In 1636, during the Thirty Years' War, Spain seized Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a strategic town in the Southwest of France.
September 1638: In 1638 the French army suffered a defeat at the Battle of Hondarribia in Fontarrabie, Basque Country. As a result, the territory fell under Spanish military occupation.
Was a revolution organized by the Portuguese nobility and bourgeoisie sixty years after the crowning of Philip I (Philip II of Spain), the first "dual monarch", that ended the Iberian Union.
April 1663: In 1663, John of Austria the Younger, Philip IV's illegitimate son, led 14,000 men into Alentejo, Portugal. They successfully took Évora, a major city in the region, during the military occupation by Spain.
June 1663: In 1663, the Portuguese forces, led by João Rodrigues de Vasconcelos e Sousa, defeated the Spanish troops, commanded by John of Austria, in a significant battle at Ameixial. This victory forced John of Austria to retreat from Évora back across the border with heavy casualties.
June 1665: In June 1665, the Marquis of Caracena, a Spanish military commander, assumed control of Vila Viçosa during the military occupation by Spain.
June 1665: The Portuguese infantry and artillery emplacements broke the Spanish cavalry, and the Spanish force lost over 10,000 men, including casualties and prisoners. Shortly thereafter, the Portuguese retook Vila Viçosa.
Was a war between France and Spain. The French armies of Louis XIV occupied the Franche-Comté and large parts of the Spanish Netherlands.
8.1.Front of Catalonia (War of Devolution)
Was the theatre of war in Catalonia of the War of Devolution.
June 1668: In 1668, the Duke of Osuna, Viceroy of Catalonia, led a Spanish military occupation of Upper Cerdanya with 2,300 infantry and 200 cavalry.
8.2.Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668)
Was the treaty that ended the War of Devolution. France returned much of his gains.
May 1669: By the terms of theTreaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668), Louis XIV returned three cities (Cambrai, Aire, and Saint-Omer) to Spain.
Was a war initiated by Spain to recover territories lost after the War of the Spanish Succession.
September 1717: In August 1717, the Spanish forces, led by the Viceroy of Sardinia, the Marquis of Lede, landed on the island to regain control from the Austrians. By November of the same year, they successfully re-established Spanish rule over Sardinia through military occupation.
July 1718: The Spanish took Palermo on 7 July.
August 1718: In 1718, the Spanish military occupied the entire territory of Sicily, with the exception of Messina. This action was carried out under the orders of King Philip V of Spain, who sought to assert control over the island and expand Spanish influence in the region.
October 1718: The city of Messina was besieged by Spanish forces until September, when it was taken.
October 1718: The Austrians, led by Count Claude Florimond de Mercy, were defeated by the Spanish forces under the command of Duke Victor Amadeus of Savoy in the First Battle of Milazzo. The Habsburg Empire's military occupation of Milazzo was short-lived as they were unable to maintain control of the territory.
November 1719: In 1719, Prince Eugene of Savoy, leading the Habsburg Empire forces, achieved victory in the second Battle of Milazzo against the Spanish forces. Following this success, he captured the city of Messina in October, solidifying Habsburg control over the territory.
9.1.Treaty of The Hague
Was the treaty that ended the War of the Quadruple Alliance. Spain left all the territories occupied during the war.
February 1720: Philip V of Spain was forced to relinquish all territory captured during the War of the Quadruple Alliance.
Was a global conflict that involved most of the European great powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. At the end of the war the main winner was Great Britain, that obtained territories in North America, the Caribbean and India, becoming the most powerful maritime and colonial of the European powers.
10.1.Fantastic War
Was a war between Spain and Portugal during the Seven Years' War that took place in the Iberian Peninsula and in South America.
10.1.1.Peninsular action (main theatre of the Fantastic War)
Was the theatre of war in the Iberian Peninsula of the Fantastic war between Spain and Portugal.
