The
Captaincy General of Cuba was an administrative district of the
Spanish Empire created in 1607 as part of
Habsburg Spain's attempt to better defend the Caribbean against foreign powers, which also involved creating captaincies general in
Puerto Rico,
Guatemala and
Yucatán. The restructuring of the Captaincy General in 1764 was the first example of the
Bourbon Reforms in America. The changes included adding the provinces of
Florida and
Louisiana and granting more autonomy for these provinces. This later change was carried out by the
Count of Floridablanca under
Charles III to strengthen the Spanish position vis-a-vis the British in the Caribbean. A new governor-captain general based in
Havana oversaw the administration of the new district. The local governors of the larger Captaincy General had previously been overseen in political and military matters by the president of the
Audiencia of Santo Domingo. This
audiencia retained oversight of judicial affairs until the establishment of new
audiencias in
Puerto Príncipe (1800) and Havana (1838). In 1825, as a result of the loss of the mainland possessions, the Spanish government granted the governors-captain generals of Cuba extraordinary powers in matters of administration, justice and the treasury and in the second half of the 19th century gave them the title of
Governor General.