Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Great Britain)

This article is about the specific polity Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Great Britain) and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics

Was a British colony in the Caribbean. On 27 October 1979 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines became the last of the Windward Islands to gain full independence from the United Kingdom.

Establishment

February 1763: France recognized the sovereignty of Britain over Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tobago. France lost all of its territory in mainland North America but had retained fishing rights off Newfoundland and the two small islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. Seven Years´ War

Was a global conflict that involved most of the European great powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. At the end of the war the main winner was Great Britain, that obtained territories in North America, the Caribbean and India, becoming the most powerful maritime and colonial of the European powers.

1.1.Treaty of Paris (1763)

Was a treaty signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, after Great Britain and Prussia's victory over France and Spain during the Seven Years' War.

2. Carib Wars

Were two wars between the Carib inhabitants of Saint Vincent, in the Caribbean, and colonial invaders.

2.1.First Carib War

Was a military conflict between the Carib inhabitants of Saint Vincent and British military forces supporting British efforts at colonial expansion on the island.

January 1773: The British commissioners involved in the military assault on the Caribs in 1772 were Governor William Young and General Robert Melville. The Caribs were the indigenous people of the Southern portion of Saint Vincent Island, and the British sought to remove them from the territory through force.

January 1774: British unfamiliarity with the windward lands of the island and effective Carib defence of the island's difficult mountain terrain blunted the British advance, and political opposition to the expedition in London prompted an enquiry and calls for it to be ended. With military matters at a stalemate, a peace agreement was signed in 1773 that delineated boundaries between British and Carib areas of the island.

2.2.Second Carib War

Was a conflict between the British military forces against a coalition of Black Carib, runaway slaves, and French forces for control of the island of Saint Vincent.

April 1795: In March 1795, the Caribs successfully gained control of most of the island of Saint-Vincent except for the immediate area around Kingstown.

January 1798: A major military expedition by General Ralph Abercromby was eventually successful in crushing the Carib opposition in 1797. The Caribs were deported from Saint Vincent to the island of Roatán off the coast of present-day Honduras, where they became known as the Garifuna people.

3. American Revolutionary War

Was the war of independence of the United States of America (at the time the Thirteen Colonies) against Great Britain.

3.1.Anglo-French War (1778-1783)

Was a war between France, allied to the United States, and Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War.

June 1779: In 1779, French military leaders D'Estaing and de Bouille launched operations against British possessions in the Caribbean. They successfully captured the isle of Saint Vincent on June 18th, as part of their strategic campaign in the region.

September 1783: The Treaty of Versailles in 1783 ended the Anglo-French War and resulted in the British regaining control of St. Vincent and the Grenadines from France. This marked the beginning of British colonial rule in the territory.