A decisive Spanish victory over French forces on Hispaniola that contributed to Spain's formal recognition of French Caribbean territory in the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick.
Key Facts
- Date
- January 21, 1691
- Spanish force size
- 3,300 (700 raiders + 2,600 militia) troops
- French defenders
- 1,000 troops
- Spanish warships
- 5 (Armada de Barlovento) ships
- French casualties
- 400 killed including Governor de Cussy
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Spanish and French colonial powers were in ongoing conflict over control of Hispaniola, with Spain seeking to suppress French settlement and raiding activity on the western portions of the island. A combined Spanish force of Dominican raiders and militia was assembled to strike French positions.
On January 21, 1691, a Spanish force of 700 Dominican raiders and 2,600 militiamen aboard five warships of the Armada de Barlovento surrounded and overwhelmed approximately 1,000 French defenders at Sabana de la Limonade. French Governor de Cussy and around 400 of his followers were killed in the engagement.
The battle and similar conflicts persuaded Spain to formally recognize French sovereignty over Tortuga Island and the western third of Hispaniola in the Treaty of Ryswick (1697), a territory that later became the French colony of Saint-Domingue and eventually the modern state of Haiti.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Governor de Cussy.