Guadeloupe: The Chaotic Beginnings of French Colonization in 1635

French colonization of Guadeloupe began in 1635 under conditions far more precarious than the expedition’s promoters had hoped. The mountainous island, covered in tropical forests, was neither empty nor unknown: the Kalinago had lived there for centuries and travelled between the islands of the Lesser Antilles in their canoes.

The French who landed in June 1635 intended to settle permanently. Yet food shortages, disease and difficulties adapting to the climate quickly weakened the colony. As the newcomers depended on supplies provided by Indigenous populations, relations deteriorated and opened a long period of war of conquest.

Guadeloupe before the French settlement

When Europeans arrived, Guadeloupe was inhabited by the Kalinago, who settled on the island between the 11th and 13th centuries according to the estimates reported. They had succeeded other Indigenous populations. Their society was based in particular on agriculture, fishing, hunting and gathering. Cassava cultivation held a central place.

Experienced navigators, the Kalinago maintained a network of exchanges between the different islands of the Lesser Antilles. Europeans referred to them as “Caribs,” a term said to have meant “soldier” in their language. This designation was later extended to the entire Caribbean region.

Before European names were introduced, the island was called Karukera, a name commonly translated as “the island of beautiful waters.” This long-standing presence is a reminder that colonial conquest was carried out in a territory that was already populated, organized and cultivated.

Christopher Columbus and the first European contact

Christopher Columbus reached Guadeloupe on November 4, 1493, during his second voyage. His expedition, much larger than that of 1492, included between 1,200 and 1,500 men aboard 17 ships. It carried soldiers, religious figures, seeds, animals and provisions: the aim was now to establish colonial settlements, mainly on Hispaniola.

The day before, Columbus had arrived in Dominica, named because the island had been sighted on a Sunday. He then named Guadeloupe Santa Maria de Guadalupe, after the monastery of Guadalupe in Extremadura.

Members of the expedition observed that the island was inhabited. They found abandoned Kalinago villages, as well as dwellings and maintained gardens. The writings of physician Diego Álvarez Chanca bear witness to this discovery, although they require a cautious reading. Europeans notably interpreted bones found in dwellings as proof of Kalinago cannibalism. However, no scientific or archaeological evidence mentioned makes it possible to confirm this accusation, which was later used to justify attacks against these populations.

Despite this first arrival, Spain did not establish a permanent colony in Guadeloupe. For more than a century, the Kalinago resisted European attempts to settle in the Lesser Antilles.

French ambitions in the Caribbean

At the beginning of the 17th century, the Caribbean became an arena of competition between European powers. The English, French, Dutch and Spanish sought to strengthen their influence in the region. The islands interested these states because of their position on trade routes, their arable land and the expected profits from tropical production.

France then sought to expand its maritime and commercial power. Companies received authority from the monarchy to lead overseas expansion. Colonization served territorial, economic, religious and strategic aims: controlling spaces, developing trade, spreading Catholicism and competing with rival powers.

French settlers had already been established on Saint Christopher, now Saint Kitts, since 1625 under Pierre Belain d’Esnambuc. The island became a departure point for new expeditions. The Company of Saint Christopher, facing financial difficulties, was replaced in 1635 by the Company of the American Islands. It was notably granted the right to take possession of islands not colonized by a Christian European power, without regard for the Indigenous populations already occupying them.

The 1635 expedition and the landing at Pointe Allègre

Charles Liénard de l’Olive and Jean du Plessis d’Ossonville, both already familiar with the Caribbean, put forward a plan to colonize Guadeloupe. The Company of the American Islands financed the venture and also authorized them to colonize Dominica and Martinique. The two men were appointed partners and future governors.

On May 25, 1635, around 500 men left Dieppe. They included settlers, indentured workers bound by contract for several years, and four Dominican missionaries. Raymond Breton was among them. He would later compile a Carib-French dictionary and develop sustained relations with the Kalinago.

