Complex sentence: The French settlement, however, was seen as a strategic threat to Spanish interests in South America; the Spanish government claimed that the islands were rightfully Spanish and in 1767 forced the handover of the French establishment to Spain.
Split into simpler sentences: The French settlement, however, was seen as a strategic threat to Spanish interests in South America. The Spanish government claimed that the islands were rightfully Spanish and in 1767 forced the handover of the French establishment to Spain.