Gibraltar The History of a Fortress

Since ships first set sail in the Mediterranean, The Rock has been the gate of Fortress Europe. In ancient times, it was known as one of the Pillars of Hercules, and a glance at its formidable mass suggests that it may well have been created by the gods. Sought after by every nation with territorial ambitions in Europe, Asia, and Africa, Gibraltar was possessed by the Arabs, the Spanish, and ultimately the British, who captured it in the early 1700s and held onto it in a siege of more than three years late in the eighteenth century. The fact that that was one of more than a dozen sieges exemplifies Gibraltar’s quintessential value as a prize and the desperation of governments to fly their flag above its forbidding ramparts. Bradford uses his matchless skill and knowledge to take the reader through the history of this great and unique fortress. From its geological creation to its two-thousand-year influence on politics and war, he crafts the compelling tale of how these few square miles played a major part in history.

Ernle Bradford was born in 1922 and died in 1986. He was a noted British historian specializing in the Mediterranean world and naval topics. Bradford was an enthusiastic sailor himself and spent almost thirty years sailing the Mediterranean, where many of his books are set. He served in the Royal Navy during World War II, finishing as the first lieutenant of a destroyer. Bradford lived in Malta for a number of years. He did occasional broadcast work for the BBC, was a magazine editor, and wrote many books, including Hannibal, Paul the Traveller, Julius Caesar: The Pursuit of Power, Christopher Columbus, and The Mighty Hood.

Dedication
Epigraph
Chapter 1 – Rock and Sea
Chapter 2 – The Pillars of Heracles
Chapter 3 – Gateway and Stepping Stone
Chapter 4 – Embattled Fortress
Chapter 5 – Rooke’s Rock
Chapter 6 – Free Port
Chapter 7 – A Pawn in Politics
Chapter 8 – Preparations for Defence
Chapter 9 – The Siege Begins
Chapter 10 – Relief, Blockade and Fire
Chapter 11 – The Second Year
Chapter 12 – Sortie
Chapter 13 – The Great Assault
Chapter 14 – ‘As Solid as the Rock…’
Chapter 15 – A Station for the Navy
Chapter 16 – The Years of Change
Chapter 17 – Imperial Gibraltar
Chapter 18 – An American on the Rock
Chapter 19 – Politics and People
Chapter 20 – War and Peace
Chapter 21 – Fulfilment
Chapter 22 – Present and Future

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Gibraltar The History of a Fortress

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials