Commemorating the British Occupation of Manila

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the British occupation of Manila. The British occupation of Manila between 1762 and 1764 was an episode in Philippine colonial history when the kingdom of Great Britain occupied the Spanish colonial capital of Manila and the nearby principal port of Cavite.

A British fleet of eight ships of the line, three frigates, and four store ships with a force of 6,839 regulars, sailors, and marines, sailed into Manila Bay and attacked the city with little resistance.

This brief, yet significant, episode had profound effects in the history of the Philippines. It brought new political ideas to the Philippines, and helped open the country to foreign commerce. After the British left in 1764, the defensive perimeter of Intramuros had to be completely redesigned.

The British occupation was ended as part of the peace settlement of the Seven Years' War. The British embarked from Manila and Cavite in the first week of April 1764, and sailing out of Manila Bay for Batavia, India, and England.