On 24 April 1898, Spain formally declared war on the United States after refusing an American ultimatum to withdraw its forces from Cuba.
The declaration followed weeks of escalating tension and naval posturing in the Caribbean, spurred by US support for Cuban independence and outrage over the sinking of the USS Maine.
The conflict, later known as the Spanish–American War, would result in Spain’s defeat and the loss of its remaining colonies in the Americas and the Pacific.
