The
War of Jenkins' Ear (known as
Guerra del Asiento in Spain) was a conflict between
Britain and
Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1748, with major operations largely ended by 1742. Its unusual name, coined by
Thomas Carlyle in 1858, refers to an ear severed from
Robert Jenkins, a captain of a British
merchant ship and acknowledged smuggler. The severed ear was subsequently exhibited before the British
Parliament.