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Introduction

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FRENCH COLONIAL EMPIRES

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Caribbean, Guyana

The French Antilles were grouped together depending on the period.

Guadeloupe and dependencies:

  • Liénard de L'Olive took possession in 1635
  • French Department from 1946.

Martinique:

  • Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc took possession in 1635.
  • French Department from 1946.

Santo Domingo and the Windward Islands:

  • First establishment: 1638
  • Start of true colonisation: 1659, but possession of the western part of the island would not be recognised as French until the Ryswick Treaty in 1697.
  • Independence in 1804.

Grenada:

  • French possession from 1674 to 1763 and 1779 to 1783.

St. Kitts:

  • French possession from 1625 to 1713.

St. Lucia:

  • Occupied in 1642.
  • Attributed to England in 1814.

Saint-Barthélémy (St. Barts):

  • Colonised by the French in 1648
  • Ceded to England in the Treaty of Paris in 1763.

Saint-Vincent:

  • Refuge for Caribbean Indians fleeing from Martinique. The French and English tried to colonise the island which was recognised as English in the Treaty of Paris in 1763.

La Desirade:

  • Colonisation after that of Guadeloupe.

Tobago:

  • Occupied by France in 1677
  • Finally attributed to England in 1815.

Guyana:

  • First attempts at establishment with La Revardière in 1604. Development started under Colbert.
  • In 1664, la Barre was appointed Lieutenant General for the King for all lands in South America from the Amazon river to the Orinoco.
  • French Department from 1946.

See also the departmental archives (AD):

  • AD de Guyane
    Place Léopold Héder
    97307 Cayenne Cedex
    Tel. : +33 (0)5.94.29.52.70; Fax: +33 (0)5.94.29.52.89 ;
    e-mail: archives@cg973.fr
    Website: www.cg973.fr
  • AD de Martinique
    19 avenue Saint-John-Perse
    B.P. 649
    97263 Fort-de-France Cedex
    Tel.: +33 (0)5.96.63.88.46; Fax: +33 (0)5.96.70.04.50 ;
    e-mail: archives@cg972.fr
    Website: www.cg972.fr
  • AD de Guadeloupe
    B.P. 74
    97102 Basse-Terre Cedex.
    Tel.: +33 (0)5.90.81.13.02; Fax: +33 (0)5.90.81.97.15 ;
    e-mail: archives@cg971.fr
    Website: www.cg971.fr/archives/
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Some figures


Main nationalities of readers

  • France: 1338
  • Algeria: 145
  • United States: 109
  • Canada: 27
  • Vietnam: 26
  • Others: 249



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