The town was founded in 1665 by French buccaneers (a kind of pirates in the Caribbean) from Tortuga Island when they had to leave the island. In 1676 the town saw the first black slave revolt; its leader was "Padre Jean" (also "Padrejean" and "Pedro Juan") and who was killed by buccaneers in 1679 in the mountains close to Port-de-Paix.