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TheProvince of Trinidad (1525–1802) was aprovince of theSpanish Empire which was created in 1525.
From 1591 to 1731 it was merged withGuayana Province, as Trinidad-Guayana Province. It was lost to the British in 1797, a loss recognised by theTreaty of Amiens in 1802.
In 1520 the governorship of Trinidad was granted toRodrigo de Bastidas, but this was opposed byDiego Columbus, and Bastidas waived the grant.[1] In 1530 the king of Spain handed it over toAntonio Sedeño who was its first governor until 1535 when he abandoned it due to ongoing litigation over jurisdiction with theProvince of Cumaná. Its first capital wasSan José de Oruña, founded in 1592 and destroyed by theEnglish pirateWalter Raleigh.
In 1596, Trinidad was annexed to theGuayana Province under the government of Antonio de Berrío, who had governed the island since 1591. The province was overseen by the president of theReal Audiencia of Santo Domingo, which served as itscourt of appeal, until 1739 when it was transferred over to theViceroyalty of New Granada and the Audiencia of Bogotá.
By 1757, the old capital,San José de Oruña, about 11 kilometres (7 mi) inland, had fallen into disrepair, andGovernor DonPedro de la Moneda transferred his seat toPort of Spain, which thus became Trinidad's de facto capital.
The province was returned to the jurisdiction of the Santo Domingo Audiencia and placed in theCaptaincy General of Venezuela in 1777. The 1783 Cedula of Population, which encouraged the settlement of FrenchCatholics in the island, led to a rapid increase in the population. The last Spanish Governor of Trinidad, DonJosé Maria Chacón foundedSan Fernando in 1784 and devoted much of his time to developing the island. He compelled the province's Cabildo (governing council) to move to Port of Spain, and he limited its powers to the municipality.
With the establishment of the Audiencia of Caracas in 1786, all administrative and judicial functions were centered onCaracas.
Finally in 1797, a British fleet commanded byHenry Harvey seized the island turning it into aBritish colony. Its loss was recognised at theTreaty of Amiens in 1802.