* 1898 – Spanish – American War: Spanish and American forces engaged in a mock battle for Manila, after which the Spanish commander surrendered in order to keep the city out of Filipino rebel hands.

In some cases, this is perfectly legitimate ; Francisco Franco was a lieutenant general in the Spanish Army before he became Chief of State of Spain ; Manuel Noriega was officially commander of the Panamanian Defense Forces.

Eugene enhanced his standing during the War of the Spanish Succession where his partnership with the Duke of Marlborough secured victories against the French on the fields of Blenheim ( 1704 ), Oudenarde ( 1708 ), and Malplaquet ( 1709 ); he gained further success in the war as Imperial commander in northern Italy, most notably at the Battle of Turin ( 1706 ).

* 1711 – Luis Vicente de Velasco e Isla, Spanish sailor and commander in the Royal Spanish Navy ( d. 1762 )

* 1704 1 August ( NS ): ( 21 July ( OS )) – During the War of the Spanish Succession, and when returning from a failed expedition to Barcelona, an Anglo-Dutch fleet, under the command of Sir George Rooke, chief commander of the Alliance Navy, began a new siege ( the eleventh siege of the town ).

During the War of the Spanish Succession Alberoni laid the foundation of his political success by the services he rendered to Louis-Joseph, duc de Vendôme, commander of the French forces in Italy, to whom the duke of Parma had sent him.

* 1550 – Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia, Spanish commander ( d. 1615 )

At that time, forces under Ambrogio Spinola, 1st Marquis of the Balbases, the Genoese commander of the Spanish army, would be able to pass through friendly territories to reach the Dutch Republic ; the only hostile state that stood in his way was the Electorate of the Palatinate.

He and Admiral John Benbow, commander of the smaller British fleet, avoided one another, and Château-Renault eventually escorted home the Spanish treasure fleet from Vera Cruz that met its end at Vigo Bay.

* December – Siege of Haarlem is begun by the Duke of Alva, Spanish commander in the Netherlands.

* July 1 – Battle of Treviño -( Third Carlist War )- Advancing on the key city of Vitoria, in Navarre, the Spanish Republican commander General Jenardo de Quesada sent General Tello to attack the Carlist lines just to the southwest at Treviño.

* August 3 – Bernardino de Mendoza, Spanish military commander

* September 10 – Alonso de Guzmán El Bueno, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia, commander of the Spanish Armada ( d. 1615 )

* April 16 – Juan de Silva, Spanish military commander and governor of the Philippines

** Bernardino de Mendoza, Spanish military commander ( d. 1604 )

The commander of the joint French and Spanish forces, Admiral Villeneuve, was captured along with his ship Bucentaure.

Shortly afterward, the Spanish commander surrendered the city.

Walpole's service in these offices made him a close advisor of the Duke of Marlborough, the commander of British forces in the War of the Spanish Succession and a dominant force in British politics.

Vernon again clashed with the army commander, and the expedition withdrew when faced with heavier Spanish opposition than expected.

The latter was promptly and heavily reinforced and all that the Spaniards could do was to entrench themselves at Piacenza, Philip, the Spanish Infante as supreme commander calling up Maillebois to his aid.

The advantage lay with Bitish when one Spanish warship ran aground and another was captured but the Briish commander failed to capitalise and the Spanish fleet took shelter in Havana.

They headed in that direction and, at San Juan Capistrano By-the-Sea came upon Barco sitting in the quaint old Spanish Mission Drive-in, eating a hot tamale.

Alfonso XII ( born Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo ) ( Madrid, 28 November 1857 – El Pardo, 25 November 1885 ) was King of Spain, reigning from 1874 to 1885, after a coup d ' état restored the monarchy and ended the ephemeral First Spanish Republic.

The Puerto Rican activist Julio Vizcarrondo had moved the Spanish Abolitionist Society from San Juan de Puerto Rico to Madrid at the request of premier Miguel Prim, himself a former Puerto Rico governor.

On 15 January 1941, Alfonso XIII abdicated his rights to the Spanish throne in favour of his third ( of four ), but second-surviving, son Juan, father of the current King, Juan Carlos.

* 1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first sights land in what is now Florida.

* 1896 – Philippine Revolution: After Spanish victory in the Battle of San Juan del Monte, eight provinces in the Philippines are declared under martial law by the Spanish Governor-General Ramón Blanco y Erenas.

* 1892 – Juan Belmonte, Spanish bullfighter ( d. 1962 )

* 1797 – Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in America.

* 2010 – Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish sports administrator ( b. 1920 )

* 1658 – Juan Eusebio Nieremberg, Spanish mystic ( b. 1595 )

* 1881 – Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize laureate ( d. 1958 )

Diego de Almagro was born in the Spanish city signified by his last name, being the illegitimate son of Juan de Montenegro and Elvira Gutiérrez.

Meanwhile, Francisco Pizarro's brother, Juan Pizarro, had arrested Inca Manco Inca Yupanqui, further complicating Almagro's plans as it heavily increased the dissatisfaction of the Indians submitted to Spanish rule.

* Spanish foreign minister Juan Valera's Pepita Jimenez ( 1874 ) is writing in three sections, with the first and third being a series of letters, while the middle part is a narration by an unknown observer.

* 1568 – Juan Bautista Comes, Spanish composer ( d. 1643 )

Coincidentally, " Giancarlo " translates from Italian to Spanish as " Juan Carlos.

The detachment proved very effective supporting the advance of American forces at the Battle of San Juan Hill, where three of the Gatlings with swivel mountings were used with great success against the Spanish defenders.

During the American charge up San Juan and Kettle Hills, the three guns fired a total of 18, 000. 30 Army rounds in eight and one-half minutes ( an average of over 700 rpm per gun ) against Spanish troop positions along the crest of both hills, wreaking terrible carnage.

* 1980 – Juan Carlos Navarro, Spanish basketball player

* 2006 – Juan de Ávalos, Spanish sculptor ( b. 1911 )

* 1806 – Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, Spanish composer ( d. 1826 )

* 1468 – Juan del Encina, Spanish composer, poet, and playwright ( d. 1530 )