Tortuga (Haiti)

For the island with a similar name in the Gulf of French colonies for a second time, only to leave again beCalifornia, see Isla Tortuga.
cause the island was too small to be of major importance.
This allowed the return of both French and English piTortuga (French: le de la Tortue, IPA: [il d la tty]; rates. In 1638, the Spanish returned for a third time to
take the island and rid it of all French and the newly setHaitian Creole: Latti; Spanish: Isla Tortuga, IPA: [isla
tortua], Turtle Island) is a Caribbean island that forms tled Dutch. They occupied the island, but were expelled
by the French and Dutch colonists in 1640, at which time
part of Haiti, o the northwest coast of Hispaniola. It
constitutes the commune of le de la Tortue in the Port- the French built Fort de Rocher in a natural harbour; the
de-Paix arrondissement of the Nord-Ouest Department fort enabled the French to defeat a Spanish invasion force
the following year.
of Haiti.
By 1640, the buccaneers of Tortuga were calling themselves the Brethren of the Coast. The pirate population
was mostly made up of French and Englishmen, along
with a small number of Dutchmen. In 1645, in an attempt
to bring harmony and control over the island, the acting
French governor imported roughly 1,650 prostitutes, hoping to normalize the unruly pirates lives. In 1654 the
Spanish captured the island for the fourth and last time.[5]

Tortuga is 180 km (69 mi)[1] in size and had a population of 25,936 at the 2003 Census. In the 17th century, Tortuga was a major centre of Caribbean piracy. Its
tourist industry and reference in many works has made it
one of the most recognized regions of Haiti.

History

In 1655 Tortuga was reoccupied by English and French

interlopers under Elias Watts, who secured a commission
from Col. William Brayne, acting as military Governor
on Jamaica, to serve as Governor of Tortuga. In 1660
the English appointed a Frenchman Jeremie Deschamps
as Governor who proclaimed the King of France, set up
French colours, and defeated several English attempts to
reclaim the island.[6]

The rst Europeans to land on Tortuga were the Spaniards

in 1492 during the rst voyage of Christopher Columbus
into the New World. On December 6, 1492, three Spanish ships entered the Windward Passage that separates
Cuba and Haiti. At sunrise, Columbus noticed an island
whose contours emerged from the morning mist. Because
the shape reminded him of a turtles shell, he chose the
By 1670 the buccaneer era was in decline, and many of
name of Tortuga.[2][3][4]
the pirates turned to log cutting and wood trading as a new
Tortuga was originally settled by a few Spanish colonists.
income source. At this time a Welsh pirate named Henry
In 1625 French and English settlers arrived on the isMorgan started to promote himself and invited the pirates
land of Tortuga after initially planning to settle on the
on the island of Tortuga to set sail under him. They were
island of Hispaniola. The French and English settlers
hired by the French as a striking force that allowed France
were attacked in 1629 by the Spanish commanded by Don
to have a much stronger hold on the Caribbean region.
Fadrique de Toledo, who fortied the island, and expelled
Consequently, the pirates were never really controlled and
the French and English. As most of the Spanish army
kept Tortuga as a neutral hideout for pirate booty.
left for Hispaniola to root out French colonists there, the
French returned in 1630 to occupy the fort and expanded In 1680, new Acts of Parliament forbade sailing under
foreign ags (in opposition to former practice). This
the Spanish-built fortications.
was a major legal blow to the Caribbean pirates. SetFrom 1630 onward, the island of Tortuga was divided
tlements were made in the Treaty of Ratisbon of 1684,
into French and English colonies, allowing buccaneers
signed by the European powers, that put an end to piracy.
to use the island as their main base of operations. In
Most of the pirates after this time were hired out into the
1633, the rst slaves were imported from Africa to aid in
Royal services to suppress their former buccaneer allies.
the plantations. However, by 1635 the use of slaves had
The capital of the French Colony of Saint-Domingue was
ended. The slaves were said to be out of control on the
moved from Tortuga to Port-de-Paix on the mainland of
island, while at the same time there had been continuous
Hispaniola in 1676.
disagreements and ghting between French and English
colonies.
In 1635 Spain recaptured Tortuga from the English and
expelled them. Quickly, Spain conquered the English and
1

IN FICTION

Double Crossbones (1950)

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)
Pirates of Tortuga (1961)
Pirates of the Caribbean lms
Main article: Geography of Pirates of the Caribbean
Tortuga

A drawing of Tortuga island from the 17th century.

