wikipedia

The Devastations of Osorio (Spanish: Devastaciones de Osorio) , also known as Depopulations of Hispaniola[2], were an event in the history of the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic and Haiti) in the early 17th century. The devastations took place as the result of the order given by King Philip III of Spain to the governor Antonio de Osorio (hence the name), to depopulate the western and northern regions of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, by force if necessary, in order to end the smuggling that flourished in those areas. Osorio then implemented this order between 1605 and 1606.[3][4][5]

The Spanish crown believed that depopulating the western part of the island would put an end to the smuggling that so severely impacted the royal coffers, but the devastation made possible everything it had sought to prevent: the establishment of individuals from another nation in the western part of the island.[6] The devastations were the event that allowed the French to establish themselves in western Hispaniola. The Spanish tried to expel the French from the western part of the island on several occasions, but were unsuccessful.