Port Royal was the centre of shipping commerce in Jamaica in the 17th century. Shipping is physical process of Transporting goods and Cargo. Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. During this time, it gained a reputation as both the "richest and wickedest city in the world". It was notorious for its gaudy displays of wealth and loose morals, and was a popular place for pirates and privateers to bring and spend their treasure. Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering A privateer was a private Warship authorized by a country's Government by Letters of marque to attack foreign shipping During the 17th century, the British actively encouraged and even paid buccaneers based at Port Royal to attack Spanish and French shipping. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article refers to the type of pirate For other uses see Buccaneer (disambiguation The buccaneers were Pirates who attacked Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.
An earthquake struck at 11:43 a. An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth 's crust that creates Seismic waves Earthquakes are recorded with a Seismometer m. [1][2] on June 7, 1692, largely destroying Port Royal, causing two thirds of the city to sink into the Caribbean Sea such that today it is covered by a minimum of 25 ft (8 m) of water. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International Known today to 16th–18th-century focused archaeologists as the "City that Sank"[3], it is considered the most important underwater archaeological site in the western hemisphere, yielding 16th–17th-century artifacts by the ton and many important treasures from indigenous peoples predating the 1588 founding from as far away as Guatemala. The Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies West Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest Pirates from around the world congregated at Port Royal coming from waters as far away as Madagascar on the far side of Africa. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern Several 17th and early 18th century pirate ships are sunk within the harbor and being carefully harvested under controlled conditions by different teams of archaeologists. Other "digs" are staked out along various quarters and streets by different teams.
After this disaster, its commercial role was taken over by the city of Kingston. Kingston is the Capital and largest city of Jamaica and is located on the southeastern coast of the island country Current development in progress will redevelop the small resultant fishing town into a tourist destination by 2015-16, serviced by Cruise ships as early as 2008, with the archaeological findings the heart of the attractions, which will include a combination underwater museum-aquarium and restaurant with underwater dioramas and the ability to see the native tropical sealife. The word diorama can refer either to a nineteenth century mobile theatre device or in modern usage a three-dimensional model usually enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum
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Colonization of Port Royal
Situated at the western end of the Palisadoes sand spit that protects Kingston Harbour, Port Royal was well-positioned as a harbor. Palisadoes (word apparently of Portuguese origin is the thin tombolo of sand that serves as a natural protection for the Harbour of Kingston Jamaica A spit is a deposition Landform found off Coasts. At one end spits connect to land while at the far end they exist in open water Originally claimed by the Spanish, England acquired it in 1655. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland By 1659, two hundred houses, shops, and warehouses surrounded the fort.
For much of the period between the English conquest of Jamaica and the earthquake, Port Royal served as the capital of Jamaica; after the 1692 earthquake, Spanish Town overtook this role, later followed by Kingston. Spanish Town is the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica.
Piracy in Port Royal
Port Royal, located along the shipping lanes to and from Spain and Panama, provided a safe harbor for pirates. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. The term safe harbor ( safe harbour) has several special usages in an Analogy with its literal meaning that of a Harbor or haven which provides Safety Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering Buccaneers found Port Royal appealing for several reasons. This article refers to the type of pirate For other uses see Buccaneer (disambiguation The buccaneers were Pirates who attacked Its proximity to trade routes allowed them easy access to prey. A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo The harbour was large enough to accommodate their ships and provided a place to careen and repair these vessels. Careening a sailing vessel means to beach it at high Tide in order usually to expose one side or another of the ship's hull for maintenance It was also ideally situated for launching raids on Spanish settlements. From Port Royal, Henry Morgan attacked Panama, Portobello, and Maracaibo. Admiral Sir Henry Morgan (Hari Morgan in Welsh) ( ca 1635 &ndash August 25, 1688) was a Welsh Privateer, who made a name Portobelo (formerly Puerto Bello, also Porto Belo) is a port city in Colón Province, Panama. Maracaibo is the second-largest city in Venezuela after the national capital Caracas and is the capital of Zulia state Roche Brasiliano, John Davis (buccaneer), and Edward Mansveldt (Mansfield) also came to Port Royal. Roche Braziliano (sometimes spelled Rock, Roch, Roc, Roque, Brazilliano, or Brasiliano) (c
Since the English lacked sufficient troops to prevent either the Spanish or French from seizing it, the Jamaican governors eventually turned to the pirates to defend the city. Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea.
By the 1660s, the city had gained a reputation as the Sodom of the New World where most residents were pirates, cutthroats, or prostitutes. Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. When Charles Leslie wrote his history of Jamaica, he included a description of the pirates of Port Royal:
- Wine and women drained their wealth to such a degree that… some of them became reduced to beggary. For the Oxford University Middlesex and England cricketer see Charles Leslie (cricketer. They have been known to spend 2 or 3,000 pieces of eight in one night; and one gave a strumpet 500 to see her naked. They used to buy a pipe of wine, place it in the street, and oblige everyone that passed to drink.