3.2 Television
Black Sails (TV series), referenced only.

Geography
3.3 Literature

The island of Tortuga stands o the northern coast of

Haiti. It is very mountainous and rocky; the rocks are Books featuring the island include:
especially abundant on the northern part of the island. At
Pirate Latitudes (2009), Michael Crichton's posthuthe beginning of the 17th century, the population lived on
mously published novel
the southern coast of the island, where there was a port
for ships to enter. The northern shore was described as
Tortuga by Valerio Evangelisti
inaccessible via both land and sea.
Caribbean (1989) by James Michener
The inhabited area was divided into four parts; the rst
of these was called Low Land or Low Country. This
region contained the islands port and was therefore con3.4 Music
sidered the most important. The town was called Cayona,
and the richest planters of the island lived there. The secTortuga is mentioned in multiple songs, including:
ond region was called the Middle Plantation"; the farmers of this region were unfamiliar with the soil and it was
Jonas Psalter (1973) by the rock band Styx
only used to grow tobacco. The third part was named La
Ringot, and was positioned on the western portion of the
"Jack Sparrow" by The Lonely Island and featuring
island. The fourth region was called the La Montagne
Michael Bolton
(the Mountain); it is there that the rst cultivated planta Tortuga by Starwood
tions were established upon the island.
This 17th century geography is known largely from
Alexander O. Exquemelins detailed description in his 3.5 Rafael Sabatinis works
book Zeerovers, [7] where he describes a 1666 journey
to the island.
3.5.1 Captain Blood
Tortuga is featured in Sabatinis Captain Blood series and
the movies based on it (the most famous is Captain Blood
3 In ction
(1935) starring Errol Flynn). It is the place where Blood
and his crew nd refuge after their escape from Barbados
Tortuga has been portrayed in many works depicting in 1685. Blood receives a Letter of Marque from Torpiracy in the Caribbean in the 17th and 18th centuries.
tugas governor, DOgeron, and the island becomes his
main base for the next four years. He starts his raids
from Cayona, and several events in the books take place
3.1 Films
on Tortuga itself or on ships anchoring in the harbour of
Cayona.
Tortuga has been featured in numerous lms, including
Sabatini used Exquemelins History of the Bouccaneers
of America as a main source for his description of Tor Captain Blood (1935)
tuga, and therefore the island is portrayed as a place where
many buccaneers, prostitutes, and other dubious profes The Black Swan (1942)
sions operate, but the French West India Company, which
The Spanish Main (1945)
rules Tortuga, makes prot o of those aairs.

3
3.5.2

The Black Swan

Tortuga also features in Sabatinis novel, The Black Swan

and the 1942 movie based on it.

3.6

Video games

Tortuga has been featured in numerous video games, including:

Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales
Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag (2013)
Crimson Skies
Curse of Monkey Island

[3] Cristbal Coln en La Espaola. Amautacuna de Historia. 2010-10-24.

[4] Diario de a bordo del primer viaje de Cristbal Coln:
texto completo. 6 de Diciembre.. Wikisource. 1492.
Retrieved 24 July 2012.
[5] The Buccaneers In The West Indies In The XVII Century
- Chapter IV
[6] The Buccaneers In The West Indies In The XVII Century
- Chapter IV
[7] Exquemelin, Alexander (2003).
Zeerovers.
'sHertogenbosch: Voltaire B.V. pp. 1820. ISBN 905848-044-5.

(2003) Pancorbo, Luis: El Canal de la Tortuga

en Ro de Amrica. pp. 321333. Laertes,
Barcelona. ISBN 84-7584-506-1

Cutthroats: Terror on the High Seas

Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
Pirates of the Burning Sea
Pirates of the Caribbean Online
Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned
Sea Legend
Sid Meiers Pirates!
Tortuga: Pirates of the New World
Tortuga - Two Treasures
Voyage Century Online

See also
Buccaneers
Geography of Pirates of the Caribbean
Piracy in the Caribbean
Port Royal

References

[1] Schutt-Ain, Patricia; Sta of Librairie Au Service de la

Culture (1994). Haiti: A Basic Reference Book. Miami,
Florida: Librairie Au Service de la Culture. p. 20. ISBN
0-9638599-0-0.
[2] Ile de la tortue, Histoire. Petite histoire de lle de la
tortue. Villa Camp Mandingue. Haiti. Retrieved 24 July
2012.

6 External links
Media related to le de la Tortue at Wikimedia Commons
(English)(Spanish) Method of Securing the Ports
and Populations of All the Coasts of the Indies,
from 1694, discusses Tortugas history with piracy.

