Pierre Belain Esnambuc is a filibuster and colon from Normandy. Born on March 9, 1585, in Allouville in Seine-Maritime, Pierre Belain Esnambuc is known to be the settler who claimed Martinique, implementing the French colonization of the island.
Master of a ship with a crew of 40 men, he practiced the craft of piracy. In 1623, a race against a Spain galleon turned against him and d'Esnambuc took refuge on the island of St. Christopher (St. Kitts present).
The day before, 400 British colonists arrived. French and English, tired after their journey, shared the island was then occupied by the Carib Indians.
Delighted by the success of the colonization of the island, Richelieu gave him the power to colonize the islands that were not inhabited by Christians. D'Esnambuc therefore formed the Company of Saint Kitts Islands in 1625, and he headed off to conquer new territories in the Caribbean. His company then became the Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique in 1635. Hunted by the English from St. Christopher, D'Esbambuc and a hundred men accosted Martinique and there set foot in the area of the current Carbet on September 1, 1635.
It occupied Martinique for about a year before returning to St. Kitts, where he died in 1637. In Martinique, it leaves his nephew Jacques Dyel du Parquet (1606-1658), who founded the towns of Saint Pierre and Fort Royal (actual Fort-de-France).
A statue of Pierre Belain Esnambuc was erected in place de la Savane in Fort-de-France.
