Port-au-Prince

Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean country of Haiti, located at the heart of the Gulf of Gonâve. During the 18th century, it was a French colony, and the center of the Caribbean slave trade.

History[edit | edit source]

By the late 17th century, the colony was a remote part of the Spanish Empire. In 1697, the Spaniards relinquished sovereignty over the territory and handed it over to France through the Treaty of Ryswick. The French had begun to colonize the city and the island even before it was officially under their possession.^[1]

In 1735, the Assassin Adéwalé washed ashore just outside Port-au-Prince following the loss of his vessel, the Victoire, in a storm.^[2] At the time of his arrival, the town was surrounded by three major sugar plantations, which fed the colony's trade. During the following two years, Adéwalé greatly supported the ever-growing Maroon rebellion on the island,^[3] and eventually assassinated its corrupt governor, Pierre de Fayet, before leaving to return to his Brotherhood.^[4]

After 1749, Port-au-Prince was substantially developed.^[1] On 21 November 1751, the city was devastated by a massive earthquake caused by the defense mechanism of a nearby Isu site. The earthquake was accidentally triggered by the Assassin Vendredi, who was sent there under the orders of his Mentor, François Mackandal. While the Assassin tried to make his escape, he was confronted by the Templar Lawrence Washington. Washington promised to save Vendredi, whose legs were crushed beneath the debris, in return for Mackandal's location. However, Washington killed Vendredi after he revealed his Mentor's hideout, from which he stole two Pieces of Eden: a Precursor box and the Voynich manuscript.^[5]

The earthquake caused immense damage, prompting Adéwalé to bring supplies from the Colonial Assassins to help the thousands of people who were left homeless. In the process, he met his son Babatunde Josèphe and recruited him into the Brotherhood.^[6]^[7]

In the late 18th century, the de Grandpré company, under the administration of Aveline de Grandpré, conducted business in the city, importing and exporting a variety of products.^[8]

In 1770, the city was again struck by an earthquake that destroyed large parts of the territory. However, this did not prevent the city from replacing Cap Français as the capital city of Saint-Domingue.^[1]

Trivia[edit | edit source]

The use of the name "Port-au-Prince" to refer to the settlement in Freedom Cry is anachronistic. While there was a French colony in the area during the 1730s, the town was named L'Hôpital before 1749.