Captaincy General of Santo Domingo

Captaincy General of Santo Domingo Capitania General de Santo Domingo (Spanish)
1492–1865
coat of arms of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo
Motto: Plus ultra "Further Beyond"
Anthem: Marcha Real "Royal March" (1775–1821)
Left: Flag of Spain {18th century): first national flag of Spain; Right: Flag of the Province of Santo Domingo; Bottom: Flag Cross of Burgundy
Map of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo , when the entire island belonged to Spain (1492-1605). To the west can be seen the old Spanish villages of Lares de Guahaba, Puerto Real, Villanueva de Jaquimo, Salvatierra de la Sabana, Santa María de la Yaguana and Santa María de la Verapaz.
Status	Captaincy General of the Spanish Empire
Capital	Santo Domingo
Official languages	Spanish
Religion	Roman Catholicism (official)
Monarch
• 1492–1504	Isabella I of Castile (first)
• 1861–1865	Isabella II (last)
Governor
• 1492–1499	Christopher Columbus (first)
• 1864–1865	José de la Gándara y Navarro (last)
Legislature	Council of the Indies Ministry of Overseas (Spain)
Historical era	Colonial era
• Captaincy created	1492
• Santo Domingo annexed to France	1795
• Santo Domingo returned to Spain	1815
• Unrecognized independence	1821
• Reincorporated into Spain	1861
• Disestablished	1865
Currency	Spanish colonial real
Succeeded by Era de Francia Spanish West Indies Dominican Republic
Today part of	Dominican Republic

Part of a series on the
History of the Dominican Republic
Pre-Spanish Hispaniola (–1492)
Captaincy General of Santo Domingo (1492–1795)
Taíno genocide Battle of Vega Real Battle of Santo Domingo Devastations of Osorio Siege of Santo Domingo Battle of Sabana Real Peace of Ryswick Treaty of Aranjuez Peace of Basel
French Santo Domingo (1795–1809)
Spanish reconquest of Santo Domingo
España Boba (1809–1821)
Republic of Spanish Haiti (1821–1822)
Unification of Hispaniola
Republic of Haiti (1820–1849)
Dominican War of Independence
First Republic (1844–1861)
Spanish occupation (1861–1865)
Dominican Restoration War
Second Republic (1865–1916)
United States occupation (1916–1924)
Third Republic (1924–1965)
Dominican Civil War
Fourth Republic (1966–)
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The Captaincy General of Santo Domingo (Spanish: Capitanía General de Santo Domingo pronounced [kapitaˈni.a xeneˈɾal de ˈsanto ðoˈmiŋɡo] ^ⓘ) was the first Capitancy in the New World, established by Spain in 1492 on the island of Hispaniola. The Capitancy, under the jurisdiction of the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo, was granted administrative powers over the Spanish possessions in the Caribbean and most of its mainland coasts, making Santo Domingo the principal political entity of the early colonial period.^[1]

Due to its strategic location, the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo served as headquarters for Spanish conquistadors on their way to the mainland and was important in the establishment of other European colonies in the Western Hemisphere. It is the site of the first European city in the Americas, Santo Domingo, and of the oldest castle, fortress, cathedral, and monastery in the region. The colony was a meeting point of European explorers, soldiers, and settlers who brought with them the culture, architecture, laws, and traditions of the Old World.

The colony remained a military stronghold of the Spanish Empire for over a century, successfully defending against British, Dutch, and French expeditions into the region until the early 17th century. After pirates working for the French colonial empire took over part of the west coast, French settlers arrived and decades of armed conflict ensued. Spain finally ceded the western third of Hispaniola to France in the 1697 Peace of Ryswick, thus establishing the basis for the future nations of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.