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

Terre-de-Haut Island Terre-de-Haut Island (; ; 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 Island, name Terre-de-Haut comes from the m ...

, in the

Îles des Saintes The Îles des Saintes (; ), 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 into two communes: Terre- ...

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

. 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") 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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

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 President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

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

penitentiary A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state, usually ...

. 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 The Jardin exotique du Fort Napoléon is a botanical garden specializing in succulents. It is located on the grounds of Fort Napoléon des Saintes, Fort Napoléon at 120 m altitude above Terre-de-Haut, Îles des Saintes, and is open daily. Fort ...

, 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. is ...

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 by Austrian naturalist J.N. Laurenti in 1768. Two species are plac ...

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. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

was returned to the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

upon signing of the Treaty of Paris 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 is 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 (e.g., murder), law e ...

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 during th ...

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 village i ...

intended to protect the Whale Pass and the

Terre-de-Haut Terre-de-Haut (; ) 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 Cabrit''; '' Grand-Îlet''; ''la Red ...

roadstead. After the Treaty of Paris 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