Locations > Tortuga > Tortuga (3rd Spanish Invasion)
Tortuga
(3rd Spanish Invasion)
Background
The French would send Chevalier de Fontenay to replace Vasseur as governor on Tortuga following his death. In January of 1654 the Spanish forces launched yet another attack on Tortuga from nearby Santo Domingo. They were initially repelled by the buccaneers but they learned the weaknesses of Fort de Rocher in the process. The Spanish returned the following year and moved their cannons in the hills above the fortress and eventually forced the surrender of the buccaneers after a nine day siege and battle.
The Spanish destroyed Fort de Rocher and the buccaneers fled the island. Only a small contingent of Spanish troops were left on the island to secure it from future buccaneer attacks but even this was withdrawn when the colony of Santo Domingo was attacked by the British. Once the British heard of the vacancy on Tortuga the military governor of newly captured British Jamaica named Col. William Brayne sent English and French buccaneers under Elias Watts to reclaim the island.
Between 1655 and 1659 English buccaneers occupied the island and launched successful raids on Spanish settlements that were on mainland Hispaniola. During this time the governor of Jamaica named Edward D'Oley attempted to colonize Tortuga for the British but was ultimately unsuccessful. Soon the French reclaimed the island under Jeremie Deschamps and this caused several small conflicts with the English. During this time many buccaneers flocked to the city of Port Royal following the 1657 declaration by D'Oley to give commissions in exchange for defense of the city.
Buccaneering Resurgence
In 1660 the French launched yet another buccaneer invasion to capture Tortuga in order to reclaim it as a base for piracy and privateering in the region. They were successful and after several years of vacancy the French buccaneers once again had captured the island. During this time buccaneering and privateering surged in the area and was once again encouraged by the government in order to protect the colony. The buccaneers also developed an economy on the island as they would return to spend their hard earned loot on gambling, women and taverns.
In 1663 the buccaneer Captain Guy used Tortuga as his base of operations as well as the fledgling Port Royal. That same year the governor of Jamaica at the time named Thomas Modyford was given orders from the British government to relax restrictions on the buccaneers and give them free reign in order to help defend Jamaica from a potential Spanish invasion. Due to this many British began privateering against the Spanish and the French settlers on Jamaica left the island to return to Tortuga. As a result of this the minority British on Tortuga were eventually expelled back to Port Royal.
Brethren of the Coast
Tortuga
- Fort de Rocher
- Third Spanish Invasion
- Second Spanish Invasion
- Life in Tortuga
- Tortuga Economy
- Tortuga Decline
- Tortuga Legacy
Locations
+ See All Locations
Sources
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
United States, Hydrographic Office (1891). "Catalogue of Charts, Plans, Sailing Directions, and Other Publications of the Office, July 1, 1891". p. 34. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
Royal Geographical Society (Great Britain); Shaw, Norton; Greenfield, Hume; Bates, Henry Walter (1834). "The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society". p. 130. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
Schutt-Ainé, Patricia (1994). Haiti: A Basic Reference Book. Miami, Florida: Librairie Au Service de la Culture. p. 20. ISBN 0-9638599-0-0.
"Ile de la tortue, Histoire. Petite histoire de l'île de la tortue". Villa Camp Mandingue. Haiti. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
"Cristóbal Colón en La Española". Amautacuna de Historia. 2010-10-24.
"Diario de a bordo del primer viaje de Cristóbal Colón: texto completo. 6 de Diciembre.". Wikisource. 1492. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
The Buccaneers In The West Indies In The XVII Century - Chapter IV
The Buccaneers In The West Indies In The XVII Century - Chapter IV
Exquemelin, Alexander (2003). Zeerovers. 's-Hertogenbosch: Voltaire B.V. pp. 18–20. ISBN 90-5848-044-5.
Pancorbo, Luis (2003) "El Canal de la Tortuga" en "RÃo de América". pp. 321–333. Laertes, Barcelona. ISBN 84-7584-506-1