After stopping in Martinique on June 25, the expedition continued its journey. Surveys had highlighted the importance of the terrain and the presence of venomous snakes there, leading the settlers to favor Guadeloupe. They arrived on June 28, 1635, at Pointe Allègre, north of Basse-Terre.

The first days were devoted to unloading the ships, building a chapel, celebrating a mass and constructing fortifications. Initial contact with the Kalinago involved, among other things, exchanging food and seeking information about the territory. The Indigenous inhabitants did not appear immediately hostile, probably because they did not believe the French intended to remain.

Famine, disease and dependence on the Kalinago

The colonial project soon collided with a harsh reality. The provisions that had been planned were insufficient, and the recently planted crops could not feed the colony in the short term. The French therefore depended on food brought by the Kalinago.

The climate, to which the new arrivals were poorly accustomed, weakened the troops. Disease spread and famine worsened. Jean-Baptiste du Tertre reported that some survivors ended up eating herbs, as well as dogs, cats and rats. A significant proportion of the settlers died during this period.

This dependence fuelled tensions between the two governors. Jean du Plessis favored a diplomatic approach, supported by Raymond Breton. Charles Liénard de l’Olive, meanwhile, was more inclined to use force to seize food, property and land. Jean du Plessis’s death from illness on December 4, 1635, left L’Olive alone at the head of the colony.

From fragile coexistence to a war of conquest

At the beginning of 1636, the situation at Pointe Allègre had become too fragile. The colony was moved south, to the area of the future Basse-Terre, where water and gardens already cultivated by the Kalinago could be found. But this decision was also part of a policy of escalation.

As food became scarcer and the Kalinago understood that the French would not leave, L’Olive decided to attack them. He justified this course of action by claiming that the colony was under threat. Raymond Breton tried unsuccessfully to dissuade him.

Clashes continued for several years. The Kalinago knew their environment perfectly and used their canoes to travel between the islands. The French, however, had firearms and received reinforcements from Saint Christopher. Gradually, the Kalinago lost control of their Guadeloupean territory and retreated, notably to Dominica.

This history forms part of a broader colonial dynamic, marked by the appropriation of land and the establishment of systems of exploitation. To explore these mechanisms on an Atlantic scale, read how colonial expansion, expropriation and slavery contributed to the emergence of capitalism.

The 1660 treaty and the rise of plantations

In 1660, the French and English met in Basse-Terre with around fifteen Kalinago chiefs to conclude a peace treaty. Religious figures provided interpretation. The Kalinago recognized the islands already colonized as belonging to the settlers, while Dominica and Saint Vincent were recognized as Kalinago territories.

This agreement was reached within an unfavorable balance of power for Indigenous populations, whose numbers had been severely affected. For Guadeloupe, it consolidated the French presence.

The colony subsequently underwent changes of government. Charles Liénard de l’Olive became blind, then an interim governor was appointed before Charles Houël arrived. Under his command, sugar cane plantations expanded, and deported Africans were brought in to work on them. Almost all of the indentured workers who had arrived in 1635 had disappeared, and new arrivals were not enough to meet the needs of an economy based on a demanding crop.

The history of the French beginnings in Guadeloupe thus sheds light on the links between territorial conquest, famine, violence against Indigenous peoples and the development of a plantation economy. It also helps explain certain economic and social legacies that continue to be debated in the Caribbean, particularly in discussions about dependence on imports and the high cost of living. On this subject, see the economic legacies behind the high cost of living in the French Caribbean and French Guiana.

FAQ on the colonization of Guadeloupe

Who lived in Guadeloupe before French colonization?

The Kalinago lived on the island before the arrival of the French. Navigators, farmers, fishers and hunters, they maintained exchanges with the other islands of the Lesser Antilles.

When did the French settle permanently in Guadeloupe?

A French expedition reached Guadeloupe on June 28, 1635, at Pointe Allègre. Its members intended to establish a permanent colony there.

Why did the first French settlers experience such a severe crisis?

Provisions were insufficient, crops were not yet producing and disease spread. The colony had to depend on food provided by the Kalinago in order to survive.