Summary
Highlights
French ships arrived on the northern coast of Hispaniola to find the area devastated by Spanish Governor Antonio Osorio's forced depopulation. This act, intended to stop illicit trade, inadvertently opened the door for bucaneers to occupy the western part of the island, leading to the establishment of the French colony of Saint-Domingue. By the time Spain realized its error, a significant portion of the island was under French control.
After 1492, Hispaniola remained under Spanish rule for over a century and a half. The island's society was shaped by the mixing of Indigenous, European, and African cultures, reliant on enslaved labor. The 'Osorio devastations' in 1605-1606 led to the division of the island, with French buccaneers illegally occupying the western part. This informal occupation initiated a long history of territorial disputes as France continuously sought to expand its dominion.
Conflicts between Spain and France in Europe directly impacted their colonies on Hispaniola, making the border a point of contention. The first attempt to define a dividing line occurred in 1678 after the Treaty of Nimega. Though the treaty didn't explicitly mention Hispaniola, it informally recognized French presence. A provisional agreement was reached, designating the Guayubín River (Rebook) as a temporary border to prevent hostilities.
A common belief is that the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697 formally recognized the French occupation of western Hispaniola. However, this is erroneous, as the treaty, signed at the end of the Nine Years' War, made no mention of the island. French interpretation of a clause regarding pre-hostility territorial possessions did not apply to Hispaniola, where their occupation was illegal since the mid-17th century.
In 1731, colonial authorities attempted to establish a recognized border using the Dagabon, Limón, and Artibonite rivers, but this lacked official Spanish recognition. Finally, in 1776, an arrangement was made in San Miguel de La Atalaya, which formed the basis for the Treaty of Aranjuez, signed on June 3, 1777. This treaty formally recognized the French occupation of western Hispaniola, defining the border using the Dagabon (Masacre) and Pedernales (Onzapitre) rivers and marking it with 221 pyramids and boundary markers.
The Treaty of Aranjuez, while legitimizing French usurpation and setting a definitive border, also became the starting point for new confrontations. France remained unsatisfied with the portion of land it had received and continued its ambition to extend its possessions, indicating that the border conflict was far from over.