This chapter examines the role played by the Spanish Navy, the Real Armada, and particularly the figure of Jose Solano y Bote, in support of the American rebels, and some of the less obvious consequences of that participation. Gibraltar, the North Atlantic and the Caribbean were other important fields of battle at the same time the War of American Independence was been fought. The American Revolution was the ideal scenario. Gibraltar was always a pain in the neck. But in order to understand what represents the American rebellion as imperial opportunity, in particular for Spanish policy reformers and Army and Navy officers, it is important to take into account recent historiographies. The War of American Independence was not one war, but several wars. It was not only American, but a war in the Americas, and especially in the Caribbean. Lessons of the War of American Independence were learnt.

This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in Spain and the American Revolution on 2019, available online: https://www.routledge.com/Spain-and-the-American-Revolution-New-Approaches-and-Perspectives/Paquette-Saravia/p/book/9780367000554

Peer reviewed