Governor Raja
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| Vital statistics | |
| Title | Governor of Spanish Cuba |
| Gender | Male |
| Status | Alive |
| Ships | Havana's Fleet |
| Relationships | Woodes Rogers (Temporary Ally, enemy)
Juan Antonio Grandal (subordinate) Simón Raja (brother; deceased) |
| Appearances | First: XXXIII. Last: XXXIV. |
| Portrayed by | Ilay Kurelovic |
Governor Vicente de Raja is the chief representative of the King of Spain in Havana, Cuba. He's invited by Governor Rogers to sack Nassau to crush the pirate threat in the West Indies.
Biography[]
Background[]
Raja was a member of the Spanish Army in his youth and rose through the ranks, and was eventually appointed Governor of Cuba by the King of Spain.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, Raja's brother, Simón, was killed by Woodes Rogers despite the fact that he and his crew had surrendered[1].
Season Four[]
After the pirate re-takeover of Nassau, Governor Woodes Rogers makes the audacious decision to sails to Spanish Cuba, despite the current state of war between England and Spain. Met by Spanish soldiers at the dock, Rogers dumps the head of Blackbeard at the lieutenant’s feet, and asks for a meeting with the governor. The lieutenant, Mrs. Hudson's handler, Juan Antonio Grandal, asks her if she advised Rogers to come to Havana. She says she did not, and Grandal tells her it was a mistake as Rogers is ushered into Raja's office.
Meeting with Governor Raja, he will do anything to accomplish the destruction of the pirate problem; a problem that threatens Cuban interests also, and is funded with stolen Spanish gold. Rogers tells Raja that the pirates have allied themselves with Maroons, and now seek to incite a slave rebellion across the New World. Rogers asks how long it is before the pirates look to Havana, and Cuba's slaves and plantations. Rogers tells Raja that if he does not help him kill this monster in its cradle, Raja will be begging his King for aid when the pirates are at his doorstep and he will regret not taking Rogers' offer.
Raja tells the British governor that he had a younger brother, Simón, a midshipman aboard the Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación y Desengaño. This ship surrendered to Rogers, but the crew was butchered, and Raja says that he was told that Rogers wielded the sword. Raja asks him if this is true, and Rogers admits it. Raja tells Rogers that they are not enemies because his king tells him, and not to insult him by suggesting otherwise. Raja balks at the idea of sending his men to fight Rogers' war and forcing them to try and decipher friend from foe. Rogers tells him that all his supporters are in the fort, which he promises will offer no resistance if it is spared. Rogers succeeds in making a deal with the Governor that’s surely an act of treason; inviting the Spanish navy to invade and sack the English territory of Nassau[1].
As the Spanish Fleet approaches Nassau, the Walrus is spotted escaping. Rogers tells him that it is a pirate vessel, but Raja refuses to separate his fleet. Once within range, the fleet opens fire. The Spanish invasion is devastating. The fleet of twelve ships unleash hell fire upon the town, killing everything in its path. Woodes Rogers joins the forces on shore, but with the Spaniards ravaging the town, he quickly realizes that he is not in control of the situation. He tells Raja and Grandal that the pirates had made their base at one of the estates on the island. They are then met by Mr. Soames, Frasier and Lieutenant Utley, who inform Rogers that Eleanor had left the fort to complete the transaction for the cache. A panic stricken Rogers tries to tell Raja and Grandal to pass word to their men that Eleanor is not to be harmed, but is told that giving that order is impossible. Although many of the pirates escape, Eleanor is killed in the sack[2].
After the invasion, Rogers tells Mrs. Hudson that he spoke with Raja after the battle was done to ensure that their accounts were squared and that the Spanish would not return to Nassau due to Rogers' earlier failure to bring both the cache of gems and Jack Rackham. Raja assured Rogers that he had written off the cache and was more focused on the war. He also said that he never asked for Captain Rackham to be delivered to Havana[3].
Quotes[]
"You are not my enemy, because my king tells me so. Don't insult me by suggesting otherwise."
- Raja to Woodes Rogers in XXXIII.
Trivia[]
- Governor Raja is probably based on Vicente de Raja, the historical governor of Spanish Cuba from 1716 to 1717.