Henry Morgan's raid on Porto Bello was a military event which took place in the latter half of the Anglo-Spanish war beginning on 10 July 1668. Notable Welsh Buccaneer Henry Morgan led a largely English Privateer force against the heavily fortified town of Porto Bello (now Portobelo in modern Panama).

After capturing them all by force the privateers subsequently entered the city and then plundered it before Morgan demanded a large ransom from the Governor of Panama Don Agustín de Bracamonte.

Henry Morgan, who had been in charge of the Port Royal militia and the defence of Jamaica, took over further privateering expeditions as Admiral in Chief of the Confederacy of Buccaneers.

[3] The President of the Real Audiencia of Panama Don Juan Perez de Guzmán, then launched a retaliatory attack on Providence Island capturing it and sent the prisoners to Porto bello.

Despite this Guzmán had fallen foul of the new Viceroy of Peru and was now in imprisoned and had been replaced by the young Don Agustín de Bracamonte.

[4] After dividing the spoils of the conquest of Puerto del Príncipe, Morgan announced a plan to attack Porto Bello in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru.

[5] The port had been attacked by English Privateers before; Francis Drake had been repelled in 1595 and then died of disease not far off the coast, and William Parker six years later captured and ransomed the place.

[6] The 200 French privateers, unhappy with the division of the treasure at Puerto Principe and the murder of their countryman, left Morgan's service and returned to Tortuga.

[5] On 10 July Morgan weighed anchor with his nine vessels and 470 men at Naos, a village twelve miles from Porto Bello in the Bay of Bocas del Torro.

From there he sailed along the coast to the port of El Puerto del Ponton, four miles from Porto Bello and transferred his men to 23 canoes.

[8] From there they paddled to within three miles (4.8 km) of the target where the Privateers approached a blockhouse at La Rancherria – an old pearling station guarded by five men.

[11] From the prisoners information Morgan instead sent two groups – one to head into town to capture it and the other to approach a hill which would give a commanding view of the castle's rear gate.

[13] The town was captured with ease and both groups now combined and headed towards the other unfinished fort San Geronimo that lay across the other side of the harbour.

Morgan also released eleven badly treated chained up English prisoners captured during Guzman's attack on Old Providence.

After a heated discussion the castle commander surrendered and Morgan agreed under generous terms and kept their swords but before Rocaberti came out of the fort, he was given a vial of poison and drank it.

[22] At Panama City 70 miles from Porto Bello, news of the latter's fall had been given by a Spanish horseman who had escaped and managed to trek all the way.

[23] On July 14 Governor Don Agustín de Bracamonte quickly set out with some 800 soldiers, militia and natives to try and retake the city.

Bracamonte also sent out hurried appeals to Cartagena and Lima to send out an expedition to pursue and put all the English pirates to the sword.

This was fortunate for Morgan as they gave him news and updates of Bracamonte's Spanish army column which had been approaching over the mountains and through the jungles towards Porto Bello.

[25] Oh hearing of the Spanish approach Morgan wrote to the Bracamonte the acting president of Panama, demanding a ransom for the city of 350,000 pesos.

[23] Bracamonte wrote back and accused Morgan of being a pirate; he refused any concessions and warned his troops they would spare no 'pirate' alive.

The loot was vast – as well as the ransom money, the Privateers had a huge haul of silk, linens, cloth, slaves and any gold and silver taken from the town and residents.

Historians have considered Morgan's action at Porto Bello as a display of "clever cunning and expert timing which marked his brilliance as a military commander.

[20] Morgan didn't stop there – in retaliation to Spain's privateering against English shipping in the Caribbean launched a wave of further attacks.

He did this and then defeated the Spanish Armada de Barlovento set to trap him before heading back to Jamaica with few losses and again a significant amount of plunder.

In December 1670 Morgan set out with his largest expedition, to Panama completely unaware of a Peace treaty signed between England and Spain.

[42] When Exquemelin's biography of Morgan was published in England and translated, it soon became controversial, in particular the passage about the use of nuns and monks as a human shield.