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Réunion has a similar history to Mauritius. The island was a small uninhabited Indian Ocean island.
The island is of volcanic origins and is dominated by an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise. It is today known for the volcano, its rugged volcanic landscape, coral reefs, and beaches. It is located in the western Indian Ocean, about 420 miles east of Madagascar and 110 miles southwest of Mauritius, on the southern fringe of the tropics (Tropic of Capricorn).. Given the distance from land, it was not settled until modern times. Réunion, was visited, but not settled by a series of seafarers (Malay, Arab, but apparently not Indian mariners). Finally European mariners beginning with the Portuguese arrived(16th century) The small archipelago, consists of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion. Portuguese navigator Pedro de Mascarenhas christened the islands the Mascarenes (1512). The French began the settlement a century later.(1642). The French exiled twelve convicts there. La Compagnie des Indes Orientales (the French East India Company) sent the the St-Louis. The King of France officially claimed the island and named it ile Bourbon. The French settlement created a population of white French landowners and African and Malagasy (Madagascar) slaves (late-17th century). The population was very small and only a few slaves were imported. The French did not show a great interest in Reunion. Thus there was no great rush to populate and develop the island. Few wanted to invest capital or time in such a small, isolated enterprise. The initial French presence was so tenuous that pirates began using Ile Bourbon as a base for their operations and trade there (about 1685). Colonization began at about this time with the first 20 settlers. The French East India Company for decades was content to produce provisions only for its own needs and those of any passing ships. This changed when coffee was introduced (1715). Coffee quickly became the island's principal cash crop which fundamentally changed the economy. The French enslaved more Africans to carry out the intensive labor required for growing and harvesting coffee. The French also introduced other cash crops (cereal grains, spices, sugar,and cotton). Gradually sugar emerged as the major cash crop. And this meant more slaves were needed. The French enslaved more Africans to conduct sugar operations. AS in other French colonies like Haiti, conditions for slaves on the sugar plantations were horrendous. There is some indication that the conditions on Réunion was not quite as bad as on Haiti (Saint Domingue)--the most important sugar colony. Huge fortunes were made on sugar in the Caribbean. Most of the slaves on Réunion were imported from Portuguese Mozambique and French Madagascar. Réunion is a very small island. Many of the white settlers arrived too late to obtain land concessions. They were thus excluded from the plantation system. They retreated to the highlands where a poor white population ( Petits blancs ) developed. Revolution swept France (1789). The new French Government with the Revolution, renamed the island, La Reunion (1792). Finally after acrimonious debate, the National Assembly abolished slavery (1794). France wavered on the question of slavery because of the lost profit from slavery and Napoleon reintroduced slavery (1802). Napoleon was primarily thinking about Haiti. The British seized control of the island during the Napoleonic Wars. And the British began to end the Indian Ocean slave trade and the French rather reluctantly abolished slavery (1848). The freed Africans no longer wanted to work on the plantations. The labor force needed by the sugar planters led to the recruitment of indentured laborers in India, particularly Tamils. Most of the Tamils stayed at the end of their 5-year contracts and continued to work for the white landowners. At the turn of the 20th century, planters imported some Chinese and Muslim Gujaratis lead to the modern island's diverse population.
Réunion has a similar history to nearby Mauritius. The island was a small uninhabited Indian Ocean island.
The island is of volcanic origins and is dominated by an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise. It is today known for the volcano, its rugged volcanic landscape, coral reefs, and beaches. It is located in the western Indian Ocean, about 420 miles east of Madagascar and 110 miles southwest of Mauritius, on the southern fringe of the tropics (Tropic of Capricorn). The small archipelago, consists of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion.
Given Reunion's distance from land, it was not settled until modern times. Réunion, was visited, but not settled by a series of seafarers (Malay, Arab, but apparently not Indian mariners). Finally European mariners beginning with the Portuguese arrived(16th century) Portuguese navigator Pedro de Mascarenhas christened the islands the Mascarenes (1512).
The French began the settlement a century later.(1642). The French exiled twelve convicts there. La Compagnie des Indes Orientales (the French East India Company) sent the the St-Louis. The King of France officially claimed the island and named it ile Bourbon. The French settlement created a population of white French landowners and African and Malagasy (Madagascar) slaves (late-17th century). The population was very small and only a few slaves were imported. The French did not show a great interest in Reunion. Thus there was no great rush to populate and develop the island. Few wanted to invest capital or time in such a small, isolated enterprise. The initial French presence was so tenuous that pirates began using Ile Bourbon as a base for their operations and trade there (about 1685). Colonization began at about this time with the first 20 settlers. The French East India Company for decades was content to produce provisions only for its own needs and those of any passing ships.