May 1762: Miranda, the only fortified and provisioned fortress of the province, was besieged on 6 May 1762, but an accidental and huge powder explosion (20 tons) killed four hundred and opened two breaches in the ramparts, forcing the surrender on 9 May 1762.
May 1762: Bragança conquered by spain.
May 1762: Chaves conquered by spain.
May 1762: Torre de Moncorvo conquered by spain.
June 1762: After suffering several setbacks, the Spanish army was forced to withdraw from Portugal, abandoning all their conquests with the only exception of the city of Chaves.
August 1762: The Siege of Almeida in 1762 was part of the Seven Years' War, with a Spanish force capturing the city from Portuguese defenders. The siege was led by Spanish General Alejandro O'Reilly, resulting in the city falling on 25 August.
September 1762: At first the Franco-Spanish army occupied several fortresses with ruined walls and without regular troops: Alfaiates, Castelo Rodrigo, Penamacor, Monsanto, Salvaterra do Extremo, Segura.
September 1762: Castelo Branco is occupied by Spanish forces on 18 September 1762.
October 1762: Vila Velha conquered by spain.
October 1762: Portuguese reconquest of Penamacor and Monsanto.
November 1762: When the Anglo-Portuguese army encircled the Spanish forces in Castelo Branco, the Spanish force fled to Spain, abandoning the town.
10.2.Treaty of Paris (1763)
Was a treaty signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, after Great Britain and Prussia's victory over France and Spain during the Seven Years' War.
February 1763: Spain was forced to return to Portugal the small cities of Almeida and Chaves on the Hispano-Portuguese frontier.
Was a war between Spain and Portugal fought over the border of their overseas territories in South America.
February 1777: Cevallos decided to attack the island of Santa Catarina on 23 February. When the Portuguese saw the formidable Spanish fleet disembark their troops, the garrison fled to the mainland without firing a shot.
June 1777: The city of Colonia de Sacramento capitulated on 3 June 1777 to Spanish forces led by General Pedro de Cevallos during the Spanish-Portuguese War. This marked the beginning of a period of Spanish military occupation in the region.
11.1.First Treaty of San Ildefonso
Was a treaty between Spain and Portugal that settled long-running territorial disputes between the two kingdoms' possessions in South America, primarily in the Río de la Plata region.
October 1777: In 1777, Portugal ceded Colonia del Sacramento to Spain as part of the Treaty of San Ildefonso.
October 1777: On 24 February 1777 King Joseph I died and his daughter and successor Maria I dismissed Pombal and concluded on 1 October the First Treaty of San Ildefonso with Spain. Spain returned the island of Santa Catarina to Portugal.
Was the war of independence of the United States of America (at the time the Thirteen Colonies) against Great Britain.
12.1.Anglo-Spanish War (1779-1783)
Was a war between Spain and Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War.
12.1.1.North American Theatre (Anglo-Spanish War of 1779-1783)
North American theatre of the Anglo-Spanish War (1779-1783).
September 1779: Battle of Baton Rouge. Spanish forces under Don Bernardo de Gálvez capture the remote British post at Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
October 1779: In September 1779 the Spanish captured Fort Bute.
April 1780: In 1780, during the American Revolutionary War, the British surrendered Fort Rosalie at Natchez to Spanish forces.
April 1780: Spanish conquest of Mobile, the Capital of British West Florida.
May 1780: Battle of Saint Louis. The 310-man Spanish garrison at St.Louis repulse an attack by 300 British soldiers and 900 Indians under Captain Emanuel Hesse.
January 1781: A Spanish expedition into present-day Illinois led to the occupation of Fort St. Joseph.
May 1781: The Spanish siege of Pensacola (1781) results in the occupation of the city.
12.1.2.Central America (Anglo-Spanish War of 1779-1783)
Central American theatre of the Anglo-Spanish War (1779-1783).
April 1782: The Black River settlement was located in present-day Belize. The Spanish forces were led by Governor Arturo O'Neill, while the British garrison was under the command of Captain Thomas Paslow. The settlers were primarily British logwood cutters and their families.
