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Peter Wallace (buccaneer)
Peter Wallace () is commonly held to have been an English or Scottish buccaneer who, in 1638 aboard the ''Swallow'', English settling of Belize, founded the first English settlement in present-day Belize. Wallace's historicity is debated, however, with several scholars deeming him a legendary protagonist of the country's Origin myth, founding myth, rather than an actual historical figure. Buccaneering In 1638, Wallace is believed to have landed at Swallow Caye aboard the ''Swallow'', with a crew of some 80 British men. This is often regarded as the first non-Mayan, non-Hispanic settlement in present-day Belize.Variations of this story exist. See English settling of Belize for a fuller discussion. For instance, states (which story is accepted by , by , by , and [broadly] by ), while (quoting ) states (which story is accepted by ), whereas states # (quoting a column entitled ''Ojeada histórica sobre el establecimiento británico de Belice'' in the ''Fénix'' newspaper by J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingdom Of England
The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. On 12 July 927, the various Anglo-Saxon kings swore their allegiance to Æthelstan of Wessex (), unifying most of modern England under a single king. In 1016, the kingdom became part of the North Sea Empire of Cnut the Great, a personal union between England, Denmark and Norway. The Norman conquest of England in 1066 led to the transfer of the English capital city and chief royal residence from the Anglo-Saxon one at Winchester to Westminster, and the City of London quickly established itself as England's largest and principal commercial centre. Histories of the kingdom of England from the Norman conquest of 1066 conventionally distinguish periods named after successive ruling dynasties: Norman (1066–1154), Plantagenet (1154–1485), Tudor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belize River
The Belize River runs through the center of Belize. It drains more than one-quarter of the country as it winds along the northern edge of the Maya Mountains to the sea just north of Belize City (). The Belize river valley is largely tropical rain forest. Also known as the Old River, the Belize River begins where the Mopan River and Macal River join just east of San Ignacio, Belize (). The Belize River – Mopan River Catchment contains over 45 percent of the population of Belize. The Belize River, in spite of 78 runs or rapids, is passable via the Mopan to the Guatemalan border. It served as the main artery of commerce and communication between the interior and the coast until well into the twentieth century, and has long been associated with forestry, of logwood (for dye) and of mahogany which survives in small stands. Early on, loggers using the river encountered the Maya and had conflicts with them and with the Spaniards. In 1807 there was a request for "arms and ammunit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fort De Rocher
Fort de Rocher (sometimes called Fort de la Roche or Dovecote) was a seventeenth-century fortress on the Caribbean island of Tortuga, northwest of Haiti. It was built and utilized by buccaneers as the primary defense of the island to prevent encroachment of Spanish forces. The fortress lies in ruin today, with only the foundations remaining. History Tortuga was a disputed island in the early seventeenth century. The Spanish laid claim to it, but English and French settlers were the primary occupants. Every few years the Spanish would sail over and chase away the settlers, reclaiming the island, then vacate it. As soon as the Spanish warships were out of sight, the settlers would return. In 1640 a French engineer named Jean La Vasseur raided the island with a force of between fifty and one-hundred men, claiming the primary port as theirs. Aware of the predations of the Spanish, La Vasseur had Fort de Rocher constructed overlooking the harbor, thus fortifying it from further for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
History Of Saint Kitts And Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis have one of the longest written histories in the Caribbean, both islands being among Spain's and England's first colonies in the archipelago. Despite being only two miles apart and quite diminutive in size, Saint Kitts and Nevis were widely recognized as being separate entities with distinct identities until they were forcibly united in the late 19th century. Pre-Columbian Period (2900 B.C. to 1493 A.D.) The first natives to live on the islands, as early as 3,000 years ago, were called Ciboney. However, the lack of pottery makes their origin and timeline uncertain. They were followed by the Arawak peoples, or Taino in 800 AD. The warlike Island Caribs followed and had expanded north of St. Kitts by the time of the Spanish conquest. Peak native populations occurred between 500 and 600 AD. The First Europeans (1493 to 1623) The first Europeans to see and name the islands were the Spanish under Christopher Columbus, who sighted the islands on 11 and 13 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion in Ireland, helped defend England against the Spanish Armada and held political positions under Elizabeth I. Raleigh was born to a Protestant family in Devon, the son of Walter Raleigh and Catherine Champernowne. He was the younger half-brother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert and a cousin of Sir Richard Grenville. Little is known of his early life, though in his late teens he spent some time in France taking part in the religious civil wars. In his 20s he took part in the suppression of rebellion in the colonisation of Ireland; he also participated in the siege of Smerwick. Later, he became a landlord of property in Ireland and mayor of Youghal in East Munster, where his house still stands in Myrtle Grove. He rose rapidly in the favour of Quee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Justo Sierra O'Reilly
