Spain, France, and the Caribbean in the 1700s

[burundi]

My husband is getting ready to play in an RPG that the GM has affectionately titled “Cthulu of the Caribbean.” Pirates and tentacled monsters will meet for wacky hijinks in the Caribbean isles circa 1700. My husband asked me, the resident history dork, for information about Spain and France’s colonies in the region during the 18th century. I’m embarassed to admit that I have no idea, and I’m turning to the Dope for help.

So, guys, what colonies did Spain and France have in the Caribbean? How was the overall relationship between Spain and France in 1700? And can anyone point me toward interesting books on Carribean history? Many thanks, y’all.

[Earthling]

First of all, I’m not a historian, so I’ll concede to any experts who come along later. The information I have comes from a book titled “Atlas of Past Times” by John Haywood, which I picked up for cheap at Borders Books (I think it’s their own reprint). The good historical atlases that I really want run about $80 or so.

Anyhow, its map of New World colonies shows that Spain had the greatest presence in the Caribbean, followed by the British, French, and Dutch. Specifically, by 1750 the Spanish had (roughly, in today’s territorial names) Cuba, Puerto Rico, The Dominican Republic (the eastern half of Hispaniola), and Trinidad. The British had Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados & the Grenadines, the Virgin Islands, Antigua, and Barbuda (I know I’ve missed some – there are just so many islands in the Lesser Antilles). The French had Guadeloupe and Martinique, also in the Lesser Antilles, and Haiti (the western half of Hispaniola). The Dutch had what we now call the “ABC” islands – Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. On the map, it shows that between 1650 and 1750, Spain lost Bahamas and Jamaica to Britain, and Haiti to France, but the text gives no details.

Back on the Continent, Louis XIV persuaded the childless Charles II of Spain to accept Louis’s grandson Philip as heir to the Spanish throne. The rest of Europe knew a French expansionist scheme when they saw one, so this led to the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1713), with one result being the increase of British territories in the Caribbean.

That’s all I know.

[Earthling]

Oh, as for pirates and wacky hijinks in the Caribbean, the book says:

Its American empire turned Spain into the greatest power in Europe. The silver that was shipped back in huge quantities helped to finance its wars…Other European countries were eager to grab a share the New World’s riches.
<snip>
For a long time, other European countries such as the Netherlands, England, and France had to confine their activities in the New World to attacking Spain’s ships and coastal ports. Piracy and smuggling were common; so too was privateering…But even [Sir Francis Drake] failed to capture the heavily guarded treasure fleet that carried quantities of…silver back to Spain…It was seized only once, by the Dutch admiral Piet Heyn in 1628.

OK, now that’s all I know.

[DreadCthulhu]

Well, I don’t know much about the colonial situation in the Caribbean at the time but,
AVAST YE PUNY HUMANS!! PREPARE TO BE EATEN BY A TERROR FROM THE DEPTHS!! ARRR!!!

[clairobscur]

Oh, as for pirates and wacky hijinks in the Caribbean, the book says:

quote:

Its American empire turned Spain into the greatest power in Europe. The silver that was shipped back in huge quantities helped to finance its wars…Other European countries were eager to grab a share the New World’s riches.
<snip>
For a long time, other European countries such as the Netherlands, England, and France had to confine their activities in the New World to attacking Spain’s ships and coastal ports. Piracy and smuggling were common; so too was privateering…But even [Sir Francis Drake] failed to capture the heavily guarded treasure fleet that carried quantities of…silver back to Spain…It was seized only once, by the Dutch admiral Piet Heyn in 1628.

OK, now that’s all I know.

**

This quote refers to an earlier period. By 1700, Spain’s glory had faded and the country was outranked in essentially all areas (economy, fleet, army) by the other main european powers. On sea, during the second part of the XVII° century, the spanish couldn’t compete anymore with the three main naval powers : the UK, the Netherlands and France (it’s also the period during which the british fleet would begin to outrank the two other countrie’s fleets).

Also, a poster stated that Louis XIV persuaded the king of Spain to choose his grandson as heir. It’s inacurate. Actually, it was expected that the spanish empire would be shared between the two possible heirs (a french one and an austrian one). But the king of Spain eventually refused the dismembering of his kingdom, and choose Louis XIV grandson as the only heir. This came as a surprise, even for the french court, and the king of France actually hesitated before accepting the heirlom, knowing perfectly that other european countries couldn’t accept such a situation and that it would necessarily result in a war.
Concerning the relationship between France and Spain in 1700, it’s quite easy. At the end of this year, the king of Spain is the grandson of the king of France, and a teenager. The two countries are fully allied, and the following year the long war of Spanish succession will begin (France and Spain against Portugal, the UK, the Netherlands and Austria).
As for the list of carribean islands belonging to Spain or France at this date, I’ve no clue.

