Bonaire Colonial Records

Spanish Colonization (1526-1636)
In 1526, Juan de Ampies was appointed Spanish commander of the islands of Antigua, Bonaire, and Curacao. Bonaire was used by the Spanish as a cattle plantation.

Dutch Colonization (1636-present)
Ships from the Dutch West India Company began arriving on Bonaire in 1623. In 1633, Spain gained control of the island of St. Maarten from the Dutch, who retaliated by attacking Bonaire, Curacao, and Aruba. Bonaire was conquered by the Dutch in 1636. In 1791, the Dutch West India Company was dissolved and the island was controlled by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Except for two brief periods of British rule, Bonaire remained a part of the Netherlands Antilles until the country's dissolution in 2010. Bonaire is now a special municipality within the country of the Netherlands.

British Colonization (1800-1803;1807-1816)
Because of the Napoleonic Wars, the British were able to gain control of Bonaire twice, from 1800-1803 and from 1807-1816. In 1816, the Treaty of Paris returned Bonaire to the Netherlands.