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Saint-Barthélemy
 
[Flag of
                                    Sweden]
6 Mar 1785 - 16 Mar 1878
 
[Flag of
                                    France]
Adopted 16 Mar 1878
 
[Saint-Barthélemy Island local
                                    flag (France)]
Adopted 22 Feb 2007
(Logo adopted 1977)

[Saint-Barthélemy Collectivité
                                  flag (France)]
Collectivité Flag
Adopted May 2018

Map of Saint-Barthélemy
Hear National Anthem
"La Marseillaise"
Local Anthem
"L'Hymne à Saint-Barthélemy"
(Hymn to St. Barthelemy)
Adopted 11 Dec 1999
Constitution
 (28 Sep 1958)
Capital: Gustavia
(Le Carénage to 1786)
Currency: Euro (EUR);
to 1 Jan 2002 French Franc
(FRF)
National Holiday: 14 Jul (1789)
Fête Nationale
 (National Holiday
"Bastille Day")

--------------------------------------
Local Holiday: 24 Aug (1572)
Fête de la Saint-Barthélemy
(Saint Barthelemy Day)
Population: 7,086 (2024)
GDP: $487 million (2014)
Exports: $22.9 million (2017)
Imports: $123 million (2017)
Ethnic groups: French, Portuguese, Caribbean,
Afro-Caribbean
Total Police Force: 11 (2012)
Defense is the Responsibility of France
Merchant marine: None (2024)
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant (Anglican and Pentecostal), Jehovah's Witnesses
International Organizations/Treaties: ACS (associate), UPU
Saint-
Barthélemy
Chronology

1493                       Discovered and claimed for Spain by Christopher
                             Columbus named Isla de San Bartolomeo in honor of
                             his brother Bartolomeo's namesake saint.
1648                       French possession (Saint-Barthélemy), first
                             settlement from Saint Christopher. 

24 May 1651                Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique sells right to
                             administer Saint-Barthélemy (and other islands)
                             to the Knights of Malta.
24 May 1651 -  4 Jan 1666  Administered by the Knights of Malta (abandoned
                             1656-1659).
1656                       Settlement attacked and massacred by Caribs.
1659                       Beginning of permanent settlement of St. Barth.
10 Aug 1665                Knights of Malta agree to sell their rights to

                             Compagnie Française des Indes Occidentales
                             (effected 4 Jan 1666).
 4 Jan 1666 -  7 Mar 1785  Saint-Barthélemy a dependency of Guadeloupe.
 4 Jan 1690 - 26 Jan 1690  English occupation (Saint Bartholomew), French
                             settlers are deported.
26 Jan 1690 - 1698         Abandoned.
1744 - 1748                British occupation averted when islanders sign
                             a declaration of neutrality.
Jan 1779 - 28 Feb 1779     British raids destroy French defenses.
17 Mar 1781 - 26 Nov 1781  British occupation (Saint Bartholomew).
 1 Jul 1784                France agrees to sell the island to Sweden.
 
7 Mar 1785 - 16 Mar 1878  Swedish colony (Sankt Barthélemy)(by treaty of
                             1 Jul 1784 with France).

1786 - 1806                Under Swedish West India Company (Svenska
                             Västindiska
Kompaniet) administration.
21 Mar 1801 - 10 Jul 1802  British occupation (Saint Bartholomew).
1812 - 1845                Personal property of the King of Sweden.
10 Aug 1877                Sweden agrees to sell the island to France.
16 Mar 1878                French possession.
16 Mar 1848 - 10 Feb 2025  Part of
Guadeloupe département.
24 Jun 1940 - 14 Jul 1943  Administration loyal to Vichy France
                             (from 14 Jul 1943, under Free French).  
19 Mar 1946 -  7 Feb 1963  Saint-Barthélemy made a canton of département of
                             Guadeloupe arrondissement La Basse-Terre. 
 7 Feb 1963 -  9 Jul 2007  Saint-Barthélemy within Guadeloupe as part of the
                             arrondissement of Saint-Martin et Saint-Barthélemy
                             (des Îles du Nord)(see under Saint-Martin).
 7 Dec 2003                Saint-Barthélemy votes to become a separate
                             overseas collectivité of France by 95.5%.
 9 Jul 2007                Saint-Barthélemy a separate French overseas
                             collectivité (Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Commandants
1648 - 1656                Jacques Gente
1656 - 1659                abandoned
16.. -  1 Jan 1666         sieur du Guery
 
