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The island was discovered on May 21, 1502 by the Portuguese navigator João da Nova , on his voyage home from India, and by him named "Saint Helena". The Portuguese found it uninhabited, imported livestock, fruit trees and vegetables, built a chapel and one or two houses, and left their sick there to be taken home, if recovered, by the next ship, but they formed no permanent settlement. Its first known permanent resident was Fernão Lopez, a Portuguese in India, who had turned traitor and had been mutilated by order of Albuquerque, the Governor of Goa. Fernando Lopes preferred being marooned to returning to Portugal in his maimed condition, and remained on Saint Helena in 1513. By royal command Lopez visited Portugal some time later, but returned to Saint Helena, where he died in 1530.
In 1584 two Japanese ambassadors to Rome landed at the island. The first Englishman known to have visited it was Thomas Cavendish, who touched there in June 1588 during his voyage round the world. Another English seaman, Captain Kendall, visited Saint Helena in 1591, and in 1593 Sir James LancasterJames Lancaster ( 1554(?) May 1618) was an English navigator, statesman, and pioneers of the British Indian trade and empire. In early life, he fought and traded in Portugal. On the roth of April 1591 he started from Plymouth, with Raymond and Foxcroft, o stopped at the island on his way home from the East. In 1603 the same commander again visited Saint Helena on his return from the first voyage equipped by the British East India CompanyThe British East India Company popularly known as John Company was founded by a Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600. Over the next 250 years, it became one of the most powerful commercial enterprises of its time. The British East India.
The Portuguese had by this time given up calling at the island, which appears to have been occupied by the DutchDutch redirects here. For other uses, see Dutch (disambiguation). The Netherlands ( Dutch: Nederland is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a constitutional monarchy. It is located in northwestern Europe and borders the North Sea, Belgium about 1645Events February 15 New Model Army is founded officially June 14 English Civil War: Battle of Naseby 12,000 Royalist forces are beaten by 15,000 Parliamentarian soldiers June 28 English Civil War the Royalists lose Carlisle July 2: Fight at Alford, Aberdee. The Dutch occupation was temporary and ceased in 1651, the year before they founded Cape TownCape Town ( Afrikaans: Kaapstad , is one of South Africa's three capital cities serving as the legislative capital ( Pretoria being the executive capital and Bloemfontein the judicial capital). It is also the capital of the Western Cape province. It is mo.
The British East India Company appropriated the island immediately after the departure of the Dutch, and they were confirmed in possession by a clause in their charter of 1661.
The company built a fort (1658), named "Jamestown" after the duke of York ( James IIJames II of England and VII of Scotland ( 14 October 1633 16 September 1701) became King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 6 February 1685. He would prove to be the last Catholic monarch to reign over England, Scotland or Ireland. His subjects distrus), and established a garrison in the island. In 1673 the Dutch succeeded in obtaining possession, but were ejected after a few months' occupation. Since that date St Helena has been in the undisturbed possession of Great Britain, though in 1706 two ships anchored off Jamestown were carried off by the French. In 1673 the Dutch had been expelled by the forces of the Crown, but by a new charter granted in December 1673 the East India Company were declared the true and absolute lords and proprietors of the island.
At this time nearly half the inhabitants were negro slaves. In 1810 the company began the importation of Chinese from their factoryA factory (previously manufactory is a large industrial building where goods or products are manufactured. Most factories are large warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production. History of the factory The world' at Canton, China. During the company's rule the island prospered, thousands of homeward-bound vessels anchored in the roadstead in a year, staying for considerable periods, refitting and revictualling. Large sums of money were thus expended in the island, where wealthy merchants and officials had their residence. The plantations were worked by the slaves, who were subjected to very barbarous laws until 1792, when a new code of regulations ensured their humane treatment and prohibited the importation of any new slaves. Later it was enacted that all children of slaves born on or after Christmas Day 1818 should be free, and between 1826 and 1836 all slaves were set at liberty.
Among the governors appointed by the company to rule at Saint Helena was one of the Huguenot refugees, Captain Stephen Poirier (1697 - 1707), who attempted unsuccessfully to introduce the cultivation of the vine. A later governor (1741-1742) was Robert Jenkins of "Jenkins's ear" fame. William Dampier visited the island twice, in 1691 and 1701; Halley's Mount commemorates the visit paid by the astronomer Edmund Halley in 1676 - 1678 - the first of a number of scientific men who have pursued their studies on the island.