Capitainerie générale de Santo Domingo Capitania de Santo Domingo | |||||||||
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Captaincy General of France | |||||||||
1795–1815 | |||||||||
Map of the Captaincy of Santo Domingo (1815) | |||||||||
Anthem | |||||||||
Chant du départ ("Song of the Departure") (official) | |||||||||
Demonym | Dominican | ||||||||
Area | |||||||||
• 1795 | 76,192 km2 (29,418 sq mi) | ||||||||
• 1804 | 48,671 km2 (18,792 sq mi) | ||||||||
Population | |||||||||
• 1804 | 126,000 | ||||||||
Government | |||||||||
• Type | Captaincy General | ||||||||
President | |||||||||
• 1795–1799 | Jean-François Rewbell | ||||||||
• 1804–1815 | Napoleon | ||||||||
Governor-General | |||||||||
• 1801–1802 | Toussaint Louverture | ||||||||
• 1808–1809 | Jean-Louis Ferrand | ||||||||
History | |||||||||
• Treaty of Basels | 1795 | ||||||||
• Treaty of Paris | 1815 | ||||||||
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Today part of | Dominican Republic |
In the history of the Dominican Republic, the period of Era de Francia ("Era of France", "French Era" or "French Period") occurred in 1795 when France acquired the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo, annexed it into Saint-Domingue and briefly came to acquire the whole island of Hispaniola by the way of the Treaty of Basel, allowing Spain to cede the eastern province as a consequence of the French Revolutionary Wars.
Despite its brevity, it produced important changes in society, especially in the demographic aspect, as there was a massive emigration of settlers (especially those with greater resources) to Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Cuba, some out of loyalty to Spain, and others as a result of the Haitians invasions perpetrated by Haitian forces commanded by Toussaint L'ouverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines in 1801 and 1805, respectively. The colony lost two thirds of its population and almost all of the oldest and most traditional aristocratic families on the island; in addition, the population on the Spanish side went from being predominantly white to being essentially mulatto. The establishment of French settlers and the return of some emigrants barely attenuated this population decline.
During this time, it was also referred to as the French Santo Domingo, the Captaincy General was divided into two separate departments, each with its own governor and autonomy - Cibao Department, with its at Sant-Yago (now Santiago de los Caballeros)[1] and Ozama Department.[2][3][4]