George Frederic Augustus I
Encyclopedia
George Frederic Augustus I served as king of the Miskito, an indigenous people from Honduras
from 1801-1824.
was murdered, according to the later visitor George Henderson, "attributed very openly to the designs of his brother Stephen." George II was pro-British, while Stephen was alleged to be pro-Spanish, and the General, Robinson managed to organize a regency to prevent Stephen from taking power until George Frederic was of age. George Frederic maintained a fairly close connection to British authorities in Belize, for in 1802, British officials in Belize gave "the young King Frederick" and three of his "chiefs" gifts worth ₤40. At some later point before 1810, he was sent to Jamaica to be educated. When Henderson visited in 1810, the regency was still in practice, with a balance maintained between Stephen and Robinson.
Although subject to a regency, George Frederick did carry out some royal duties while he lived in Jamaica, as a shipper named Peter Sheppard, who regularly traded between Jamaica and the Mosquito coast during the period 1814 to 1839, testified that he carried various officials of the kingdom and subject peoples to visit the king in Jamaica, and the very least, he signed commissions to his officials.
George Frederic made a number of grants to various foreign groups. One of the most famous was the grant of a huge track he made to Sir Gregor McGregor
in 1820, an area called Poyais, which encompassed lands once granted by George I to some Englishmen. McGregor then created a fraudulent colonial scheme to bring European settlers there, when the settlers arrived, the king revoked the grant and required them to pay allegiance directly to him. He agreed to allow the Black Caribs, or Garifuna who were dissatisfied with their lives among the Spanish at Trujillo
, to settle in his lands, and gave them commissions.
He died in March 1824, strangled according to the Honduras Almamack, by his own wife and thrown in the river.
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
from 1801-1824.
Succession and regency
He was quite young when his father and predecessor George II FredericGeorge II Frederic
-Youth and Education:As a young man, his father George I sent him to England to be educated. On his return voyage, in 1776, he met and was evangelized by the famous Abolitionist Olaudah Equiano , though Equiano did not think his preaching was very successful...
was murdered, according to the later visitor George Henderson, "attributed very openly to the designs of his brother Stephen." George II was pro-British, while Stephen was alleged to be pro-Spanish, and the General, Robinson managed to organize a regency to prevent Stephen from taking power until George Frederic was of age. George Frederic maintained a fairly close connection to British authorities in Belize, for in 1802, British officials in Belize gave "the young King Frederick" and three of his "chiefs" gifts worth ₤40. At some later point before 1810, he was sent to Jamaica to be educated. When Henderson visited in 1810, the regency was still in practice, with a balance maintained between Stephen and Robinson.
Although subject to a regency, George Frederick did carry out some royal duties while he lived in Jamaica, as a shipper named Peter Sheppard, who regularly traded between Jamaica and the Mosquito coast during the period 1814 to 1839, testified that he carried various officials of the kingdom and subject peoples to visit the king in Jamaica, and the very least, he signed commissions to his officials.
Regency
Stephen made overtures to Spain, and the struggle between Stephen and Robinson continued in spite of Spanish attempts to treat Stephen as king. Stephen, for his part, continued raids on Spanish territory. On 14 November 1815, Stephen, styled the"King Regent of the... Shore" and 33 "of the most principal inhabitants commanding the different townships of the south-eastern Mosquito Shore..." gave their "consent, assent, and declaration to, for, and of" George Frederic as their "Sovereign King". George Frederi was crowned in Belize on 18 January 1816. According to the Superintendent, Sir George Arthur, George specifically requested that he be crowned in Belize, "in the presence of your chieftains," the 18 of January being the Queen of England's birthday. This coronation in Belize marked a shift from coronation in Jamaica to Belize.Reign
George Frederic, by virtue of the long time he spent in Jamaica and his absence from the court found it difficult to establish his authority upon his return. His two most powerful subordinates had used the regency to build local power bases. General Robinson, who ruled the Black River region, had not signed the act accepting his as king. Governor Clementi, who ruled the territory just south of the royal court was also very powerful and refused to participate in many acts of government. Thanks to George Frederic's alleged rape of one of the wives of the Admiral, Earnee, there was tension between the king and him as well.George Frederic made a number of grants to various foreign groups. One of the most famous was the grant of a huge track he made to Sir Gregor McGregor
Gregor McGregor
The Hon. Gregor McGregor was an influential Australian politician and trade union leader of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century....
in 1820, an area called Poyais, which encompassed lands once granted by George I to some Englishmen. McGregor then created a fraudulent colonial scheme to bring European settlers there, when the settlers arrived, the king revoked the grant and required them to pay allegiance directly to him. He agreed to allow the Black Caribs, or Garifuna who were dissatisfied with their lives among the Spanish at Trujillo
Trujillo, Colón
Trujillo is a city and a municipality on the northern Caribbean coast of the Honduran department of Colón, of which the city is the capital. The municipality has a population of about 30,000 . The city is located on a bluff overlooking the Bay of Trujillo. Behind the city rise two prominent...
, to settle in his lands, and gave them commissions.
He died in March 1824, strangled according to the Honduras Almamack, by his own wife and thrown in the river.