1789-1814







Martinique, 1635-1789



Discovered by Columbus in 1493, the island was neglected by the Spanish. It was settled by the French COMPAGNIE D'ISLES D'AMERIQUE, under PIERRE BELAIN D'ESNAMBUC, in 1635. Vigorous governor JACQUES DU PARQUET, who bought the island in 1636, organized both the establishment of a plantation economy and military leadership in the wars with the native Caribs; a peace was signed only in 1660. The neighbouring island to the South, ST. LUCIA, as well as GRENADA, administratively belonged to Martinique.
France's king Louis XIV. bought up most of the du Parquet titles and set up a chartered colonial company, the COMPAGNIE DES INDES ORIENTALES (1664), which was given a monopoly for Atlantic trade.
Initially, the center of administration was FORT ST. PIERRE, founded in 1635. In 1667, FORT ROYAL, later rechristened Fort de France, was founded; located on a well-protected natural harbour, it became the new seat of administration, not only of Martinique, but of France's colony of the Lesser Antilles (established a ROYAL COLONY in 1674). Governors were sent to the individual islands. A representative assembly was introduced for Martinique in 1788.
British attempts to occupy Martinique in 1666, 1667 and 1693 as well as a Dutch attempt in 1674 were fended off. In 1762 the British occupied Martinique, only to turn it back to France in 1763.
Economically, Martinique is among the most important of the Lesser Antilles. In the 17th and 18th century, it's sugar and coffee plantations were highly profitable. Sugar cane had been introduced in 1654 by Jews fleeing from Brazil when the Portuguese retook it from the Dutch. In 1660, cocoa was introduced as a plantation crop.
It was the French who introduced coffee as a plantation crop into the Americas. The population of Martinique rose from 15,400 in 1664, 20,000 in 1696, to 79,300 in 1751 and 96,100 in 1789, of the latter 16 % being whites, 84 % slaves. In 1685 the CODE NOIR was enacted, regulating slavery in the French colonies.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		History of Martinique, from Island Connoisseur
Fort-de-France, from Island Connoisseur
Timetable of the French West Indies in the 17th Century by Sylvie Roussel Gaucherand, in French
Martinique, from Secretariat d'Etat a l'Outre-Mer, in French
Histoire de la Martinique, by Eddy Thesee, in French
Compagnie des Indes Orientales, from Musee de la Compagnie des Indes
Biography of Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc, from Net Marine
DOCUMENTS Flag from Martinique and St. Lucia, from FOTW
Le Code Noir (1685), from A.C.E.M.E., in French, a collection of laws and statutes regarding slavery
REFERENCE Jan Rogozinski, A Brief History of the Caribbean (1992) London : Penguin 1994



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on November 6th 2004

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