1 Jan 1666 - 16..         sieur Beauplan
1673 - 16..                ....

c.1687                     Legrand
                             (captain-commandant)
1687/88 -  4 Jan 1690      Henri Charles de Vaultier, sieur   (d. 1690)
                             de Moyencourt
 4 Jan 1690 - 26 Jan 1690  Sir Timothy Thornhill              (b. 1648? - d. 1693)
                             (English commander)
26
Jan 1690 - 1698         abandoned
31 Mar 1698  (1 day)       de la Hogue                        (d. 1700)
                             (held title to 19 Dec 1700)     
 
1 Apr 1698 - af.1700      Vacant
1713 - 1719?               Alexandre Vaultier de Moyencourt,  (b. 1658 - d. 1728)
                             comte de Moyencourt
c.1720 - c.1730?           Jacques Gréaux
c.1732                     Christophe Mahieu
17.. - 1744                Jacques Gréaux, Jr.                (d. 1744)
1744 - c.1746              Véret (acting)
c.1750                     Gréaux
1757 - 1763                Vacant
1763 - 1764                Alexis Brin (acting)
1764 - 1771                René Camille, comte de Carné de    (b. 1719 - d. 1785)
                             Trécesson
1771 - c.1774              Pierre Bernier
 6 Jun 1775 - Jan 1784     Alexandre René d'Agneau-Douville   (b. 1736 - d. 1789)
17 Mar 1781 - 26 Nov 1781  Lawrence Graeme -British commander
1784? -  7 Mar 1785        Jean Sébastien, chevalier de Durat (b. 1757 - d. 1814)
                             (interim governor)
1784? -  7 Mar 1785        Laurent François Isnard (commander)
(d. 1787)
Governors

 7 Mar 1785 - 23 Apr 1787
  Salomon Mauritz von Rajalin        (b. 1757 - d. 1825)
23 Apr 1787 -  6 Jun 1790  Pehr Herman Rosen von Rosenstein   (b. 1763 - d. 1799)
 
6 Jun 1790 - 17 Nov 1795  Carl Fredrik Bagge af Söderby      (b. 1750 - d. 1828)
17 Nov 1795 - 26 Jan 1801  Georg Henrik Johan af Trolle       (b. 1763 - d. 1824)
26 Jan 1801 - 14 Feb 1812  Hans Henrik Anckerheim             (b. 1748 - d. 1814)
21 Mar 1801 - 10 Jul 1802  Sir Thomas Trigge -U.K. commander  (b. 1741 - d. 1814)
Mar 1801 - Jul 1801        John Wilson -U.K. military governor(b. c.1764 - d. 1818)
Aug 1801 - Jul 1802        John Gordon -U.K. military governor
14 Feb 1812 - 10 Aug 1816  Bernd Robert Gustaf Stackelberg    (b. 1784 - d. 1845)

10 Aug 1816 - 10 Dec 1818  Johan Samuel Rosensvärd            (b. 1782 - d. 1818)
19 Sep 1818 - 20 Aug 1819  Carl Fredrik Berghult              (b. 1794 - d. 1834)
                             (acting [for Rosensvärd to 10 Dec 1818])
20 Aug 1819 - 27 Apr 1826  Johan Norderling                   (b. 1760 - d. 1828)

27 Apr 1826 - 11 Oct 1833  James Haarlef Haasum               (b. 1791 - d. 1871)
                           + Lars Gustaf Morsing              (b. 1794 - d. 1860)
11 Oct 1833 - Dec 1860     James Haarlef Haasum               (s.a.)

