War 1739 between Britain and Spain, arising
from Britain's illicit trade in Spanish
America; it merged into the War of the
Austrian Succession 1740-48. The name derives
from the claim of Robert Jenkins, a merchant
captain, that his ear had been cut off by
Spanish coastguards near Jamaica. The
incident was seized on by opponents of Robert
Walpole who wanted to embarrass his
government's antiwar policy and force war
with Spain.