6. The War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739-1748)
What began over the alleged severing of Captain Jenkins’ ear escalated into a fierce struggle between Britain and Spain. The War of Jenkins’ Ear was more than a personal vendetta—it became entangled with the larger War of Austrian Succession. The conflict influenced colonial control in the Caribbean and stoked wider imperial rivalries, subtly affecting the balance of power in the eighteenth century.
