Originally named Ouanalao by the indigenous Taíno Indians, it is not until 1493 that Europeans came across the island, with the arrival of Christopher Columbus, who decided to name the newly discovered land after his brother, Bartolomeo.

Despite repeated visits to the island, colonisation only started to take place in 1648, with St Kitts governor De Poincy and approximately 50 French men establishing a cocoa-cultivating settlement. Lacking in success, the settlement was quickly sold to the Order of Saint John, of which De Poincy was a member, before being attacked and destroyed by the Caribs five years later. Every single settler was killed during the attack, their heads being spiked on poles lined along Lorient beach by the Caribs to dissuade other potential invaders.

However, in 1763, a group of French buccaneers from Normandy and Brittany came to the island in an attempt to settle and succeeded, developing the island’s economy by fishing, farming and trading. One of them was Montbars the Exterminator, whose treasure is believed to still be buried somewhere on the island.

The island was under British ruling for a very short period of time, in 1758, and was given to Sweden by France in 1784 in exchange of trading rights in the Swedish port of Gothenburg. Being a free port during the colonial wars of the 18th century enabled St Barts to temporarily thrive, providing all sorts of supplies and services to the various fighting fleets.

Although the French bought the island back in 1878, much of the Swedish influence remained an integral part of St Barts’ heritage, transpiring notably through architectural features as well as the name of its capital, Gustavia.

In 1946, Martinique and Guadeloupe - St Barts being part of the latter at the time - were granted the status of Department of France, giving them the rights as any other metropolitan department, as well as giving French passports to their inhabitants.

St Barts was put in the spotlight and started to get its share of notoriety, after American millionaire David Rockefeller purchased a property on the island in 1957, resulting in the development of the tourism industry.

After a decade of political campaigning, in 2007, St Barts and St Martin were recognised as Overseas Collectivities of France, detaching St Barts from Guadeloupe and resulting in the creation of its very own territorial council, on 15th July 2007.

Nowadays, St Barts is a luxurious holiday destination known for providing the rich and famous with a high quality Caribbean escape.