7 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

7.1

Text

Tortuga (Haiti) Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortuga_(Haiti)?oldid=670328147 Contributors: Danny, CatherineMunro, Radiojon, Maximus Rex, SEWilco, RedWolf, Henrygb, Thomasb~enwiki, Xyzzyva, Everyking, Slyguy, Macrakis, Sedan, VoX, Keith Edkins, Elembis, CaribDigita, Vsmith, *drew, Susvolans, Sietse Snel, Cheesegoduk, Walkiped, Cmdrjameson, Get It, Morenus, Darwinek, Polylerus,
Woopage25, RandomEE2, Korrigan, Tony Sidaway, Gene Nygaard, Qurqa~enwiki, Lincher, Ratzer, Cuchullain, Sjakkalle, Rjwilmsi, Funnyhat, Maxim Razin, Terrx, VolatileChemical, Peter Grey, YurikBot, RadioFan2 (usurped), Gaius Cornelius, CambridgeBayWeather,
RadioKirk, Dialectric, Clashfrankcastle, Mlouns, Zwobot, Rwalker, Oudes, Tuckerresearch, Chrisjj2, Pietdesomere, Petri Krohn, Andyluciano~enwiki, Dan Atkinson, Roke, Vanka5, Attilios, KnightRider~enwiki, SmackBot, Aelfthrytha, Zazaban, Zyxw, Liaocyed, Hmains,
Schmiteye, Trebor, Apeloverage, Nataraja87, Bltpdx, Jwillbur, Deepred6502, Ser Amantio di Nicolao, Grumpy444grumpy~enwiki, A. Parrot, Stwalkerster, SQGibbon, Hyenaste, CharlesMartel, Ryulong, Tmangray, Namiba, Tawkerbot2, Joshuagross, The Letter J, ChrisCork,
Filiep, Hpfan1, WeggeBot, Fowler Pierre, Cydebot, Scole66, Badpazzword, Rob neptune, Doug Weller, Thijs!bot, Missvain, Shelley
Konk~enwiki, Mentisto, AntiVandalBot, SpookyX31, Jonterry4, Pablo Edvaldo, MER-C, Usws, Froid, Archemetre, Papercrab, Rif
Wineld, A2-computist, Nopira, FlieGerFaUstMe262, Poeloq, Johnpacklambert, Deagro, Trusilver, Tikiwont, Jeepday, Mrshll, Idiomabot, VolkovBot, Tesscass, Drunkenmonkey, TXiKiBoT, Emeraldstone, Rei-bot, Paledin, SieBot, Mikemoral, Keilana, Spyder00Boi,
Jorgeer109, ClueBot, Binksternet, The Thing That Should Not Be, Lisadnyc, Wikijens, Gargolla, Shipatsee, Mr Accountable, Leecottrell, Dutzi, SchreiberBike, DerBorg, SilvonenBot, Good Olfactory, Addbot, Favonian, Lightbot, Zorrobot, Xenobot, Waltloc, Luckasbot, Yobot, PMLawrence, Citation bot, Dhobsd, GrouchoBot, Mattg82, FrescoBot, Jack Sparrow 3, RedBot, Pietje96, Beyond My Ken,
Killam0th, EmausBot, WikitanvirBot, Look2See1, Racerx11, Trookey, Bongoramsey, Viloris, Tolly4bolly, ClueBot NG, Diogenes2000,
Wllmevans, Ymblanter, Branden 98, Herkamurjones, Michael!, AnthonyJ Lock, Savvyjack23, MarblePlinth and Anonymous: 169

7.2

Images

File:Flag_of_Haiti.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Flag_of_Haiti.svg License: Public domain

Contributors: Coat of arms from: Coat of arms of Haiti.svg by Lokal_Prol and Myriam Thyes Original artist: (colours and size changes
of the now deletied versions) Madden, Vzb83, Denelson83, Chanheigeorge, Zscout370 and Nightstallion
File:Haiti_communes.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Haiti_communes.png License: Public domain
Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Haiti_relief_location_map.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Haiti_relief_location_map.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work, SRTM3, ETOPO1, VMAP0, OpenStreetMap for departements boundaries Original artist:
Alexrk2
File:Red_pog.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/Red_pog.svg License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original
artist: ?
File:Tortuga17thcentury.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Tortuga17thcentury.jpg License: Public
domain Contributors: http://therogersinhaiti.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/tortuga17thcentury.jpg Original artist: Unknown
File:Tortuga_Island_NASA.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Tortuga_Island_NASA.jpg License:
Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ?

7.3

Content license

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