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Christopher Columbus was the first European to see Guadeloupe, landing in November 1493 and giving it its current name. [4] Several attempts at colonisation by the Spanish in the 16th century failed due to attacks from the native peoples. [4]
- Overview
- History of Guadeloupe
- French rule
- Political and economic changes since 1950
Visited in November 1493 by Christopher Columbus, the two main islands—then together known as Karukera (“Island of Beautiful Waters”)—were peopled by Caribs, who had displaced the original Arawak inhabitants. Columbus consecrated the territory to Our Lady of Guadalupe of Extremadura in Spain, from whom it takes its name.
Visited in November 1493 by Christopher Columbus, the two main islands—then together known as Karukera (“Island of Beautiful Waters”)—were peopled by Caribs, who had displaced the original Arawak inhabitants. Columbus consecrated the territory to Our Lady of Guadalupe of Extremadura in Spain, from whom it takes its name.
The Caribs repulsed Spanish troops and settlers in 1515, 1520, and 1523. In 1626 the Spanish, who had established themselves on the coast, were driven away by Pierre Bélain, sieur d’Esnambuc, a Frenchman who established a trading company. In 1635 two other Frenchmen, Léonard de L’Olive and Jean Duplessis d’Ossonville, landed and established a colony. Until 1640 the colonists fought against the Carib Indians, but thereafter the colony grew. In 1644 the slave trade first brought workers for the sugar, coffee, and other plantations that the colonists established, and slavery became institutionalized. In 1674 Guadeloupe passed from the hands of chartered companies, which had been ruined in successive attempts to colonize the islands, to the authority of the French crown. It became a dependency of Martinique, which it remained until 1775. Guadeloupe benefited from the influence of Jean-Baptiste Labat, a strong leader who was the effective founder of the Basse-Terre colony and who in 1703 armed the island’s African slaves to fight against the English; he also established the first sugar refineries, thereby laying the foundation for the economic prosperity that followed.
In 1759 Guadeloupe was occupied by the British for four years but was restored to France in 1763. In 1794 it was again occupied by British troops, allied with French royalists, but the French revolutionary official Victor Hugues recaptured it, abolished slavery, and had several hundred white planters massacred. When Napoleon I’s government reestablished slavery in the French colonies in 1802, a slave revolt occurred. It culminated as antislavery forces blew themselves up rather than surrender when threatened at Matouba by French forces under the command of Gen. Antoine Richepanse. The British occupied Guadeloupe in 1810; however, after some changes in status, it was restored to France in 1816.
The final abolition of slavery in 1848 was the most significant 19th-century development in the territory. Universal suffrage was abolished during the reign of Napoleon III of France, but in 1870 colonial representation in the French Parliament was restored. In 1940 Guadeloupe gave its allegiance to the Vichy government of Nazi-occupied France during World War II (1939–45), but in 1943 it adhered to Gen. Charles de Gaulle’s Free French forces. In 1946 it was given the status of a French département, and in 1974 it became a région of France.
Britannica Quiz
Several independence movements emerged on Guadeloupe after the war, but the charismatic appeals of de Gaulle, who visited the island in 1956, 1960, and 1964, managed to sidestep the separatists and convince the majority to stay within the French union. More local control was granted the island, but as progress on autonomy talks slowed to a standsti...
6 days ago · On February 22, 2007, Saint-Martin (the northern half of the island of St. Martin) and Saint-Barthélemy formally separated from Guadeloupe to become overseas collectivities of France. Guadeloupe is simultaneously administered as an overseas region (région d’outre-mer). Show More.
Who Were the First Inhabitants of Guadeloupe? The first inhabitants of Guadeloupe on record were the native Arawaks or the Taino people, and the Caribs or the Kalinago, who called the island “Karukera” meaning “Island of Beautiful Waters”.
Jul 18, 2023 · 700 BC - First inhabited by the Amerindian Arawak people, who are displaced by Carib Indians in 1000AD. 1493 - Visited by explorer Christopher Columbus but the Carib Indian inhabitants resist...
The Arawak Indians were the original inhabitants of the island. It is assumed that these first inhabitants arrived on Guadeloupe about 1800 years ago. However, the island was conquered by the Carib Indians about 1000 years ago.
May 17, 2023 · The island of Guadeloupe was first inhabited by indigenous Taino (Arawaks) and Kalinago (Carib) groups who called it 'Karukera' or the 'Island of Beautiful Waters'. It was renamed 'Santa María de Guadalupe de Extremadura' by Christopher Columbus who landed there on 14 November 1493.