Real development began wh introduction of cash crops. The first cah crop was coffee which was introduced (1715). Coffee quickly became the island's principal cash crop which fundamentally changed the economy. This mean more enslaved workers were needed. Reunion became part of wder Indian Ocean slave trade. The French enslaved more Africans to carry out the intensive labor required for growing and harvesting coffee. The French also introduced other cash crops (cereal grains, spices, sugar, and cotton). Gradually sugar emerged as the major cash crop. And this meanteven more slaves were needed. The French enslaved more Africans to conduct sugar operations.
As in other French colonies like Haiti, conditions for slaves on the sugar plantations were horrendous. There is some indication that the conditions on Réunion was not quite as bad as on Haiti (Saint Domingue)--the most important sugar colony. Huge fortunes were made on sugar in the Caribbean.
Reunion slaves had a range of origins. Sone of the first slaves were from Eyropean shipsmovinf from the Atlantic to India and further East. These were slo moving sail vessels that were depdent on ports along the way for suppliessome stopped in Reunion for supplies and the transactins included a few slaves. Some were Africans acquited while sailng south along the Atlantic coast of Africa. By thus time the Atlanyc slave rade was well estabished. Oher were Asan, mistly indins (often Tamils) acuired while sailing west back to Europe. These were some of the first slaves on he ilands. More were acquied from India. Pondicherry in southern Tamil India was a major source. As the British-French campaign for Inda heated up, this source began to bdry, up, especially after the British East Asia Compny largely defeated the French. The numbers, however, were still largely limited. It vwas wih the growth of cash crop agriculture that reall large nnbrs of slaves were needed. Interestig, hese first camme from West Africa where the Frech were already active in the slave trade, plcves like Gorée in Senegal. The French had well establshed outposts in West Africa. While the Eat Africa coast was much closer. It was dominaed by the Arabs. Eventually the trade with Portuguese Mozambque abd French Madagascar opened up. Eventually these two colonies became the source for most Reinion slaves. There were a cler preference for the Aficans as opposed to the Malgassy cptives. The Afrcans wre seen as more docile and harder working. 【Desport】
Many of the white settlers arrived too late to obtain land concessions. They were thus excluded from the plantation system. They retreated to the highlands where a poor white population ( Petits blancs ) developed.
The legal basis for slavery in the French West Indies was the Code Noir, actually a series of royal edicts. The code has been described as "one of the most extensive official documents on race, slavery, and freedom ever drawn up in Europe". [Stoval] The Frnch Code Noir regulated the behavior of slaves and the perogatives of the slave owners throughout the French Empire. It was the French slave code. King Louis XIV issued the central royal decree (1685). The Code Noir not only defined the conditions of slavery, but also governed the activities of free slaves. In addition to slavery the Code Noir also forbade the exercise of any religion other than Roman Catholicism in he colonies. And all Jews were ordered out of the colonies. While to our modern olitically correct sensativities the Code Noir may sound offensive, the results were actually of some nenefit to French slaves. As aesult of the Code Noir a substantially higher percentage of Frmch slaves transitioned to free people of color than in the English colonies. Noy only were literacy rates much higher, but so was the number of former slaves owning business and properties as well as slaves of heir own. We do ot have data comparing the various islands, but availavle data comparing Louisiana to states like Mississippi without a French heritage are striking.
Revolution swept France (1789). The new French Government with the Revolution, renamed the island, La Reunion (1792). Finally after acrimonious debate, the National Assembly abolished slavery (1794). France wavered on the question of slavery because of the lost profit from slavery and Napoleon reintroduced slavery (1802). Napoleon was primarily thinking about Haiti. The British seized control of the island during the Napoleonic Wars.
The British ended the slave trade during the Napoleonic War (1807). Britain began using the Royal Navy to end the African slave trade. This began in the Atalnyic and was finally extended to the Indian Ocean.
The French rather reluctantly abolished slavery (1848).
The freed Africans no longer wanted to work on the plantations. The labor force needed by the sugar planters led to the recruitment of indentured laborers in India, particularly Tamils. Most of the Tamils stayed at the end of their 5-year contracts and continued to work for the white landowners. At the turn of the 20th century, planters imported some Chinese and Muslim Gujaratis lead to the modern island's diverse population.
One report suggests tht the population of Rwunion was 70 percent slaves (early-19th century) At the toime of emancipaion thee were , up to 70% 62,000 slaves freed (1848). The population changed with the arrival of indentured Asian workers. A Census reported that out of a total population of 169,500, some 63,000 were indentured asians, mostly Indians (1881). This showsed that the program beining Asian workers to Reuion had a major impact on the island's ethnic balance.
Dasport, Jean-Marie. The origin of the slaves on Bourbon island, (Société de plantation, histoire & mémoiresvde l'esclavage á La Réunion: Undated).
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