Miguel Enriquez
Encyclopedia
Capt. Miguel Henriquez also spelled Enriquez (c. 1680 – 1743), was a Puerto Rican
Privateer
in the latter part of the 17th century. Henriquez intercepted English merchant ships in the Caribbean Sea and was considered a pirate by his enemies. He fought the British Navy in Vieques and was granted a letter of marque and reprisal with the privileges of privateer by the Spanish Crown. Henriquez, who became the wealthiest man on the island in the first half of the 18th century, is considered by many to have been the first Puerto Rican entrepreneur.
, was a shoemaker by occupation who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
. In the latter years of the 17th century, Henriquez decided to try his luck as a sailor and intercepted English merchant ships and other ships dedicated to contraband
that were infesting the seas of Puerto Rico and the Atlantic Ocean
in general, especially in the areas surrounding Saint Thomas
, Curaçao
and Jamaica
. Henriquez was considered a pirate by the enemies of Spain, since it was a common practice then for the Spanish government to look the other way when ships of other countries were attacked as long as it wasn't one of theirs. The Spanish Crown gave him a special permit to do his pirate activities in the name of Spain
. The letter of marque and reprisal granted him the privileges of privateer
. Privateers from Puerto Rico were often called "guarda costas", or "coast guards." They operated in the same fashion as any other pirate, the only difference was that they did it in the name of Spain protecting Spanish trade restrictions.
In 1717, the British occupied the island of Vieques which was under the control of the Spanish Government of Puerto Rico. According to the British Government, they did not recognize the Spanish claim to the island which they referred to as "Crab Island". Henriquez, with the consent of the government, organized an expeditionary force which consisted of two ships with 7 members of the regular Spanish Army and 286 members of the Puerto Rican militia. The ships were escorted by a Spanish war ship under the command of Naval Commander Jose Roocher. Henriquez and his men fought and defeated the British in Vieques, taking most of their enemy to the mainland Puerto Rico as their prisoners. Henriquez was received as a national hero when he returned the island of Vieques back to the Spanish Empire and to the governorship of Puerto Rico. The British authorities became alarmed and sent a War Ship to San Juan
. Further confrontation between both nations was avoided when the Spanish authorities returned the prisoners to the British.
In recognition for his services, the Spanish Crown, under the order of King Philip V
(1683–1746), awarded Miguel Henriquez with "La Medalla de Oro de la Real Efigie" (The Gold Medal of the Royal Effigy) in 1713 and named him Capitán de Mar y Guerra y Armador de Corsos, loosely translated as Captain of the Seas and War and chief provider to the crown corsairs. He was so successful that his fleet was said to amount to 300 ships of various sizes with close to 1,500 sailors, he owned 300 slaves and his fortune, at the time, was among the largest in the Americas. Henriquez participated in other military expeditions in 1728 and 1729.
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
Privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
in the latter part of the 17th century. Henriquez intercepted English merchant ships in the Caribbean Sea and was considered a pirate by his enemies. He fought the British Navy in Vieques and was granted a letter of marque and reprisal with the privileges of privateer by the Spanish Crown. Henriquez, who became the wealthiest man on the island in the first half of the 18th century, is considered by many to have been the first Puerto Rican entrepreneur.
Early years
Henriquez, a mulattoMulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
, was a shoemaker by occupation who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. In the latter years of the 17th century, Henriquez decided to try his luck as a sailor and intercepted English merchant ships and other ships dedicated to contraband
Contraband
The word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
that were infesting the seas of Puerto Rico and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in general, especially in the areas surrounding Saint Thomas
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
, Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
and Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Henriquez was considered a pirate by the enemies of Spain, since it was a common practice then for the Spanish government to look the other way when ships of other countries were attacked as long as it wasn't one of theirs. The Spanish Crown gave him a special permit to do his pirate activities in the name of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The letter of marque and reprisal granted him the privileges of privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
. Privateers from Puerto Rico were often called "guarda costas", or "coast guards." They operated in the same fashion as any other pirate, the only difference was that they did it in the name of Spain protecting Spanish trade restrictions.
