evidence: José Moñino y Redondo, Count of Floridablanca and Spain’s minister of foreign affairs, understood the prospect of the American colonies remaining under British control jeopardized the survival of both Spanish and French assets in the Americas.8 Vergennes made this point to Floridablanca in order to entice the Spanish to enter the war. Initially, Floridablanca rejected this offer, seeing an opportunity to regain Gibraltar, a desirable territory that Spain lost to Great Britain during the War of Spanish Succession. Spain would remain neutral if Great Britain returned Gibraltar. Great Britain, however, rejected this proposal, which, in turn, motivated Spain to join the war in hopes of regaining its lost territory.9After France declared war on Great Britain in February 1778, the Spanish had the upper hand in negotiations as France was desperate for their aid. In return for Spanish participation in the war, Floridablanca insisted France pledge its assistance in retrieving the lost Spanish territories of Gibraltar and Minorca and help expel British forces from the Gulf Coast region of North America and Central America.