On This Day

British fleet occupies Guadeloupe, West Indies, capturing it from France

The British expedition against Guadeloupe was a military action from January to May 1759, as part of the Seven Years' War.

The British expedition against Guadeloupe was a military action from January to May 1759, as part of the Seven Years' War. A large British force had arrived in the West Indies, intending to seize French possessions. After a six-month-long battle to capture Guadeloupe they finally received the formal surrender of the island, just days before a large French relief force arrived under Admiral Maximin de Bompart.

Though the island was eventually ceded back to the French, the capture of the island contributed to the Annus Mirabilis of 1759.

Historical Significance

The British expedition against Guadeloupe was a military action from January to May 1759, as part of the Seven Years' War.

Events Before

  1. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature establishes the starting point for standardized species names ac

    The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature establishes the starting point for standardized species names across the animal kingdom, based on the binomial nomenclature in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae by Carl Linnaeus

  2. French astronomer Charles Messier mistakes the Crab Nebula for a comet while searching for Halley's Comet, leading him t

    French astronomer Charles Messier mistakes the Crab Nebula for a comet while searching for Halley's Comet, leading him to begin his Messier Catalogue

  3. Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East-Prussia [NS=Jan 22]

    Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East-Prussia [NS=Jan 22]

  4. Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East Prussia [OS=Jan 11]

    Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East Prussia [OS=Jan 11]

  5. Poems by Jamaican Black intellectual and writer Francis Williams are published

    Poems by Jamaican Black intellectual and writer Francis Williams are published

Events After

  1. Afghans defeat the Indian Maratha Empire in the Battle of Barari Ghat

    Afghans defeat the Indian Maratha Empire in the Battle of Barari Ghat

  2. Princess Carolina marries Gen Charles Christian van Nassau-Weilburg

    Princess Carolina marries Gen Charles Christian van Nassau-Weilburg

  3. The Great Upheaval: New England planters arrive in Nova Scotia, Canada, to claim land taken from the Acadians

    The Great Upheaval: New England planters arrive in Nova Scotia, Canada, to claim land taken from the Acadians

  4. Comet C/1760 A1 (Great comet) approaches within 0.0682 AUs of Earth

    Comet C/1760 A1 (Great comet) approaches within 0.0682 AUs of Earth

  5. Battle of Wandiwash, India: British troops defeat French forces

    Battle of Wandiwash, India: British troops defeat French forces

More from the 1750s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 1, 1759?
The British expedition against Guadeloupe was a military action from January to May 1759, as part of the Seven Years' War. A large British force had arrived in the West Indies, intending to seize French possessions. After a six-month-long battle to capture Guadeloupe they finally received the formal surrender of the island, just days before a large French relief force arrived under Admiral Maximin de Bompart.
Why is British fleet occupies Guadeloupe, West Indies, capturing it from France significant?
The British expedition against Guadeloupe was a military action from January to May 1759, as part of the Seven Years' War.

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