Cudjoe

Cudjoe emerged as the leader of the Leeward Maroons in western Jamaica during the First Maroon War against British colonial forces. He organized and commanded maroon fighters in guerrilla campaigns that disrupted British plantations and military patrols, becoming the most prominent maroon military leader.

Cudjoe signed a peace treaty with British colonial authorities in March 1739, ending the First Maroon War for the Leeward Maroons. The treaty granted the maroons 1,500 acres of land, self-governance, and freedom from slavery, in exchange for ceasing hostilities and agreeing to capture and return runaway slaves.

Following the 1739 treaty, Cudjoe established the maroon settlement of Accompong in the Cockpit Country of Jamaica. The town became the administrative and cultural center of the Leeward Maroons, maintaining autonomy and traditional practices under Cudjoe's leadership for decades.