In 1638, Jacques Dyel du Parquet (1606-1658), nephew of Pierre
Belain d'Esnambuc and first governor of Martinique, decided to have Fort Saint
Louis built to protect the city against enemy attacks. The fort was soon
destroyed, and rebuilt in 1669, when Louis XIV appointed the Marquis of Baas as
governor general. Under his orders and those of his successors, particularly
the Count of Blénac, the fort was built with a Vauban design.
Originally named Fort-Royal, the administrative
capital of Martinique was over-shadowed by Saint-Pierre, the oldest city in the
