Robert Jenkins Quotes

A collection of quotes by Robert Jenkins.

Robert Jenkins was a prominent British naval officer who lived during the 18th century. Born in N/A, details about his early life and education remain unknown. However, Jenkins is famously remembered for an incident that significantly impacted the British Empire's relations with Spain and ultimately led to the War of Jenkins' Ear.

In 1731, while serving aboard the British merchant ship Rebecca, Jenkins encountered a Spanish patrol boat near the coast of Florida. The Spanish officers, suspecting smuggling, boarded the ship and allegedly cut off Jenkins' ear as a disciplinary measure. Upon his return to Britain, Jenkins exhibited his severed ear to the members of Parliament, further fueling anti-Spanish sentiment among the British public.

Jenkins' testimony about the incident played a pivotal role in the subsequent British decision to declare war against Spain in 1739. The conflict, contiguously known as the War of Jenkins' Ear, grew into a wider conflict involving other European powers and played a significant part in the geopolitical landscape of the time.

While details about Jenkins' life after the incident remain scarce, his story became a symbol of British justified aggression against Spain and helped galvanize public support for the war effort. His name lives on as a historical figure who unwittingly provoked a major international conflict through a personal act of violence.