June 1782: The Spanish force was led by Bernardo de Gálvez, a Spanish military leader who played a key role in the American Revolutionary War. The capture of Nassau was part of Spain's efforts to support the American colonies in their fight against British rule.
August 1782: In 1782, the British, led by Governor Alexander Lindsay, responded to the Spanish occupation of the Black River settlement by regrouping the settlers and sending reinforcements from Jamaica. The British forces, along with the settlers, successfully recaptured the territory from the disease-depleted Spanish force.
May 1783: In April 1783, the island of Nassau was recaptured by the British forces.
12.1.3.Invasion of Minorca
Was the reconquest of Menorca by Franco-Spanish forces during the American Revolutionary War.
August 1781: In 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, Georgetown (today Es Castell, on the Island of Menorca) was captured by Spanish forces led by Governor Bernardo de Gálvez. Only 152 prisoners were taken as the Spanish military occupation of the territory began.
August 1781: When the Spanish troops entered the town of Mahón, most of the remaining population was on their side, and greeted them with cheers.
August 1781: Spanish Admiral Luis de Córdova led the Spanish fleet in the Battle of Cape Spartel in 1781. The fleet successfully landed at Mesquida bay, marking the beginning of Spain's military occupation of the territory.
August 1781: In 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, Spanish troops led by Bernardo de Gálvez captured the British-held territories of Ciudadela and Fornells in Menorca. The small British garrison of about 50 men offered little resistance.
February 1782: The Siege of Fort St. Philip in 1782 was a key battle during the Anglo-Spanish War. The British forces, led by General Murray, defended the fort against the Spanish, led by the Duke of Crillon. After a long and bloody siege, the fort fell to the Spanish, leading to the military occupation of Menorca by Spain.
12.1.4.Treaty of Paris (1783)
Was the treaty that officially ended the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain as well as various other related wars. The treaty set the boundaries between British North America and the United States.
Were a series of conflicts between France and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompass first the French Revolutionary Wars against the newly declared French Republic and from 1803 onwards the Napoleonic Wars against First Consul and later Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. They include the Coalition Wars as a subset: seven wars waged by various military alliances of great European powers, known as Coalitions, against Revolutionary France - later the First French Empire - and its allies.
13.1.Haitian Revolution
Was the succesful insurrection by self-liberated slaves of the colony of Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti) against French rule leading to the creation of the independent country of Haiti, the first independent nation of Latin America and the Caribbean.
October 1793: In 1793, Captain-General Joaquin Garcia y Moreno led a Spanish force into the Northern Province, which was under military occupation by Spain. This marked a significant event in the history of the region, as it changed the political landscape and control of the territory.
May 1794: Toussaint Louverture betrayed his Spanish allies and ambushed them as they left a church in San Raphael.
13.2.War of the First Coalition
Were a series of wars between the Kingdom of France (later the French Republic) and several European Monarchies. The French Revolution had deteriorated the relations of France with the other European countries, that tried several times to invade France in order to crash the revolutionary government.
January 1794: In 1794, during the War of the First Coalition, the French armies, led by generals such as Jean-Charles Pichegru and Jacques François Dugommier, were defending the border regions in the Pyrenees against the Spanish and British forces. The territory ultimately went to the First French Republic.
13.2.1.Flanders Campaign
Was a French military campaign in the Flanders.
January 1794: Spanish armies crossed the Pyrenees.
13.2.2.War of the Pyrenees
Was the Pyrenean front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic.
April 1793: In 1793, Spanish General Antonio Ricardos invaded the Cerdagne region and captured the town of Saint-Laurent-de-Cerdans during the War of the Pyrenees between France and Spain. This military occupation marked a significant event in the conflict between the two countries.
June 1793: The Siege of Bellegarde was part of the War of the First Coalition, with the French garrison surrendering to the Spanish forces led by Captain General Antonio Ricardos. This marked a significant victory for Spain in the conflict.
