Although there have been fourteen sieges, only five resulted in a change of rule. Seven were fought between Muslims and Catholics during Muslim rule, four between Spain and Britain from the Anglo-Dutch capture in 1704 to the end of the Great Siege in 1783, two between rival Catholic factions, and one between rival Muslim powers. "Not the least of the curiosities of the history of Gibraltar", according to historian George Hills, is that four of Gibraltar's changes in rule (including three sieges) took place over a matter of days or hours, "whereas great sieges which went on for months and even years changed nothing except for the thousands who died in them".