Martinique History/Politics

  Martinique History/Politics

Martinique is an overseas Territorial collectivity of France. It has the same political status as homeland regions in France. The island was initially occupied by Arawak and Carib natives. It is believed that the first Arawaks arrived in Martinique from South America in 130 AD. When Mt Pelee erupted in 295 AD, it resulted in the devastation of the island's population. While the Arawaks did return and repopulate the island around 400 AD,  the Caribs arrived in 600 AD and they annihilated the Arawak population. The Caribs settled on the island for a couple of centuries after this.

During his fourth voyage in 1502, Martinique was discovered by Christopher Columbus. The indigenous Indians referred to the island as “the island of flowers”. In 1625, “Campagnie des lles d’Amerique” was hired with Messrs L’Olive and Duplessis to gain control and govern the islands belonging to the French crown. On September 1st, 1635, eighty to one hundred French settlers from Saint Cristophe arrived on Martinique. They clashed with the natives but were able to defeat them quickly due to their superior armor and weaponry. These people settled in future St. Pierre near the Roxelane River. When Fort Saint Pierre was created, Jean Dupont was the first governor.

In 1636, King Louis the 13th notarized an official order to allow slave labor in the French Antilles. Subsequently, an event of colonization took place leading to clashes between the French and Martinique natives. The Martinique natives were all wiped out by 1660. The British acquired the island during the Seven Year War and controlled it from 1762 to 1763 and then gained control again during the Revolutionary War. In 1794, the British flooded the island with troops with the aid of Louis-Francios Dubuc, a local planter. After occupying the island, they subsequently controlled the island from that point on until 1814. One of the most famous battles of this period was the battle of Rocher du Diamant, where an English outpost was built on a small island off the coast of Martinique. The island that the English outpost was built on to fight for control of the island is pictured below.

After the Napoleonic wars, the island was given back to the French in 1845. During this period, the use of slaves on the island continued which led to an increased number of slaves in Martinique. This resulted in multiple slave uprisings with the most famous being the ones in 1816 and 1848. The French minister of foreign territories, Victor Schoelcher, abolished slavery in the French Antilles in 1848. The freed slaves made up a large percentage of the population and led to the blend of African and French culture that Martinique has today. Martinique was given the status of a French territory in 1946 and it has been recognized as a French region since 1982.

Sources:

Cornevin, Robert. “Martinique Overseas Department of France.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2019, www.britannica.com/place/Martinique.

Guide, World Travel. “Discover the Rich History, Language and Culture of Martinique.” World Travel Guide, Columbus Travel Media Ltd, 26 May 2019, www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/caribbean/martinique/history-language-culture/.

Rawal, Sucheta. “History Lessons at a Slave Village in Martinique.” Cuisine Noir Magazine, 4 Sept. 2018, www.cuisinenoirmag.com/slave-village-in-martinique/.