Falklands Crisis

[Ottoman]

Background: The Spanish were aware of the British presence on the Falklands before they took control of the French colony at Port Louis and renamed it Puerto Soledad in January 1767. On 28 November 1769, the officer in charge of the garrison on Saunders Island, Captain Anthony Hunt, observed a Spanish schooner hovering about the island surveying it. He sent the commander a message, by which he required of him to depart. An exchange of letters followed where each side asserted sovereignty and demanded the other depart. Hunt stated categorically that the Falkland Islands belonged to Britain and demanded that the Spanish leave.


The incident

June 10, 1770


A squadron of frigates was dispatched by Francisco Bucareli, the governor of Buenos Aires, to expel the British. General Juan Ignacio de Madariaga’s frigates Industria, Santa Bárbara, Santa Catalina, and Santa Rosa, 1 Light Infantry Regiment led by Colonel Don Antonio Gutiérrez, surprised the British settlement at Port Egmont. Although the British only had a brig on station, they were outmatched by the Spanish.

The Spaniards waded ashore and, after a token exchange of shots, Commander William Maltby and Commander George Farmer sued for terms. They and other settlers were detained for 20 days then permitted to sail for England aboard their sole remaining vessel, the 16-gun Favourite(a brig) The new occupiers renamed the town Cruzada and took over ownership. The brig finally arrives in Britain by August 30, 1770,  and the news quickly produces a public outcry.

[Galveston Bay]

Fall 1770
Word of the incident in Falklands reaches London and immediately there a furor. A stiff note is sent to Spain demanding it withdraw its forces from the Falklands. The Navy meanwhile begins preparation for war.

[Kilani]

The Spanish respond in kind with a diplomatic note, stating that the sovereignty of the islands was in question and that the local governor was fulfilling his oath to maintain the territorial sovereignty of His Most Catholic Majesty's possessions.

However, in the background, there has been some exchange of diplomatic notes between other parties and the Prince of Masseran, Spanish ambassador to the court of the United Kingdom, also states that the local governor undertook the expedition without the knowledge or approval of Charles III (though that officer had acted agreeably to his "general instructions and oath" as governor, and to the general laws of the Indies, in expelling foreigners from the Spanish dominions).

In lieu of creating a war between the two nations, he also informs the British government that he has been authorized "to restore the port and fort called Egmont, with all the artillery and stores, according to the inventory" without however ceding any part of His Catholic Majesty's claim to the Islands; provided the king of England would in return disavow the conduct of Captain Hunt in ordering the Spaniards away from Soledad, which he asserted, had provoked the local governor into action.

[Galveston Bay]

December 1770
A reshuffling occurs in the British Foreign Office with the death of Downshire. With Rochford moved over to serve as Secretary of State for Colonial Affairs, this leaves the Northern Department open. North moves his friend John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich to the position, a position he previously held. Lord Hawke remains as First Lord of the Admiralty as his cost cutting measures and administration have been particularly successful.

This however means that there is no response to the Spanish note from Prince Masseran, and the Royal Navy continues its mobilization and preparations for war.

[Kilani]

The lack of response is not encouraging to the Spanish, who begin their own preparations as a precaution.

[TLS]

Jacques-Abraham Durand d'Aubigny, Minister-Plenipotentiary of France to the to the Court of St. James, intervenes on behalf of the Prince of Masseran. France, as former owners of the Malouines, has discharged its stake in the islands to El Escorial. However, the Spanish Crown has been most diplomatic in its entreaties to Great Britain on finding an amiable solution to the crisis, and France wholeheartedly supports the Iberian kingdom in its pursuit of peace. France urges the British to come to the negotiating table, seeing as Spain has already conceded that the local commander had acted without order from Charles III and that Spain has moved to provide restitution to the British Crown and settlers.

[Galveston Bay]

Late 1770
The new Secretary of State (Northern Department) now finds himself dealing with a sudden crisis in Indian Ocean involving the Dutch, and Parliament and the various Ministers and for that matter the Crown is shocked by the Omani attack on the Dutch and embarrassed by the Dutch anger. Profuse apologies and indeed much energy is spent on this crisis. Sadly this government is not yet up to handling multiple crisis, and North America and the Dutch are far more important.

The French and Spanish are informed that no action is being considered at the present time regarding the matter in the Falklands and British naval preparations are defensive. A more formal response will be forthcoming after the start of the year. Informally the Spanish and French are informed that the resignation of the Viscount of Weymouth (Secretary of State for the Southern Department who deals with Catholic and Muslim Nations) due to a political scandal has caused some confusion in British diplomacy and this should not be seen as a deliberate snub.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Thynne,_1st_Marquess_of_Bath

[Kilani]

The Prince of Masseran understands the confusion and displacement that can take place, especially when members of the government pass suddenly or shuffling is required and does not consider the confusion a snub; however, he does desire a response to his government's proposal on resolving the incident and hopes that such resolution may be forthcoming as soon as possible.

[Kilani]

Alarmed by the bellicose tone adopted by some in Parliament, the Spanish ambassador reiterates his government's desire to find a suitable diplomatic resolution; reiterates the offer of restitution and restoration of the British stores, fort, and outpost, and reiterates that Spanish forces (aside from those few men necessary to provide protection to the Spanish colony therein, as Spain has nor relinquished her claim of sovereignty to the islands) have been withdrawn, in acquiescence to the British request.