Justo Sierra O'Reilly (Tixcacal-Tuyú; 1814 in Yucatán – 1861 in Mérida, Yucatán) was a Mexican novelist and historian, the father of Mexican author and political figure Justo Sierra Méndez. Sierra O'Reilly was born in the southeastern Mexican state of Yucatán, his father-in-law Santiago Méndez Ibarra was the governor there in 1847, in the middle of the Mexican–American War (in which the state of Yucatán declared its neutrality) and at the outbreak of the Caste War of Yucatán. In September of that year, he went to the United States as a negotiator on behalf of his father-in-law's government, to request U.S. military aid against the Maya rebels (who seemed, at that moment, poised to take over the peninsula), and to offer the possibility of U.S. annexation of Yucatán in exchange. His attempts at diplomacy on behalf of the quasi-independent peninsula went nowhere, and by the time he returned home in 1848, Mexico had lost the northern half of its territory to the U.S. but h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frederick Catherwood
Frederick Catherwood (27 February 1799 – 27 September 1854) was an English artist, architect and explorer, best remembered for his meticulously detailed drawings of the ruins of the Maya civilization. He explored Mesoamerica in the mid 19th century with writer John Lloyd Stephens. Their books, ''Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatán'' and ''Incidents of Travel in Yucatán'', were best sellers and introduced to the Western world the civilization of the ancient Maya. In 1837, Catherwood was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Honorary member. Mediterranean travels Catherwood, having made many trips to the Mediterranean between 1824 and 1832 to draw the monuments made by the Egyptians, Carthaginians, and Phoenicians, stated that the monuments in the Americas bear no architectural similarity to those in the Old World. Thus, they must have been made by the native people of the area. Catherwood made visits to Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and Pales ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Lloyd Stephens
John Lloyd Stephens (November 28, 1805October 13, 1852) was an American explorer, writer, and diplomat. Stephens was a pivotal figure in the rediscovery of Maya civilization throughout Middle America and in the planning of the Panama railroad. Early life John Lloyd Stephens was born November 28, 1805, in the township of Shrewsbury, New Jersey. He was the second son of Benjamin Stephens, a successful New Jersey merchant, and Clemence Lloyd, daughter of an eminent local judge. The following year the family moved to New York City. There Stephens received an education in the Classics at two privately tutored schools. At the age of 13 he enrolled at Columbia College, graduating at the top of his class four years later in 1822. After studying law with an attorney for a year, he attended the Litchfield Law School. He passed the bar exam after completing his course of study, and practiced in New York City. Stephens embarked on a journey through Europe in 1834, and went on to Egypt an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west of the peninsula from the Caribbean Sea to the east. The Yucatán Channel, between the northeastern corner of the peninsula and Cuba, connects the two bodies of water. The peninsula is approximately in area. It has low relief, and is almost entirely composed of porous limestone. The peninsula lies east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the narrowest point in Mexico separating the Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, from the Pacific Ocean. Some consider the isthmus to be the geographic boundary between Central America and the rest of North America, placing the peninsula in Central America. Politically all of Mexico, including the Yucatán, is generally considered part of North America, while Guatemala an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to refer specifically to the Spanish-held Captaincy General of Santo Domingo, now the Dominican Republic. The borders between the two were fluid and changed over time until they were finally solidified in the Dominican War of Independence in 1844. The French had established themselves on the western portion of the islands of Hispaniola and Tortuga by 1659. In the Treaty of Ryswick of 1697, Spain formally recognized French control of Tortuga Island and the western third of the island of Hispaniola. In 1791, slaves and some Dominican Creoles took part in the Vodou ceremony Bois Caïman and planned the Haitian Revolution. The slave rebellion later allied with Republican French forces following the abolition of slavery in the colony in 1793, althoug ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tortuga (Haiti)
Tortuga Island (french: Île de la Tortue, ; ht, Latòti; es, Isla Tortuga, , ''Turtle Island'') is a Caribbean island that forms part of Haiti, off the northwest coast of Hispaniola. It constitutes the ''commune'' of Île de la Tortue in the Port-de-Paix arrondissement of the Nord-Ouest department of Haiti. Tortuga is in size and had a population of 25,936 at the 2003 Census. In the 17th century, Tortuga was a major center and haven of Caribbean piracy. Its tourist industry and references in many works have made it one of the most recognized regions of Haiti. History The first Europeans to land on Tortuga were the Spanish in 1492 during the first voyage of Christopher Columbus into the New World. On December 6, 1492, three Spanish ships entered the Windward Passage that separates Cuba and Haiti. At sunrise, Columbus noticed an island whose contours emerged from the morning mist. Because the shape reminded him of a turtle's shell, he chose the name of Tortuga. Tortuga wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
