The Holy Spanish Empire, Part 2: The Jeweled Cross Begins to Crumble

     By the time the Dutch, English and French had come to the islands of the eastern Caribbean in the late 1500’s, the Spanish had moved their headquarters westward to the mainland of Central and South America, where their silver and gold mines were located.  There, the cities of Cartagena, Porto Bello, Vera Cruz, Campeche and Havana were thriving, where the wealth was conglomerated.  This vast expanse of land was referred to as the ‘Spanish Main,’ ‘main’ being short for ‘mainland.’ The treasure fleet made its run through these coastal cities of the Caribbean on its annual tour, carrying the wealth of the new world back to Spain.

     The Empire and their far flung cities were spread wide and thin however, making them relatively easy targets.  Spanish refusal to set up trade with any other nation in the Caribbean and their brutal treatment of "infidels" (aka, Protestants) fostered resentment among the other rising powers of the day like France, Britain, and Holland.  What enflamed the situation ever more was Spain’s insistence that the eastern islands of the Caribbean were still their property, even though most of them had been settled by English, French, or Dutch.  Spain even undertook efforts to rid St. Christopher and other islands of their non-Spanish, European inhabitants. These efforts were authorized by the Spanish Crown and instituted by the best military man of the day, Don Fradrique de Toledo.

     Spain’s highly protectionist attitude toward commerce and their religious intolerance ultimately doomed them to perpetual resentment.  It was a resentment that encouraged the other rising imperial powers of the day to happily use, and even authorize the Buccaneers through official letters of Marque for raiding Spanish shipping.  In time, robbery of Spain’s empire became so lucrative that entire port cities emerged that were dedicated to contraband inventories.  One of the most famous ports was Tortuga, as we've already heard, and later, Port Royal, Jamaica, at the heart of the Spanish Empire where raids against Spanish cities became a common occurrence throughout the later part of the 17th century.

For much more on the subject, you can also read my historical novel, The Brethren Prince, available as an e-book at the Amazon Kindle store, Apple iBooks, Barnes and Noble, and other major e-book retailers.