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Events on Friday 12 April 1782 2
1698 – 1782Pietro Metastasio (1698-1782)Died 12 April 1782, aged 84Pietro Metastasio, the most celebrated opera librettist of the eighteenth century, died in Vienna on 12 April 1782. His texts were set to music by Handel, Gluck, Mozart, and dozens of other composers across Europe. He served for decades as court poet to the Habsburg emperors.
1782Battle of the SaintesBritish fleet shatters French Caribbean fleetA British fleet under Admiral George Rodney defeated the French fleet commanded by the Comte de Grasse near the Îles des Saintes in the Caribbean. The French flagship Ville de Paris was captured along with Admiral de Grasse himself. The victory ended French plans to invade Jamaica and strengthened Britain's hand in the peace negotiations.