Golden age of piracy Île Sainte-Marie, or St. Mary's Island as it is known in English, became a popular
base for pirates, between the 17th and 18th centuries. Beginning with
Adam Baldridge in 1691 and ending with
John Pro in 1719, the location was favourable for pirate activity, being near maritime routes travelled by ships returning from the
East Indies, their holds overflowing with loot. The location also provided bays and inlets for protection from storms, abundant fruit and quiet waters. Legendary pirates including
William Kidd,
Robert Culliford,
Olivier Levasseur (
La Buse) who wrote a
cryptogram,
Henry Every,
Abraham Samuel and
Thomas Tew lived in the
île aux Forbans, an island located in the bay of Sainte Marie's main town, Ambodifotatra. Many of them were interred in cemeteries on Nosy Boraha, although the remains have never been identified. It was rumored that the legendary Pirate Republic founded by Henry Every existed in this area. It was said that Every reigned there as a Pirate King or Emperor. There is a legend that a French pirate named
Misson established a pirate republic called "
Libertalia" in
Antsiranana Bay, located in the northern part of the island of Madagascar. This legend is believed to be a fictional creation inspired by the story of Every's pirate kingdom.
French colonization In 1750, the ruler of the Kingdom of Betsimisaraka,
Bety of Betsimisaraka, ceded the Island to the
Kingdom of France in a Treaty. However, in 1752 the French colonists were massacred when the local population rebelled. France left the settlement abandoned for roughly half a century until returning in 1818, when the island was converted into a
penal colony. In 1857 the French established the first Catholic church in Madagascar, which is still in use today. French rule came to an end in 1960 after the island's population voted in a referendum to join the
Malagasy Republic. == Diving ==