Sint Maarten Colonial Records

Dutch Colonization (1631-1633, 1648-Present)
The Dutch built a fort (Fort Amsterdam) on the island in 1631. In 1633 the Spanish captured St Martin and drove off the Dutch colonists. However, in 1648 the Eighty Years' War ended and the Spanish, no longer seeing any strategic or economic value in the island, simply abandoned it. The Dutch and the French had some initial conflicts over the island but preferring to avoid an all-out war, they signed the Treaty of Concordia in 1648, which divided the island in two. Sint Maarten is now a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. It encompasses the southern 40% of the divided island of Saint Martin.

Spanish Colonization (1633-1648)
In 1633 the Spanish captured St Martin and drove off the Dutch colonists. However, in 1648 the Eighty Years' War ended and the Spanish, no longer seeing any strategic or economic value in the island, simply abandoned it.