[Galveston Bay]

Under heavy pressure and anti Spanish himself, Lord Sandwich manages to persuade Lord North and the King that a demand that the Spanish surrender their claims of sovereignty over the Falklands is required to end the crisis.

The British claim the Islands based on their exploration of them in 1690.  As the Royal Navy is the discoverer of the islands and the first to map them adequately, the islands should be British.  The Spanish claim to them is based on the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), when there was no Spanish presence prior to that time and indeed the Spanish presence only exists because they bought out a French colony that was intruding on British territory.

A note to this effect is forwarded to Prince Masseran and also to the British Ambassador in Spain, Baron Grantham.

[Kilani]

The Prince of Masseran, after an exchange of letters with Madrid, responds with what is essentially a counter-offer - Spain cannot honorably disavow their claim without a loss of national honor; the islands are a part of His Most Catholic Majesty's empire. However, the Spanish are prepared to cede their claims on the islands for a nominal fee in recompense and provided that those Spanish settlers who choose to remain will have their existing property respected.

[Galveston Bay]

See this link
https://commonwealthe20.rpg-board.net/t175p25-kingdom-of-great-britain#2157

The British government after lengthy and fierce debates in Parliament that see Lord North and the Crown accede to pressure from Pitt, and to a lesser extent, a certain amount of self serving by Sandwich who wants to combine the North and South Departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs into a more powerful office overseeing all foreign relations, decides to push Spain further.

Part of this is supreme overconfidence that having won the Seven Years War, winning against the Spanish is a foregone conclusion. Another part is 'certainty' that the French will not risk war. Thus defeating the Spanish is easily done. The most important factor however is arrogance (in another war in another century this would be called victory disease).

An ultimatum is sent. The Spanish will surrender forthwith all claims to the Falkland Islands, acknowledge British and Dutch claims to Australia and New Zealand (more on that in the post linked), and in the future any attempt by the Spanish to remove British possessions will automatically be an act of war.

The Spanish have until September 30 to respond (just barely within communications time frames). Orders meanwhile go out to British Naval ships, and a courier is rushed across the Atlantic to inform important officials there.

[Kilani]

The Prince of Masseran is dismayed by the ultimatum; indeed is dismayed by British intransigence in the face of compromise, but he (and Madrid) are both acutely aware that surrendering to the British ultimatum will mean an unacceptable loss of face and a slight to national honor; Spain does not wish to fight a war over the Falklands (a relatively unimportant outpost), but find their hands forced. Spain cannot be seen to bend to British demands. As such, Madrid sends their own couriers scurrying across the Atlantic and to the Pacific Ocean and begins to set in motion plans prepared in the earlier days of the crisis.

A response arrives just before the expiration of the ultimatum and the Prince, with a visible show of emotion during his audience with the British court, informs them that Spain cannot accede to the demands made of them by the British Crown; national honor demands that she fight.

Messages are also sent to the French court, requesting that they honor the alliance forged between the two nations - Spain has done all it possibly can to avoid war - has offered every apology and reconciliation - and now asks that their ally come to their defense.

[TLS]

Jacques-Abraham Durand d'Aubigny, Minister-Plenipotentiary of Versailles to the Court of St. James, delivers a stern warning to the British government. France will not stand by and watch as Britain exerts its will and plunges Europe back into war after not even a decade of peace over some God-forsaken islands in the South Atlantic. Spain has, like any honorable and civilized government, moved to defend both its own subjects and provided Britain with an opportunity to amiably prevent conflict from ever again breaking out over the Malouines.

France, in the interest of peace, is willing to intercede on behalf of continued amity, and d'Aubigny proposes that--instead of Spain receiving an payment from the British crown in return for its stake on the islands, which has been vilified so thoroughly in the British rabble called a Parliament--France will, instead, cover the costs of Spain discharging its claims. To wit, France would re-purchase its claims to the Malouines, which it so recently gave to Spain, in return for handing them over to Britain. As such, Britain would gain full and undisputed claim to the Malouines, and Spain's honor would be salved through proper recompense.

[Kilani]

The Spanish are willing to accept the French proposal (offered at the 11th hour) and fervently hope that the British will accept the compromise in the name of peace.

Spain, in the meantime, has no current claims on Australia or New Zealand, but also has no wish to forgo claims on future discoveries that Spanish explorers may make (but will acknowledge British and Dutch claims as they currently exist).

The Spanish also will not bend to the idea that they do not have the right to remove foreign intruders into their own claimed possessions; such a policy would be rightfully decried by the British as a gross violation of soveriegnty.

[Galveston Bay]

The British response is terse.. the Spanish had no right to remove the British settlement to begin with as Spain never had possession or a real claim of ownership. The French did not either.

War begins before the note actually reaches Spain (via Portugal)

[TLS]

September, 1771

Jacques-Abraham Durand d'Aubigny, Minister-Plenipotentiary of Versailles to the Court of St. James, waits until September 30 to establish whether the British will see reason despite their bellicose rhetoric. Once it becomes clear that they will not, he hurriedly decamps for Versailles. The French diplomatic presence in London is left to the caretakers of the Ambassador's residence and a single secretary. However, no declaration of war is issued.

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