The British Empire around 1833 Was the seizure of the Malvinas Islands an isolated event? Look at what Britain was doing around the world: 🇮🇳 1803 – Maratha territories — war and territorial conquest 🇿🇦 1806 – Cape Colony — invaded and captured 🇦🇷 1806 – Buenos Aires — invaded and captured; subsequently retaken by local forces 🇩🇰 1807 – Copenhagen — attacked; Danish fleet seized 🇺🇾 1807 – Montevideo — invaded and captured 🇦🇷 1807 – Buenos Aires — invaded again; the second British attempt was defeated and the British forces surrendered. 🇲🇶 1809 – Martinique — invaded and captured 🇬🇵 1810 – Guadeloupe — invaded and captured 🇷🇪 1810 – Réunion — invaded and captured 🇲🇺 1810 – Mauritius — invaded and captured 🇮🇩 1811 – Java — invaded and occupied 🇺🇸 1812–15 – United States — invaded; Washington captured and burned 🇳🇵 1814–16 – Nepal — invaded; territory ceded 🇮🇳 1817–18 – Maratha territories — conquered; British control massively expanded 🇦🇪 1819 – Ras Al Khaimah — attacked and captured 🇲🇲 1824–26 – Burma — invaded; territories ceded 🇬🇶 1827–34 – Fernando Po — British occupation/presence 🇦🇷 1833 – Malvinas Islands — Argentinians were removed and British administration established 🇮🇳 1834 – Coorg — invaded and annexed 🇿🇦 1834–35 – Xhosa territory — invaded; Queen Adelaide Province proclaimed 🇾🇪 1839 – Aden — attacked and captured 🇦🇫 1839 – Afghanistan — invaded; Kabul occupied 🇨🇳 1839 – China — First Opium War begins And we are supposed to believe that what happened in the South Atlantic in 1833 should be understood completely outside this context? Britain was one of the world’s dominant imperial powers and was repeatedly using military force to acquire, occupy or control territory during this period. 1833 wasn’t happening in a vacuum. It was happening in the age of the British Empire.