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Important Spanish and French-Language Broadside Banishing Foreigners from Cuba during the Peninsular War - A Defining Moment in Cuban History

Bilingual Broadside issued by Sebastian Kindelán, then Governor of Santiago de Cuba, on April 10, 1809. The broadside expels the French and all other foreigners from Cuba, previously a place of refuge for white settlers fleeing from the Haitian Revolution. The broadside, in Spanish and French, was the final word on the issue, leaving many with just days to flee.

The broadside's orders and the expulsion of the French

This broadside was issued at a special time in Cuban history, and in the life of its author, Sebastián Kindelán. Kindelán was governor of Cuba from 1799 to 1811. This directive, issued by him on April 10, 1809, expels all foreigners from Cuba after France invaded Spain during what is now known as the Peninsular War.

As explained in the first three paragraphs, Kindelán understands that not all the French refugees are bad and that many have settled by his own invitation in Cuba. However, the current threat to the Spanish colony from the Tir á no infernal, the infernal tyrant Napoleon Bonaparte, led him to make several decisions. First, Juntas de Vigilancia, or Boards of Vigilance, will be set up across the jurisdiction.

Kindelán continues with the following orders:

1. That all the French and other foreigners of whatever nation, class, status, sex, color, and age, free, residents of this city and its jurisdiction since the time of the French Revolution, who have not established domicile with a letter from the Capitan General of the island, will leave irremissibly in one way or another.
2. The mechanics [menestrales] and artisans should, and have ceased the exercise of their respective offices since the day of publication; the butchers and bakers within eight days: and the stationers, gardeners, &c. within fifteen, in order that in the said plazas they can sell and take advantage of that which they have.
3. Desiring the government to continue their rights in exile, which they have negotiated so liberally, when it is compatible with the interests and dignity of the Nation, is conceded forty days for their exit to those who possess farms, or immovable goods, so that they can negotiate their sale, or leave their granted powers as written to people they trust be they Spanish or French in order that they can transfer or remit their wealth to those it is destined for, as long as it is not discovered that they are in French territory.
4. Those who do not possess such goods as expressed in the article above have to leave within twenty days.
5. It is permitted consequently that a few may extricate and take with them furniture and moveable items, that which they possess currently.
6. At the time of publication they have to also cease fishing off the coasts, to this end the Se ñ or Comandante de Marina of this province has anticipatorily officiated that this article takes effect in the parts that he controls.
7. Those that do not comply strictly to the content of these foregoing articles will be urged to do so by the arrest of their persons, confiscation and occupation of their goods, whatsoever they are.
8. Whichever neighbor can participate (tell) the Government, or whichever of the local leaders who compose the Board of Vigilance, or Governing Gentlemen of the M.Y. Town Council of those who have done the charge laid above (article 7), the inaction of that which is asked.
9. Those who, for whatever motive, conceal or help with the hiding of a French person, impeding the completion of this resolution, will be punished according to the proportion of malice and the circumstances of the case.
10. Contracting this arrangement to all foreigners present in the Plaza and its jurisdiction without the requisite, which calls for article one to exclude those who enter and exit for reasons of commerce, or others equally legitimate causes, except the French, who in no case, motive, or under any pretext should enter without incurring the indignation of the Government, and resulting in the penalties established against prisoners of war.
11. The French who conform to this first article [to remain with permission] will stay in this Plaza and its jurisdiction, will live in accordance with our customs, and observe exactly our laws under the penalty of being ejected like the rest, about which the Board of Vigilance will proceed punctually.
12. Finally, the public is warned that, following our Christian and generous character, which has always been ours, do not bother or extort the French that are leaving, help to facilitate their embarkation, give the illustrious testimony to prudence, moderation, and civility, which makes up the well-deserved reputation of the Cuban People.

In short, all French and most foreigners were given but a few weeks to vacate their property, livelihoods, and lives in Cuba and flee. What brought on this forced exodus?