September 1793: Eustache Charles d'Aoust rallied the French to win the Battle of Peyrestortes on 17 September. This represented the farthest Spanish advance in Rousillon.
December 1793: In 1793, during the French Revolutionary Wars, Spanish General Gregorio García de la Cuesta led the successful military occupation of Collioure and Port-Vendres, seizing control of the ports from the French.
July 1795: Spanish general Cuesta recaptured Puigcerdà and Bellver from the French on 26 and 27 July.
13.3.War of the Second Coalition
Was the second war that saw revolutionary France against most of the European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria, and Russia, and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Naples, and various German monarchies. Prussia did not join this coalition, and Spain supported France.
13.3.1.War of the Oranges
Was a brief conflict in 1801 in which Spanish forces, instigated by the government of France, and ultimately supported by the French military, invaded Portugal.
May 1801: The Spanish attack to Portugal started on the early morning of the 20 May, and focused on the Portuguese border region that included the main Garrison Town and Fortifications of Elvas and the smaller fortified towns of Campo Maior, Olivença and Juromenha.
June 1801: The Treaty of Badajoz was signed by Spain and Portugal on 6 June 1801. Portugal ceded the border town of Olivença and Almeda to Spain and closed its ports to British military and commercial shipping. The Spanish abandoned the remaining occupied territory.
June 1801: The Treaty of Badajoz was signed by Spain and Portugal on 6 June 1801. Portugal ceded the border town of Olivença and Almeda to Spain and closed its ports to British military and commercial shipping.
June 1801: Campo Maior was a Portuguese town near the Spanish border. Lieutenant-Colonel Dias Azevedo was a military leader in the Portuguese garrison who successfully defended the town against a Spanish assault for 17 days in 1801 during the War of the Oranges.
Was a war between Spain and Morocco that began with a conflict over the borders of the Spanish city of Ceuta.
February 1860: In 1860, Spanish forces led by General Leopoldo O'Donnell entered Tetuán, ending the Battle of Tetuán and the Hispano-Moroccan War. This military occupation marked Spain's control over the city and surrounding territory.
April 1860: In 1860, after the Spanish-Moroccan War, General Leopoldo O'Donnell withdrew his troops from Tetuán once Morocco paid compensation. The funds were partially provided by the British, and the territory was returned to the Sultanate of Morocco.
January 1539: In 1538, Castelnuovo in Montenegro was under Spanish military occupation after being conquered by Spanish tercios during the Holy League's unsuccessful campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean.
October 1642: 6 - 17 Oct 1642: Spanish occupation of Bonaire under Ruy Fernández de Fuenmayor.
October 1642: 6 - 17 Oct 1642: Spanish occupation of Bonaire under Ruy Fernández de Fuenmayor.
Disestablishment
February 1860: In 1860, Spanish forces led by General Leopoldo O'Donnell entered Tetuán, ending the Battle of Tetuán and the Hispano-Moroccan War. This military occupation marked Spain's control over the city and surrounding territory.
April 1860: In 1860, after the Spanish-Moroccan War, General Leopoldo O'Donnell withdrew his troops from Tetuán once Morocco paid compensation. The funds were partially provided by the British, and the territory was returned to the Sultanate of Morocco.
Selected Sources
Fernández Álvarez, M. (1998): Felipe II y su tiempo, cuarta edición, p. 523
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.104
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.112
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.115
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.130
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.142
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.166
Livet, G. (1994): La Guerre de Trente Ans, Paris (France), p. 37
Smith, D. (1998): The Napoleonic Wars Data Book, London: Greenhill, p. 104
Unknown Author (1812): The Royal Military Chronicle, vol. V, London (UK), pp. 52, 53.
Zeller, O. (2024): La Bresse et le pouvoir: Le Papier journal de Jean Corton, syndic du tiers état (1641-1643), Dijon (France), p. 12
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Spain (Military Occupation)
