of the fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo, led by troops under the command of Alexandre Maître, begins and lasts for 16 days. On the final day, General Maitre begins the attack that takes the fortress within 45 minutes. September 30 – War of the Spanish Succession: the conquest by Austrian troops, of the Italian peninsula city state of Gaeta, is accomplished after a three-month siege led by General Wirich Philipp von Daun. October– December October 22 – Scilly naval disaster: Four British Royal Navy ships run aground in the Isles of Scilly, because of faulty navigation. Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell and at least 1,450 sailors all drown. October 23 – The Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain first meets in London. October 28 – The Hōei earthquake (the most powerful in Japan until 2011) strikes, with an estimated local magnitude of 8.6 and kills at least 5,000 people. November 30 – War of the Spanish Succession: The Siege of Pensacola ends, with the Spanish successfully defending their fort. December 16 – The last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji begins in Japan. December 24 – The first British Governor of Gibraltar, directly appointed by Queen Anne, Roger Elliott, takes up his residence in the Convent of the Franciscan Friars. December 28 – Charles XII of Sweden and his coalition of troops begin crossing the first line of defense of the Russian Empire, the Vistula River, in their attempt to conquer Russia. Date unknown A fortress is founded on the future site of Ust-Abakanskoye (modern Abakan). The Lao empire of Lan Xang officially ends, and splits into the kingdoms of Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and Champasak. Hacienda Juriquilla is built in Querétaro, Mexico. The English Parliament establishes the first turnpike trusts, which place a length of road under the control of trustees, drawn from local landowners and traders. The turnpike trusts borrow capital for road maintenance against the security of tolls, and this arrangement becomes the common method of road maintenance for the next 150 years.</onlyinclude> Births January–March January 2 – Johann Adam Lehmus, German poet of numerous spiritual songs (d. 1788) January 8 – Louis, Duke of Brittany, second son of Louis of France (d. 1712) January 11 – Giuseppe Bonito, Neapolitan painter of the Rococo period (d. 1789) January 13 – John Boyle, 5th Earl of Cork, Irish writer (d. 1762) January 17 – Prospero Colonna di Sciarra, Italian cardinal of