Fort Napoléon (in French: ''Fort Napoléon des Saintes'') is a fortification, located on

Terre-de-Haut Island Terre-de-Haut Island (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Tèdého; also formerly known as ''Petite Martinique'') is the easternmost island in the Îles des Saintes , part of the archipelago of Guadeloupe. Like name of neighboring Terre-de-Bas, nam ...

, in the

Îles des Saintes The Îles des Saintes (; "Islands of the Female Saints"), also known as Les Saintes, is a group of small islands in the archipelago of Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. It is part of the Canton of Trois-Rivières and is divided int ...

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

. Property of the Departmental Council of Guadeloupe, it has been classified as a historical monument since the December 15, 1997. Fort Napoléon was built on the ''morne'' (Caribbean French word for "

bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

") called ''Mire'', it was originally named ''Fort Louis''. It was destroyed by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

forces in 1809. It was rebuilt in 1867, and named after

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

, but never saw use in battle, and was instead used as a

penitentiary A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...

. It has now been turned into a museum dedicated to the Saintes’ history, culture, and environment. It also has contains the Jardin exotique du Fort Napoléon, a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

dedicated to local

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

plants and

iguanas ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his ...

History

From 1759 to 1763, the English took possession of Saintes and part of mainland

. The

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

was returned to the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...

upon signing of the

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

on February 10, 1763. The successor to a fear of the end of the 17th century, a fort was built between 1777 and 1779 on the dreary Mire to 119 m above sea level. This rectangular structure is protected by an earthen mortar masonry enclosure. It has barracks for 45 men and two tanks collecting rainwater. Its

armament A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

consists of two

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s and three

mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...

intended to protect the Whale Pass and the

Terre-de-Haut Terre-de-Haut (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Tèdého) is a commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, including Terre-de-Haut Island and a few other small uninhabited islands of the archipelago (''les Roches Percées''; ''Îlet à ...

roadstead. After the

of 1814 and the restitution of Guadeloupe in French jurisdiction, Fort Napoleon was rebuilt on the ruins of the fort by erecting high surrounding walls and setting up a powder magazine. The works took place from 1816 to 1840. The Fortifications Committee of the Ministry of the Navy and Colonies in 1842 decided to build a real bastioned fortification, because of a system offering better defensive assets. The Fort Napoleon was never used for military purposes. After retiring of disciplinary company and transferring garnisons in 1890, the Fort has closed.

References

Forts in Overseas France Local museums in France History of Îles des Saintes Buildings and structures in Îles des Saintes Museums in Guadeloupe Monuments historiques of Guadeloupe {{Guadeloupe-stub

History

See also

References