Capture of Tortuga
1635 CE.
Shown on the map at 20.005°, -72.712°.
The capture of Tortuga was a Spanish expedition to the island of Tortuga in January 1635 intended to remove French and English settlers from the island during the Franco-Spanish War. During the early 17th century, English and French colonists settled on Tortuga, engaging in logwood harvesting and piracy. In 1630, 150 English settlers from Saint Kitts established a settlement linked to the Providence Island colony, which appointed Christopher Wormeley as governor in 1634. The Spanish, alerted to Tortuga's weak defences by Irish defectors, set a 250-strong expedition in late January 1635 which captured and destroyed all French and English settlements on the island, forcing their survivors to flee. Spanish forces summarily executed hundreds of captives during the engagement. Wormeley was later banished for his failure, and Tortuga evolved into a pirate stronghold after the departure of the Providence Island's plantation-oriented oversight.
Text from the Wikipedia article Capture of Tortuga, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.