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SIR HENRY MORGAN (1635-1688) A QUESTIONABLE YOUTH Although we know that he was born in Wales in 1635, Sir Henry Morgan's early life is cloaked in mystery. One possibility is that he was kidnapped and shipped off to Barbados by white slavers to live as an indentured servant. Regardless of how his childhood was spent, around age 20 he joined an expedition sent out by Oliver Cromwell to conquer the Spaniards in the West Indies. After a highly successful plundering of New Spain and Granada, Morgan became even better known in 1668 when he took command of a group of buccaneers and sacked the city of Puerto Principe, located 45 miles inland from the coast of Cuba. Not satisfied with the financial rewards of the Cuban raid, Morgan set out to raid and loot the wealthy city of Portobelo on the Isthmus of Panama. Though Portobelo was heavily fortified, its residents remained vulnerable, having decided to hide their valuables rather than arm themselves. Soon Morgan and his men had pillaged the entire city, amassing a fortune in the process. |
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RAIDING NEW SPAIN Morgan set his sights even higher when he decided to raid Panama, one of the richest cities in New Spain. Despite the treacherous seas and rugged terrain, Morgan and his men navigated the Isthmus of Panama and eventually sacked the city, though a fire of unknown origin destroyed innumerable items of great value. He returned to Jamaica loaded down with riches, along with hundreds of prisoners to sell off as slaves or to ransom. FROM PRISONER TO KNIGHTHOOD In 1672, Morgan was shipped back to England, under arrest by a country trying to make amends with Spain. Soon after, England was at war with Holland, and Morgan's knowledge of Jamaica was sought to help fight off the Dutch. For this he was granted knighthood and was allowed to return to Jamaica as lieutenant governor. His privateering career over, Morgan spent the rest of his life on the island of Jamaica involved in politics and augmented his income as a sugar planter. Though he was married to his cousin Mary Elizabeth for more than twenty years, the couple had no children. Sir Henry Morgan died in his adopted home of Port Royal, Jamaica in 1688. |
