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Fort de Rocher (sometimes called Fort de la Roche or Dovecote) was a seventeenth-century fortress on the Caribbean island of Tortuga, "Île de la Tortue" 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 foreign assault. With its cannons drawing a steady aim at any vessels approaching the harbor the fort gave La Vasseur a high degree of control over the island. In the early 1640s La Vasseur was made governor of Tortuga, but the information conflicts as to when specifically that was (some accounts claim he was governor before arriving on the island, and others say he claimed power after building the fort). The erection of the fort concerned the Spanish. Shortly after construction was complete an invading force launched from Santo Domingo and sailed into the harbor of Tortuga. The French guns sank one of the vessels and scattered the rest. The Spaniards who managed to land marched into an ambush, and then retreated. The victory greatly increased the reputation of La Vasseur, Tortuga and its buccaneers. The lawful lawlessness of the place appealed to all of the seafaring brigands in the Caribbean. La Vasseur opened the port to outlaws of all nations in exchange for a percentage of the wealth of every vessel anchoring there. All pirates needed a safe place to berth and a town that was respectful of their careers was a prime one. Tortuga quickly became the first great pirate outpost. The reports about La Vasseur’s rule vary widely. The one common thread among them, though, is that in 1653 he was assassinated by two of his trusted lieutenants. As the story goes La Vasseur had stolen away one of his lieutenant’s mistresses and abused her. The two men schemed to get him out of the fort where they could perform the treachery unseen. While inspecting a warehouse, the jilted lover wounded him with a musket first and then both men finished him off with daggers. The story may or may not be true, but it is widely accepted that La Vasseur was assassinated by his own men in 1653. With La Vasseur dead, the French assigned Chevalier de Fontenay as governor of Tortuga. As a leader, de Fontenay didn’t take the safeguarding of the port as seriously as La Vasseur did. The Spanish were able to see the fort’s influence decline and in 1654, while many of the buccaneers were at sea or off hunting, they raided the port. The Spanish were rebuffed, but they mounted a second attack later in the year. This time they knew the strengths and weaknesses of the fortress, and managed to get artillery placed on the hillside above it. After a siege of about nine days, the buccaneers who had holed up in the fort surrendered and were banished from the island. The Spanish reclaimed the island, demolished much of the fort, and then vacated back to Santo Domingo. The fort was allowed to decay into history and today only its foundations remain. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fort de Rocher」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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