History of Martinique
Some historical periods, facts & dates to know
Pre-Columbian Martinique, since over 2000 BC
The island has been inhabited for over 2000 BC. The Arawaks - "pre-ceramic" populations - are present 100 years before our era, before being driven out by the Carib Indians.
These two peoples are from the basin of the Orinoco (current Venezuela). Martinique knows different names: Madinina, "the island of flowers" or Jouanacaera, "the island of iguanas".
Colonization
from 1502 to 1946
Christopher Columbus landed on the island on June 15, 1502, Saint Martin's Day.
The French in turn took possession of it in 1635. The cohabitation between French and Caribbean settlers alternated periods of agreements and bloody periods.
The Caribs left the island at the end of the 1600s. The colonists then developed the culture of indigo, coffee and sugar cane there by resorting to slavery and the slave trade.
Martinique was conquered in 1794 by the English and then recovered by France following the Treaty of Amiens. Slavery was maintained there by Napoleon. This will be abolished on May 27, 1848, after a slave revolt.
About 23,000 West Indians and Guyanese left Fort-de-France to fight in Europe during the 1914-1918 War.
Martinique claimed in 1938, by a unanimous resolution, its assimilation into a French department.
May 8, 1902 in Martinique, Mount Pelee exploded
At 7:50 a.m. on May 8, 1902, the summit of Mount Pelée, the volcano of Martinique, exploded. A fiery cloud of gas and ash is propelled horizontally at a speed of about 150 meters per second. A thick black cloud reached the city of Saint-Pierre in less than 2 minutes, causing the death of 28,000 people...
There are only two survivors:
> Louis Cyparis, known as Sanson, sentenced to 8 days in prison after an escape, owes his life to his jail.
> Léon Compère, shoemaker, lodges in a house protected by a fold in Le Morne. Sheltered under a table, he miraculously survived.
The centenary of the drama was commemorated in 2002, with the famous ship "Le Bélem" at anchor in the port of Saint-Pierre. This had escaped destruction in 1902, because it was refused by the port authorities for lack of space.
since March 19, 1946,
until todays
Martinique is a French overseas department, since the law of March 19, 1946, adopted after important debates in Parliament.
General de Gaulle presents decrees strengthening the powers of consultation of the general councils of the Overseas Departments in May 1960. Their powers are increased in the legislative and regulatory domain, as well as in financial matters.
In 1982, Martinique was established as a mono-departmental region.
In 2010, Martiniquaises and Martiniquais adopted the referendum creating a single community. The Territorial Collectivity of Martinique takes the place of the General Council and the Regional Council.
