Pirates Burn Havana, 1555

Pirates Burn Havana, 1555

Jacques de Sores was a French pirate who attacked and burnt Havana, Cuba in 1555. Little is known of de Sores. He was nicknamed "The Exterminating Angel". He was the leader of a band of Huguenot pirates and a lieutenant or former lieutenant of another French pirate, François le Clerc. Le Clerc and Sores had set out from France in 1553 with three royal ships and a number of privateers under commission from Francis I of France who was envious of the riches returning to Spain from the New World. Le Clerc had raided Santiago de Cuba in 1554, and some accounts mention a raid on Santiago de Cuba by de Sores, although whether this was as part of the attack by le Clerc is not clear. He destroyed the fortress of La Fuerza Vieja in today's Calle Tacón and burnt most of the town. He also burnt the shipping in the harbor and laid waste to much of the surrounding countryside.

Album / Science Source / New York Public Library

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3860 x 2896 px | 32.0 MB

32.7 x 24.5 cm | 12.9 x 9.7 in (300 dpi)