During the Haitian Revolution, in the 1790s, Cuba was unable to maintain the level of human slave imports that they had previously depended upon. Instead, Cuban leaders began to actively encourage white settlers, for example with groups like the Sociedad Economica de Amigos del Pais. Many French came from Haiti, but also from New Orleans and other French colonial holdings.

The white Haitians and other French settlers were not necessarily welcomed with open arms by Spanish settlers in Cuba. In 1804, Cuban citizens wrote to the Spanish Crown to complain of the refugees' presence and the fact that many were acquiring land and slaves. They also griped about Governor Kindelán's complicity in their presence. In their letter to the Crown, the citizens accused Kindelán of irreligion, dishonesty, licentiousness, and serving as a bad example. Kindelán denied the accusations and assured his superiors that the French settlers were peaceful and would not spread revolution to Cuba.

Things changed when Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808. When news reached the island, many Spanish settlers turned on their French neighbors, leading some French to flee back to New Orleans or Florida. In 1809, as this broadside shows, all foreigners were expelled from Cuba; at least 6,000 French then sailed across the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana.

The Peninsular War and Cuba

The Peninsular War, which provides the larger historical context for this document, began when France invaded Portugal in 1807. In March 1808, they invaded Spain, who had previously been their ally. The French quickly gained control of the country and forced the Spanish monarch, Charles IV, to abdicate while under guard in French exile.

On May 2, 1808, the people of Madrid rose up against their French occupiers. Heavy street fighting ensued, which is commemorated in famous paintings by Francisco de Goya. The uprising inspired resistance across Spain, which received support from Britain and, eventually, Portugal. The Spanish were victorious by 1814, but their country was in tatters.

Spanish American colonies began to declare their independence during this time, but not Cuba, which only gained independence in 1898. Cuba was not untouched by the Peninsular War, however, as the expulsion of the French shows. Many Spanish fled to the island in exile, contributing to the push to banish non-Spanish settlers.

Sebastian Kindelán y O'Regan

Sebastián Kindelán y O'Regan (1757- 1826) was born in Ceuta, Spain. His father was originally from Ireland, but he had immigrated to Spain and joined the infantry of the Spanish Army. His mother was also of Irish descent.

Kindelán joined the Spanish Army when he was only ten and was sent to join an infantry regiment in Santiago de Cuba, where he served for much of his military career. After twenty years of service, Kindelán was appointed to the governorship of Santiago de Cuba in 1799.

Perhaps because of the tension over the French settlers, Kindelán requested a reassignment. The authorities transferred him to East Florida in 1811, where he was promoted Brigadier of Infantry. Less than a year later he was appointed Royal Governor of Spanish East Florida. In that same year, 1812, rebel Georgians invaded Florida in an attempt to include it as part of the United States. Kindelán ordered a martial response, supported by their Seminole allies. Crucially, some of the Seminole were black, and some of these were enslaved. Black militiamen also served as translators and go-betweens for Kindelán. Although these black men seldom received recognition, Kindelán was eventually honored for his defense of East Florida with the Grand Cross of San Fernando and made a Knight of the Order of Santiago.

Next, in 1815, Kindelán traveled back to Cuba. In 1818 he went to Santo Domingo on Hispaniola, where he served as acting governor. There he again had to deal with Haitian issues, this time with Haitians who hoped to take over Santo Domingo and control the entire island.

By 1821 he was in Cuba again, this time to serve as Provisional Captain-General, a position similar to a military governor. He riled the locals again when he tried to consolidate military and civil power. From 1824 he was given the rank of Field Marshal in the Spanish Army, a rank he held until he died in Santiago de Cuba in 1826.

Mat í as Alqueza, Santiago de Cuba's first printer

A final notable aspect of this important historical document is that was printed by Matías Alqueza, the Crown's appointed printer in Santiago de Cuba. Alqueza, originally from Navarra in Spain, introduced printing to the city in 1792. The first printing press in all of Cuba is recorded in 1720, with the first imprint in 1723.

Combined with the important historical moment captured in this broadside's orders, this document is central to Cuban history and the larger history of war and migration of the Napoleonic era.

Rarity

OCLC locates 1 example (Bancroft Library).