Dec 1860 - 11 Aug 1868     Fredrik Carl Ulrich                (b. 1808 - d. 1868)
11 Aug 1868 -  4 Dec 1868  Georg Wilhelm Netherwood (acting)  (b. 1828 - d. 1903)
 4 Dec 1868 - 16 Mar 1878 
Bror Ludvig Ulrich                 (b. 1818 - d. 1887)         
                             (acting to 10 Sep 1870)

Prefects to the State Representative in the Collectivités of Saint-Martin and
of
Saint-Barthélemy (until 10 Feb 2025, Préfets délégués auprès du représentant de l'État dans les collectivités de Saint-Martin et de Saint-Barthélemy [delegated to the prefect of Guadeloupe, who was from 9 Jul 2007, also Representative of the State in the Collectivité of Saint-Barthélemy])
 
9 Jul 2007 -             
the prefects of Saint-Martin

Mayors
1878 - 1900                Hippolyte Duchatellard             (b. 1833 - d. 1910)
1900 - 1913                Jean-Bertrand Sourd                (b. 1859 - d. 1918)
1913 - 1919                Louis Déravin
1919 - 1925                Théodore Lédée                     (b. c.1840 - d. 19..)
1925 - 1927                Adolphe Leroy
1927 - 1929                Eugène Magras
1929 - 1931                Ruben Déravin (1st time)           (b. 1870 - d. 1941)
1931 - 1933                Stephan Tara
1933 - 1941                Ruben Déravin (2nd time)           (s.a.)
1941 - 1942                Clément Lédée (1st time)
1942 - 1943                Jean Lédée
1943 - 1944                Clément Lédée (2nd time)
1944 - 1947                Raynal Rosey (delegate to 1945)    (b. 1901 - d. 1950)   Ind;1947 RI
1947 - 1962                Alexandre Magras                   (b. 1917 - d. 2016)
1962 - 1977                Rémy de Haenen                     (b. 1916 - d. 2008)   UNR + DVD
Mar 1977 - Mar 1983        Charles Querrard                   (b. 1948)
 
8 Mar 1983 - 1995         Daniel Blanchard                   (b. 1946)             MAPA-SB
Jun 1995 - 15 Jul 2007     Bruno Magras                       (b. 1951)            MAPA-SB/UMP
Presidents of the Territorial Council
15 Jul 2007 -  3 Apr 2022  Bruno Magras                       (s.a.)            SBA+UMP;2015 LR
 3 Apr 2022 -              Xavier Lédée                       (b. 1980)             UPS

Territorial Disputes: None identified.    

Party abbreviations: DVD = Divers Droite (Diverse Right, right-wing candidates not members of any large party); Ind = Indépendant (Independent); LR = Les Républicains (The Republicans, center-right, former UMP, est.30 May 2015); SBA = Saint-Barth d'Abord! (Saint Barth First!, liberal conservative, Francophile, St. Barth regionalist, Bruno Magras election list, affiliated with UMP/LR, est.2007); UPS = Unis pour Saint-Barthélemy (United for Saint Barthelemy, Xavier Lédée election list, est.2017);
- Former parties: MAPA-SB = Mouvement pour le Progrès et l'Avenir de St.-Barth (Movement for Action and Progress for the Future of Saint Barth, conservative, est.1973?); RI = Républicain Indépendant (Republican Independent); UMP = Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement [to 17 Nov 2002: Union for the Presidential Majority], conservative, merger of RPR, DL and the main part of UDF, 23 Apr 2002-30 May 2015, renamed LR); UNR = Union pour la Nouvelle République (Union for the New Republic, Gaullist, conservative, 1958-1968)






© Ben Cahoon