The Capture of Santiago de Cuba was a minor military event that took place towards the end of the Anglo–Spanish War in May 1603. Santiago de Cuba was attacked and sacked by English privateers led by Christopher Cleeve.Andrews pp 253-54

Events

Background

In late February 1603 Christopher Cleeve, in the large armed merchant

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch W ...

''Elizabeth and Cleeve'' along with a

pinnace Pinnace may refer to: * Pinnace (ship's boat), a small vessel used as a tender to larger vessels among other things * Full-rigged pinnace The full-rigged pinnace was the larger of two types of vessel called a pinnace in use from the sixteenth c ...

left England on a privateering expedition to raid the

Spanish Main During the Spanish colonization of America, the Spanish Main was the collective term for the parts of the Spanish Empire that were on the mainland of the Americas and had coastlines on the Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico. The term was used to di ...

, funded largely by a number of London Merchants. Cleeve arrived in the Caribbean in April. Cleeve's main target was Santiago de Cuba, which had escaped attacks by the English since the advent of the Anglo-Spanish war. Santiago de Cuba was the second largest town in Cuba, having been founded in 1515. The town had been targeted by pirates before, notably in 1553.Latimer p 46

Raid

On 12 May 1603 the English landed in a bay near Santiago de Cuba and met no resistance. They captured the small but unfinished fort, a ravelin and battery on the south-western beach of the promontory which covered the bay from the land side. Cleeve's men then marched towards the town and launched an attack. They surprised the militia, who attempted some resistance before being overwhelmed and the English then entered the city and went on a rampage.Syemour p 49 Many of the buildings were plundered, including the cathedral Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, and in all a considerable amount of booty was acquired. The city was occupied for a few days before a ransom was attempted, but having no response with this, Cleeve ordered his men to set fire to many buildings including the cathedral. All the fortifications were dismantled or destroyed and four vessels were plundered and burned. Most of Santiago de Cuba was destroyed and the English pirates left with their booty unmolested after having been in the city for just under a week.

Aftermath

Cleeve then descended on Spanish

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

but left, finding supplies and booty too few. On his way back home past Cuba, he intercepted and captured two small galleons in the

Old Bahama Channel The Old Bahama Channel ( es, Canal Viejo de Bahama) is a strait of the Caribbean region, between Cuba and the Bahamas. Geography The strait/channel is located off the Atlantic coast of north-central and northeastern mainland and the Sabana-Camag ...

on 28 August that conveyed the new Spanish governor of Florida,

Pedro de Ibarra Pedro de Ibarra was a Spanish general who served as a Royal Governor of Spanish Florida (1603 – 1610). Early years Originally from the Basque Country, Ibarra joined the Spanish Army in his youth and eventually attained the rank of general. In ...

, who was taken prisoner. The raid on Santiago was to be the last major attack on the Spanish Main by the English after nearly thirty years. Soon after,

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

ordered all privateers to cease while peace negotiations with the Spanish were being held in London, resulting in the Treaty of London. The English returned in 1662 for another strike at the city led by

Christopher Myngs Vice Admiral Sir Christopher Myngs (sometimes spelled ''Mings'', 1625–1666) was an English naval officer and privateer. He came of a Norfolk family and was a relative of Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell. Samuel Pepys' story of Myngs' humble bir ...

; this led to the destruction of the city as well as the destruction of the Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca.Latimer p 246

References

;Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{cite book, last1=Seymour, first1=Jean-Jacques, title=Les chemins des proies: une histoire de la flibuste, date=2010, publisher=Ibis rouge, isbn=9782844503657 (French)

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains ...

Santiago de Cuba

17th century in the Caribbean 1603 in the Spanish Empire