Capture of Vigo

The Capture of Vigo occurred in 1719 during the War of the Quadruple Alliance when a British expedition landed on the Spanish coast and seized the settlement of Vigo which they occupied for ten days before withdrawing. The expedition was under the overall command of Lord Cobham with the naval forces commanded by Vice Admiral James Mighels.

The force advanced inland as far as Pontevedra, and levied a contribution from Santiago de Compostela. The expedition was launched in retaliation for Spanish involvement in a Jacobite Rising that had seen Spanish troops landed in Scotland where they were defeated at the Battle of Glen Shiel. The expedition was also intended to demonstrate to the Spanish that Allied forces could strike along their vulnerable coastline with ease, and was co-ordinated with a French assault on eastern Spain, in the hope that this would force Spain to the peace table. This caused some shock to the Spanish authorities as they realized how vulnerable they were to Allied amphibious descents, with the potential to open up a new front away from the French frontier.