Port Royal grew to be one of the two largest towns and the most economically important port in the English colonies. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. At the height of its popularity, the city had one drinking house for every ten residents. In July 1661 alone, forty new licenses were granted to taverns. A tavern or pot-house is loosely a place of Business where people gather to drink Alcoholic beverages and more than likely also be served Food During a twenty-year period that ended in 1692, nearly 6,500 people lived in Port Royal. In addition to prostitutes and buccaneers, there were four goldsmiths, forty-four tavern keepers, and a variety of artisans and merchants who lived in 200 buildings crammed into 51 acres (206,000 m²) of real estate. A goldsmith is a Metalworker who specializes in working with Gold and other Precious metals usually in modern times to make Jewelry. An artisan, also called a Craftsman, is a skilled manual worker who crafts items that may be functional or strictly decorative including furniture clothing Merchants function as professionals who deal with Trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves in order to produce Profit. 213 ships visited the seaport in 1688. The city’s wealth was so great that coins were preferred for payment rather than the more common system of bartering goods for services.
Following Henry Morgan’s appointment as lieutenant governor, Port Royal began to change. Admiral Sir Henry Morgan (Hari Morgan in Welsh) ( ca 1635 &ndash August 25, 1688) was a Welsh Privateer, who made a name Pirates were no longer needed to defend the city. The selling of slaves took on greater importance. Slavery is a social-economic system under which certain persons — known as slaves — are deprived of personal freedom and compelled to perform labour or services Upstanding citizens disliked the reputation the city had acquired. In 1687, Jamaica passed anti-piracy laws. Instead of being a safe haven for pirates, Port Royal became noted as their place of execution. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Gallows Point welcomed many to their death, including Charles Vane and Calico Jack, who were hanged in 1720. Charles Vane (c1680 - March 29, 1721) was an English pirate who preyed upon English and French shipping John Rackham ( December 21, 1682 – November 18, 1720 in Jamaica) also known as Calico Jack Rackham or Calico Two years later, forty-one pirates met their death in one month. [1]
Earthquake of 1692 and its aftermath
On June 7, 1692, a devastating earthquake hit the city causing the sand on which it was built to liquefy and flow out into Kingston Harbour. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Soil liquefaction describes the behavior of loose saturated unconsolidated soils i Kingston Harbour is the seventh largest natural Harbour in the world The water table was generally only two feet down before the impact. The effects of three tidal waves caused by the earthquake further eroded the sand, and soon the main part of the city lay permanently underwater, though intact enough that archaeologists have managed to uncover some well-preserved sites. A tsunami ((tsuːˈnɑːmi is a series of waves created when The earthquake and tsunami killed between 1,000 and 3,000 people combined, over half the city's population. Disease ran rampant in the next several months, claiming an estimated 2,000 additional lives. Many believed the destruction from the earthquake to be an act of God resulting from the city's sinful reputation. Act of God is a legal term for events outside of human control such as sudden Floods or other Natural disasters for which no one can be held responsible
Some attempts were made to rebuild the city, starting with the one third of the city that was not submerged, but these met with mixed success and numerous disasters. An initial attempt at rebuilding was again destroyed in 1703, this time by fire. Year 1703 ( MDCCIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Subsequent rebuilding was hampered by several hurricanes in the first half of the 18th century, and soon Kingston eclipsed Port Royal in importance. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding
Recent history
A final devastating earthquake on January 14, 1907 again liquefied the sand spit, destroying nearly all of the rebuilt city and submerging additional portions. Events 1129 - Formal approval of the Order of the Templar at the Council of Troyes. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year
Today the area is a shadow of its former self with a population of less than 2,000 and has little to no commercial or political importance. The area is frequented by tourists, but is in a state of disrepair. The Jamaican government has recently resolved to further develop the area for its historic and tourist value.
Port Royal has been featured as a location within Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean film series, though much of the location work for Port Royal was actually done in Saint Vincent, not in Jamaica. Pirates of the Caribbean is a trilogy of Adventure films directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and produced You may be looking for St Vincent Island Florida Saint Vincent is a volcanic Island in the Caribbean, the largest island [4]
Namesakes
"Port Royal" was a Bulletin board system out of the San Fernando Valley 1984. A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a Computer system running software that allows users to connect and login to Using a pair of Apple 2s and a 25lb 2mb SUNOL drive it was an early dial-up service.
References
- ^ Historic Earthquakes retrieved April 9, 2008
- ^ frozen hands on a retrieved watch, the first time in history archaeologists have an exact time for an earthquake (History Channel Ancient Almanac)
- ^ Nancy Lanthier. "Talk tells story of Jamaican 'underwater city'", Vancouver Sun, March 24, 2007. The Vancouver Sun is a daily newspaper first published in the Canadian province of British Columbia on February 12, 1912 Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Retrieved on 2007-08-20. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine
- ^ Miller, D. (ed. ) (2005) Caribbean Islands. (4th edition). Footscray, VIC: Lonely Planet. p. 610
External links
- The Port Royal Project
- The Island of Jamaica (historical and archaeological research)
- Map: Old Port Royal (artistic interpretation of the city before the 1692 earthquake – by cartographer Shawn Brown)
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