The War of Spanish Succession and the British occupation of Gibraltar
When Charles II died without an heir to the Crown of Spain, the War of the Spanish Succession broke out between the two main pretenders to the Spanish throne Philip of Anjou and the later Archduke Charles of Austria. Philip was the grandson of Louis XIV of France and had the support of France, while Austria, England and the Dutch feared a possible alliance and/or a hypothetical union between the French and Spanish royal houses and so favored the Habsburg Charles.
In August 1704, while returning to Lisbon after the unsuccessful attempt to seize the city of Barcelona, an Anglo-Dutch fleet of 45 English and 10 Dutch ships under the command of Admiral Sir George Rooke landed about 10,000 sailors and marines to take the city of Gibraltar from about 400 defenders, on behalf of Archduke Charles. The terms of surrender of the Spanish authorities of Gibraltar provided certain assurances, but commanders lost control, and sailors and marines engaged in rape and pillage, desecrating most Catholic churches; townspeople carried out reprisal killings. By 7 August, after order was restored, almost all the population felt that staying in Gibraltar was too dangerous and fled across the area of modern La Linea to San Roque and other nearby areas of the Campo de Gibraltar. Most hoped that they would shortly be able to go back to their homes, but this never happened, British control of Gibraltar became firm, and in 1713 the Treaty of Utrecht was signed, by which Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain. The municipality of San Roque still has as its motto "La Muy Noble y Más Leal Ciudad de San Roque, donde reside la de Gibraltar " ("the Most Noble and Most Loyal City of San Roque, where resides that of Gibraltar"). The town lands included the area of the modern La Línea de la Concepción.
The king of Spain Felipe V, the name by which Philip of Anjou was crowned,
