Cassard expedition facts for kids

The Cassard expedition was a sea journey led by French Navy captain Jacques Cassard in 1712. It happened during the War of the Spanish Succession. Cassard and his fleet attacked and demanded money from English, Dutch, and Portuguese colonies. These colonies were in Cape Verde and the Caribbean.

Cassard targeted places like Sint Eustatius and Curaçao, which were important trading spots. He also raided wealthy sugar-producing colonies like Montserrat, Antigua, Surinam, Berbice, and Essequibo. The economies of these places relied on people who were forced to work.

In many places, officials paid Cassard a ransom to stop him from destroying their towns. But sometimes, Cassard didn't keep his promises. When the expedition ended, Cassard's ships returned to France with lots of money, goods, and people who had been taken from Africa. This was worth about nine to ten million French livres. Because of his success, Cassard received an award called the Order of Saint Louis. His actions had lasting effects on the forts, the people, and the money-making abilities of the colonies he attacked.

The Cassard Expedition

On December 2, 1711, King Louis XIV gave Captain Cassard command of a fleet. It included three large warships and five smaller frigates. In early March 1712, Cassard left the port of Toulon with eight ships, 3,000 sailors, and 1,200 soldiers. He began his journey to raid English, Dutch, and Portuguese colonies in Cape Verde and the Caribbean. For over two years, Cassard also attacked enemy ships to demand ransoms.

Raiding Portuguese and English Colonies

One of Cassard's biggest attacks was on the Portuguese capital on the island of Santiago in Cape Verde. He completely destroyed Santiago, which was a main trading base for the Portuguese with West Africa. He took so much valuable stuff that he had to leave some behind because his ships couldn't carry it all. What he left behind was still worth more than a million livres!

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Cassard's fleet stopped at Martinique to get more supplies. They also unloaded the valuable goods taken from Cape Verde. Some privateers (sailors who were allowed to attack enemy ships) from Saint-Domingue joined Cassard. They remembered his actions during an earlier raid in 1697. With a larger fleet, Cassard then attacked the English islands of Montserrat and Antigua. After that, he sailed towards Dutch Guiana.

Attacking Dutch Colonies

Cassard began his raids on Dutch colonies in Surinam. He surrounded the capital city, captured it, and demanded a ransom.

On October 10, 1712, some of his forces landed near a plantation called Meerzorg. This was across the Suriname River from Paramaribo, the capital of Surinam. From there, they fired cannons at the city and the nearby Fort Zeelandia. This helped a water and land attack. On October 27, Cassard left Surinam after the governor promised to pay a ransom. This ransom included people who were forced to work, goods, and cash. It was worth 2.4 million French livres, which was like a whole year's production for the colony.

The next month, Cassard went to Berbice. He briefly took control of this colony. The owners of Berbice did not want to pay a ransom to the French. So, the colony came under French control.

After also attacking Essequibo, another Dutch colony in Guiana, Cassard returned to Martinique. He dropped off his latest valuable items there. He didn't stay long and soon sailed to the island of Sint Eustatius, which was also a Dutch colony. He demanded a ransom from this colony in the same way he had done with the other Dutch settlements.

Finally, Cassard went back to Surinam to collect his ransom in Paramaribo. Then he sailed towards Curaçao. This island was well-defended and had avoided an invasion in 1678. Cassard's officers were worried about attacking Curaçao. But Cassard showed them his plan, and he knew Curaçao was richer than the other colonies he had raided. Even though the official ransom for Curaçao was only 600,000 livres, it was likely that more valuable goods were taken. Cassard himself was hurt during this part of the journey.

The Cassard expedition to Cape Verde and the Caribbean was a big success. After another stop in Martinique, Cassard returned to France. He brought back cash, goods, and people who had been taken from Africa. The total value was estimated to be between nine and ten million French livres.

What Happened Next?

Cassard's Return to France

When Jacques Cassard returned to France, he was made a Knight of the Order of Saint Louis because of his successful journey. From 1713, he spent time dealing with legal matters about the valuable items he had taken. Eleven ships in the French Navy have been named after him.

Changes in the Colonies

In Cape Verde, the old capital of Ribiera Grande was slowly replaced by Praia. This was because Praia was in a better location on a plateau, which offered more natural protection from pirate attacks. The king had ordered this move in 1712, but it took until 1770 to be fully completed.

In the Americas, the Peace of Utrecht in 1713 ended the War of the Spanish Succession. This meant fewer large naval raids by French privateers. As a result, there was a rise in "fully illegal" independent pirate captains. These pirates took on unemployed sailors and focused on attacking merchant ships and smuggling goods. This period is known as the Golden Age of Piracy.

Berbice

An agreement was made in Amsterdam to pay the ransom for Berbice. This was done by a group of people who paid 180,000 guilders in cash and 120,000 guilders in sugar and people who were forced to work. This happened on October 24, 1714. This payment returned Berbice to Dutch control, and the group of people who paid the ransom became the new owners. In 1720, these new owners created the Society of Berbice. This company was like the Society of Suriname and helped raise money for the colony. The Society was a public company listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. Even though economic activity in Berbice increased, the Society of Berbice paid smaller profits than similar companies. There was also a problem with not investing enough money, which led to shortages of supplies. This, along with the Seven Years' War, caused hunger among the people who were forced to work. This was one reason for a rebellion in 1763.

Surinam

During Cassard's expedition, more people who were forced to work escaped into the forests in Surinam. Some plantations allowed their forced laborers to go into the forests to avoid being captured by Cassard's forces. Some of these people never returned. Others escaped soon after arriving in the colony and joined groups of Maroons (people who had escaped slavery) living in the wild. Those who escaped from a plantation called Vreedenburg and from recently arrived ships joined the Saamaka Maroons. They eventually settled on the Upper Suriname River and made peace with the government in 1762. They still tell stories about their ancestors' escapes.

In 1715, Fort Sommelsdijk was made stronger to protect plantations in the area. This fort was located up the Commewijne River at the mouth of the Cottica. Since Paramaribo still needed more protection, it was decided to build another fort closer to Meerzorg. This new fort, Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam, was finished in 1747. Fort Sommelsdijk then became a smaller outpost.

Paying for the ransom that Cassard demanded was a big challenge for the Jewish community in Surinam. They owned a third of the colony's plantations in the early 1700s. This was one reason why plantations owned by Jewish people slowly declined over a century. They gradually moved their main operations from Jodensavanne to Paramaribo. There, they became more integrated with the other European people in the colony. In the early 1800s, what was left of Jodensavanne was destroyed in a raid by Maroons.