[Tamerlane]

Okay, here goes ( I may miss a few, maybe quite a few ):

Jamaica - British de facto from1655, by treaty from 1670

Haiti - French as St. Dominque from 1697

Antigua and Barbuda - British from 1667

Martinique and Guadeloupe - French from 1635

Barbados - English from 1627

Dominica - native Carib in 1700, French 1727-1761 ( settlement from 1719 ), British from 1761 ( 1763 formally )

Grenada - French 1650-1783, then British

St. Kitts and Nevis - British from 1627

Saint Lucia - native Carib in 1700 ( English colonization attempts in 1605 and 1638 were wiped out ), French 1746-1778, then changed hands between British and French 14 times between 1778 and 1814, British after that.

Saint Vincent and Grenadines - Carib in 1700, French from 1719, british 1763-1779, french 1779-1783, then British

Trinidad - Spanish until 1797, then British

Tobago - disputed territory which changed hands frequently ( the Duke of Courland, a vassal of Poland-Lithuania, was bizarrely major player 1654-1659, then again in 1668 ), formally designated neutral territory in 1704 ( and it was a major pirate haven ), definitively British from 1803.

Bahamas - settled by British settlers in 1647, formally a British possesion from 1670, but de facto a major pirate haven ( probably THE major pirate haven ) until 1718.

Anguilla - british from 1650

Bermuda - British from 1612 ( oldest continuous British New World colony )

British Virgin Islands - Dutch 1648-1672, then British

Danish West Indies ( now U.S. Virgin Islands ) - St. Thomas, 1672; St. John, 1683; St. Croix from French in 1733

Cayman Islands - British from 1670

Dutch Antilles - ( Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustasius, Sint Martine - split with French Saint Martin ) - from 1630’s.

Aruba - Dutch from 1636

The rest Spanish. It should be kept in mind that many of the above mentioned smaller islands weren’t really held by Spain in any sense but theoretical before other European powers began to colonize them ( hostile Carib and/or Spanish indifference slowed or prevented colonization of places like Tobago or Dominica ).

• Tamerlane

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

You guys rock! Thank you for the history.

Here’s the basic character idea; if anyone wants to vet it for historical verisimilitude, that’d be great. (I’m leaving out the part about the ghostly curse, since that’s probably not in the history books ).

Ferdinand de Gallos (or de something else; he should be hidalgo) is the first son of a celebrated Spanish naval captain who retired back to a modest estate in Valencia. Ferdinand has several siblings, some of whom are more suited to carrying on the family naval tradition; unfortunately, as the oldest son, his father expects him to be the next generation’s war hero. Thus daddy got Ferdinand an appointment with the navy in, let’s say, Trinidad.

Here’s the part I’m not sure about.

Ferdinand is quite personable, even if he’s a crappy sailor, and has kissed up to the island’s leader – a governor? For awhile he held a post on the island that scheduled naval patrols and watched out for pirates – what would such a post be called, and what would it entail?

He’s intensely aware that the Spanish navy isn’t what it was during his father’s day, and realizes that Spanish power is waning. Partly he doesn’t much care: he resents being forced into naval work when he’d be far better suited as a merchant. On the other hand, he uses the empire’s declining glory to justify a little bit of money on the side: instead of scheduling patrols to catch pirates, he schedules them to miss pirates. In exchange, he’s convinced the local pirates to stay away from Spanish vessels and attack those of the French, British, etc. He gets a quarter-share of treasure from any such haul topay him for his troubles.

The island’s governor probably knows about the arrangement and tacitly approves: it’s far more efficient, he thinks, than trying to catch pirates would be. However, things have recently gone all to hell:

A band of pirates attacked a vessel carrying a new priest to a French colony, and for complex reasons (related to the ghost curse), Ferdinand accepted as his share of the treasure an ostentatious ring taken from the priest’s corpse. Unfortunately he was seen wearing the ring by a church official sent to investigate the priest’s disappearance, and the jig was up. The governor, in order to avoid an international incident, was forced to disavow knowledge of Ferdinand’s arrangements, try him, and hang him.

Like any good swashbuckler, Ferdinand managed with the help of some of his pirate buddies a fantastic escape from prison on the eve of his execution, and now finds himself helping crew one of the ships he used to advise. The French government and the Holy See would both love to get their hands on him; the Spanish governor is thrilled that Ferdinand got away.

Any feedback? Any historical stuff I can throw in here to make him more interesting? Anything I ought to change in order to avoid conflicting with interesting historical plotlines that might come up?

Thanks again!
Daniel

[Captain_Amazing]

*Originally posted by Left Hand of Dorkness *
**
Ferdinand is quite personable, even if he’s a crappy sailor, and has kissed up to the island’s leader – a governor? For awhile he held a post on the island that scheduled naval patrols and watched out for pirates – what would such a post be called, and what would it entail?
**

The patrol would be the Guarda Costa…the Coast Guard. Here’s an example of a commission in the Guarda:

404 Not Found

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

Excellent – thanks! And some great names in there to steal, too.
Daniel

[xnylder]

It sounds like you and your GM would enjoy the game system 7th Sea by AEG. It’s an adventure RPG set in a swashbuckling version of the 17th century. The creators drew on history and literature to come up with a rollicking game. There’s even a Cthulloid angle in there, if you know where to look. Let’s just say that if your GM has heard of it, you should probably avoid shiny, mysterious ancient Greek artifacts.