Fundar para defender: fortificación y geoestrategia en Saint-Domingue entre 1665 y 1748

Abstract

Shortly after its official occupation in the late 17th century, the colony of Saint-Domingue became the main territory of the French Crown in the Caribbean. Despite this, many details about its fortification history have passed unnoticed by the historiography. This article aims to document an important collection of maps and plans mainly kept in the Archives Nationales d’Outre Mer (Aix-en-Provence). From this, it will be possible to identify the defensive strategy implemented by the French administration relating to the geostrategic factors that specially involved the war between the French-Spanish bloc and Great Britain during the 1740s.