Privateer
In 1716, Henriquez made a suggestion to Jose Carreno, the Spanish appointed Governor of Puerto Rico, that they organize an expedition and take the island of Saint Thomas. Carreno, however desisted of the idea believing that the consequences of such a military operation was not worth the effort.In 1717, the British occupied the island of Vieques which was under the control of the Spanish Government of Puerto Rico. According to the British Government, they did not recognize the Spanish claim to the island which they referred to as "Crab Island". Henriquez, with the consent of the government, organized an expeditionary force which consisted of two ships with 7 members of the regular Spanish Army and 286 members of the Puerto Rican militia. The ships were escorted by a Spanish war ship under the command of Naval Commander Jose Roocher. Henriquez and his men fought and defeated the British in Vieques, taking most of their enemy to the mainland Puerto Rico as their prisoners. Henriquez was received as a national hero when he returned the island of Vieques back to the Spanish Empire and to the governorship of Puerto Rico. The British authorities became alarmed and sent a War Ship to San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. Further confrontation between both nations was avoided when the Spanish authorities returned the prisoners to the British.
In recognition for his services, the Spanish Crown, under the order of King Philip V
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
(1683–1746), awarded Miguel Henriquez with "La Medalla de Oro de la Real Efigie" (The Gold Medal of the Royal Effigy) in 1713 and named him Capitán de Mar y Guerra y Armador de Corsos, loosely translated as Captain of the Seas and War and chief provider to the crown corsairs. He was so successful that his fleet was said to amount to 300 ships of various sizes with close to 1,500 sailors, he owned 300 slaves and his fortune, at the time, was among the largest in the Americas. Henriquez participated in other military expeditions in 1728 and 1729.
Later years
For some reasons, never clearly established, he was persecuted by the Spanish elite in the island and jailed on various occasions. He was charged with smuggling and stripped of all his power and wealth by the Spanish government in the island. Henriquez fled and took refuge in the Catholic Church which he normally attended. He had allies in the church which he earned because throughout the years he had been generous with his donations. The charges of smuggling made by the Spanish government were eventually dropped, however Henriquez chose to remain in the convent where he died a pauper.Legacy
Puerto Rican writer Enrique A. Laguerre wrote a novel dedicated to Miguel Henriquez, titled "Miguel Enríquez, la novela Proa libre sobre mar gruesa' (Miguel Henriquez, free life in a heavy sea). Dr. Angel Lopez Cantos is a Spanish historian, who has studied the life and whereabouts of Henriquez.Further reading
- "Historia y Poesía en la Vida de Miguel Enríquez. San Juan de Puerto Rico. Librería Editorial Ateneo. 2004. ISBN 1-881703-61-4"
- "Miguel Enríquez. Sevilla. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Escuela de Estudios Hispano-Americanos. 1998. 431. ISBN 0-942347-04-8"
- "Mi Tio, Miguel Enríquez (Relato Histórico). San Juan, Pueto Rico. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña.1997. 311. ISBN 0-86581-496-1"
- "Miguel Enríquez, Corsario Boricua del Siglo XVIII. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Puerto. 1994. 403. ISBN 0-942347-04-8”
- "Miguel Enríquez. Sevilla. Ediciones Puerto. 1998. 416. ISBN 0942347102"
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Rican military personnel
Further reading
- "Puerto Rico: An Interpretive History from Precolumbia Times to 1900" by Olga Jimenez De Wagenheim, Jimenez De Wagenheim Olga
- "Voces de la Cultura" by Angel Collado Schwarz
- "Atlas de Historia de Puerto Rico: Desde sus Origenes Hasta el Siglo XIX" by Arturo Santana and R. Torrech
- "Miguel Enríquez: Corsario boricua del siglo XVIII" by Angel López Cantos