Barbados was inhabited in the 16th century by its indigenous people – the Arawaks and Caribs – before the European colonization of the Americas. Barbados was briefly claimed by the Portuguese from 1532 to 1620. The island was a British colony from 1625 to 1966 and later a British colony.
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Since 1966, it has been a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, modeled on the Westminster system and with Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados, as head of state.
prehistoric era
The most fully documented Amerindian settlement dates back to around 350 to 650 AD. The arrivals were a group known as the Saladoid-Barrancoides from the South American mainland. A second wave of settlements appeared around the year 800 and a third in the mid-13th century. This last group was more organized politically and came to rule over the others.
early history
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover the island. Portuguese navigator Pedro A. Campos named it Os Barbados which means “bearded”. Continuous slave-raiding missions by the Spanish Empire in the early 16th century led to a drastic decline in the Amerindian population so that by 1541 a Spanish writer claimed they were uninhabited. The Amerindians were either captured by the Spanish for use as slaves or others fled and were more easily found in the nearby mountainous islands.
From about 1600 the English, French and Dutch began to find colonies in the North American mainland and small islands of the West Indies. Although Spanish and Portuguese sailors visited Barbados, the first English ship reached the island on 14 May 1625, and England was the first European nation to establish a permanent settlement from 1627. England is usually said to have made its initial claim in Barbados in 1625, although an earlier claim may have been made in 1620. Nevertheless, Barbados was claimed by King James of England from 1625 onwards. The Americas previously had English settlements and several islands in the Leeward Islands were claimed by the English as Barbados. Nevertheless, Barbados quickly became the third major English settlement in the Americas due to its prime eastern location.
english agreement
The settlement was established as a colony and funded by Sir William Courtenay, a London merchant who acquired titles for Barbados and several other islands. So the first colonists were actually tenants and most of their labor went to Corten and his company. The first English ship, which arrived on 14 May 1625, was captained by John Powell. The first settlement began on 17 February 1627 in what is now Holetown with a group led by John Powell’s younger brother, Henry, consisting of 80 settlers and 10 English labourers. The latter were young indentured laborers who according to some sources were kidnapped, effectively enslaved.
The title of Courtenay was transferred to James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle, known as the “Great Barbados Robbery”. Carlisle was then elected as governor Henry Hawley, who established the House of Assembly in 1639 in an effort to appease the gardeners who would have otherwise opposed his controversial appointment. In the period from 1640 to 1660, the West Indies attracted two-thirds of the total number of English immigrants to the Americas. By the year 1650, there were 44,000 settlers in the West Indies, compared to 12,000 in the Chesapeake and 23,000 in New England.
Most English arrivals were indented. After five years of labour, he was given a “liberty bounty” of about £10, usually in goods. Timothy Meades of Warwickshire was one of the mutineers sent to Barbados in 1666 to receive compensation for annexation of 1,000 acres of land in North Carolina. Prior to this, the growing export of tobacco was the mainstay of the infant colony’s economy, but tobacco prices eventually fell in the 1630s as Chesapeake production expanded.
Let’s know some interesting things about the country of Barbados
This country is also known as The Land of Flying Fish.
This country is the third largest developed country in the Western Hemisphere.
The highest mountain in this country is Mount Hilaby. Whose height is up to 1115 feet.
Barbados is such a country that every day air travel is done to such countries as England America Canada.
The length of this country is about 21 miles and the width is up to 14 miles.
The country of Barbados is the most popular tourist destination for the Arabian people.
Every year 100,000 people or more people come to this country by sea route or by plane.
The capital of this country is the city of Bridgetown.
Sugarcane jaggery and cotton are the most cultivated in this country.
The oldest church in this country is St. James’s Paris.
Barbados is a country where $57 million worth of ram is exported every year.
This country is the 18th largest country in terms of population.
English language is the official language of this country.
The name of this country was inspired by the tree named Beardade of Barbados.
