Conflict in Hispaniola

The seventeenth century was not a period of peace for Hispaniola. (To clarify the Dominican Republic had not been established yet, that is why we are still referring to it as Hispaniola) It was a century of transition, invasion and chaos. Too keep things simple a timeline of Hispaniola conflict in the seventeenth century is below. While investigating the timeline, try to imagine what it was like for the residents of Hispaniola having to react to all these conflicts taking place on the island they called their home.

1600- Caribbean pirates begin making Hispaniola a regular stopping point to dock and restock their ships. Pirating was beginning to become popular in the Caribbean waters because of relatively “lawless” seaports. The draws to becoming a pirate included comradely, equality and wealth. The profession of piracy offered escaped slaves, people who were considered outcasts and those seeking extreme adventure an alternative lifestyle to a regular citizen. Pirating became centralized in the Caribbean seas and Hispaniola coast due to the valuable cargo ships were carrying from the islands back to Europe. Although not all pirate ships were a threat to the locals in Hispaniola their presence was not warmly welcomed.

1606- The king of Spain orders all residents of Hispaniola to move from their homes on the coast of the island and towards the city of Saint Domingue. This demand was made for two main reasons. One, was that the Spanish crown wanted to protect the people of Hispaniola from the recent pirating traffic and moving the people towards the city would limit interaction between those who called Hispaniola their home and the pirates. Two, was that Spain was upset Saint Domingue was facilitating trade between other European countries so they attacked the Northwest region of the island forcibly relocating people towards the city. During this process of relocation over half the migrants died of starvation and disease. The pirates quickly capitalized on the internal conflict of the island and the abandoned property. Semi-permanent homes were established on the coast, making the island even less safe then it originally had been.

1629- French and English buccaneers become the main group of people found on the Northwest coast of Hispaniola. The term Buccaneer is often used interchangeably with the word pirate however their crews were often larger and found mainly in the Caribbean seas. The term Buccaneer originates from the word buccan a wooden frame used for smoking meet. Buccaneers caused conflict on the island because their attacks were focused primarily on Spanish ships. Hispaniola was still under Spanish rule and ships were coming in often to collect sugar and other goods to take back to Spain.

1655- Sir William Penn, an English admiral, sets sail from to conquer the city of Santo Domingo. His attempt to conquer the city does not come as easy as anticipated and he settles taking Jamaica instead.

1697- The Treaty of Ryswick is signed ceding control if Hispaniola over to the French. The seventeenth century proved to be a messy one for the people of Hispaniola. A century filled with eventful conflicts and unpredictable attacks by buccaneers, the English and even Spain itself.

Sources:

Wikipedia. Accessed September 23, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispaniola.

Wikipedia. Accessed September 22, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Dominican_Republic.

Pirate King. Accessed September 23, 2011. http://www.thepirateking.com/terminology/definition_buccaneer.htm

Hispaniola . Accessed September 24, 2011 http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/info/history.php.