The French, under the auspices of the French West Indian Company, chartered by Cardinal Richelieu in 1635, successfully settle Martinique and Guadeloupe, laying the base for later expansion to St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, Grenada, St. Lucia, and western Hispaniola, which will be formally ceded by Spain in 1697 in the Treaty of Ryswick (signed between France and the alliance of Spain, the Netherlands, and England and ending the War of the Grand Alliance).

The French colonial settlers in Martinique are peasants who had been attracted by propaganda promising fortune and a life under the sun.

The "volunteers" are indentured servants who have to work for their master for three years, after which they are promised their own land.

However, the tiring work and hot climate results in few of the workers surviving their three years, with the result that constant immigration is necessary for maintaining the workforce.

Still, under the directorship of Jacques Dyel du Parquet, Martinique's economy has developed as it exported products to France and the neighboring British and Dutch colonies.

The Sovereign council had been established in 1645 with several powers, among them the right to grant titles of nobility to families in the islands.

Cardinal Mazarin, a principal in the Company of the Isles of America, had little interest in colonial affairs and the company languished in the late 1640s.

It dissolves itself in 1651, selling its exploitation rights to various parties.

The du Parquet family buys the rights to Martinique, Grenada, and Saint Lucia for sixty thousand livres.

In the previous year, Father Jacques du Tetre had built a still for converting the waste from the sugarcane mills into molasses, which is to become a major export industry.

Du Parquet in 1654 allows two hundred and fifty Dutch Jews, who are fleeing Brazil following the Portuguese conquest, to settle Martinique, where they engage in the sugar trade.

This is by far the most sought after product in Europe and the crop soon become Martinique's biggest export.

After the death of du Parquet, his widow rules on behalf of his children until 1658, when Louis XIV resumes sovereignty over the island, paying an indemnity of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds to the du Parquet children.

At this time, Martinique's population numbers some five thousand settlers and a few surviving Carib Indians.

The island of Grenada had been formed about two million years ago as an underwater volcano.

Before the arrival of Europeans, the island had been inhabited by Carib Indians who had driven the more peaceful Arawaks from the island.

Columbus had sighted Grenada in 1498 during his third voyage to the new world.

He named the island "Concepcion."

The origin of the name "Grenada" is obscure, but it is likely that Spanish sailors renamed the island for the city of Granada.

The name "Grenada," or "la Grenade" in French, will be in common use by the beginning of the eighteenth century.

Partly because of the Caribs, Grenada remained uncolonized for more than one hundred years after its discovery; early English efforts to settle the island had been unsuccessful.

A French company, originally founded by Cardinal Richelieu, purchases Grenada from the English in 1650 and establishes a small settlement.

After several skirmishes with the Caribs, the French bring in reinforcements from Martinique and defeat the Caribs, the last of whom leaps into the sea rather than surrender.

European plantations require laws to regulate the plantation system and the many slaves imported to work on the plantations.

This legal control is the most oppressive for slaves inhabiting colonies where they outnumber their European masters and where rebellion is persistent, such as Jamaica.

During the early colonial period, rebellious slaves are harshly punished, with sentences including death by torture; less serious crimes such as assault, theft, or persistent escape attempts are commonly punished with mutilations, such as the cutting off of a hand or a foot.

Slaves can only be freed with the consent of their master under British rule,  and therefore freedom for slaves is rare.

British colonies are able to establish laws through their own legislatures, and the assent of the local island governor and the Crown.

British law considers slaves to be property, and thus does not recognize marriage for slaves, family rights, education for slaves, or the right to religious practices such as holidays.

British law denies all rights to freed slaves, with the exception of the right to a jury trial.

Otherwise, freed slaves have no right to own property, vote or hold office, or even enter some trades.

The development of agriculture in the Caribbean requires a large workforce of manual laborers, which the Europeans have found by taking advantage of the slave trade in Africa.

The Atlantic slave trade brings African slaves to British, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Spanish colonies in the Americas, including the Caribbean.

Slaves are brought to the Caribbean from the early sixteenth century until the end of the nineteenth century.

The majority of slaves are brought to the Caribbean colonies between 1701 and 1810.

Abolitionists in the Americas and in Europe become vocal opponents of the slave trade throughout the nineteenth century.

The importation of slaves to the colonies is often outlawed years before the end of the institution of slavery itself.

It is well into the nineteenth century before many slaves in the Caribbean will be legally free.

The trade in slaves is abolished in the British Empire through the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807.

Men, women and children who are already enslaved in the British Empire will remain slaves, however, until Britain passes the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833.

When the Slavery Abolition Act comes into force in 1834, roughly seven hundred thousand slaves in the British West Indies will immediately become free; other enslaved workers will be freed several years later after a period of forced apprenticeship.

Slavery is abolished in the Dutch Empire in 1814.

Spain abolishes slavery in its empire in 1811, with the exceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Santo Domingo; Spain ends the slave trade to these colonies in 1817, after being paid ₤400,000 by Britain.

Slavery itself will not be abolished in Cuba until 1886.

France will abolish slavery in its colonies in 1848.

The exploitation of the Caribbean landscape dates to the Spanish conquistadors starting in the 1490s, who had forced indigenous peoples held by Spanish settlers in encomienda to mine for gold.

The more significant development came when Christopher Columbus wrote back to Spain that the islands were made for sugar development.

The history of Caribbean agricultural dependency is closely linked with European colonialism. which alters the financial potential of the region by introducing a plantation system.

Much like the Spanish exploited indigenous labor to mine gold, the seventeenth century had brought a new series of oppressors in the form of the Dutch, the English, and the French.

By the middle of the eighteenth century sugar is Britain's largest import, which makes the Caribbean colonies that much more important.

Sugar, a luxury in Europe prior to the eighteenth century, becomes widely popular in the eighteenth century, then graduates to becoming a necessity in the nineteenth century

This evolution of taste and demand for sugar as an essential food ingredient unleashes major economic and social changes.

Caribbean islands with plentiful sunshine, abundant rainfalls and no extended frosts are well suited for sugarcane agriculture and sugar factories.

The French Empire regulates slaves under the Code Noir (Black Code), which is in force throughout the empire from 1685, but which is based upon French practices in the Caribbean colonies.

French law recognized slave marriages, but only with the consent of the master.

French law, like Spanish law, gives legal recognition to marriages between European men and black or Creole women.

French and Spanish laws are also significantly more lenient than British law in recognizing manumission, or the ability of a slave to purchase their freedom and become a "freeman".

Under French law, free slaves gain full rights to citizenship.

The French also extend limited legal rights to slaves, for example the right to own property, and the right to enter contracts.

Eastern West Indies (1744–1755 CE): Colonial Warfare and Shifts in Territorial Control

War of the Austrian Succession in the Caribbean

Between 1744 and 1755, the War of the Austrian Succession extended European conflicts into Caribbean colonial territories, intensifying military confrontations and strategic maneuvering. British forces from Saint Kitts invaded the French-controlled half of neighboring Saint Martin in 1744, occupying it until the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748.

French Invasion of Anguilla

In retaliation, a French fleet led by Commodore La Touché, consisting of two royal frigates, three privateers, and two Dutch support vessels, departed Martinique in late May 1745 to capture Anguilla. The British defenders, comprising around 150 militia and regular soldiers under Governor Arthur Hodge, fortified their position despite being outnumbered.

On May 21, the French forces, numbering 759 men, landed unexpectedly at Rendezvous Bay, achieving initial surprise. However, Governor Hodge strategically positioned British defenders along a narrow path, resulting in a highly effective ambush. British forces, led by Captain Richardson, inflicted heavy casualties, quickly breaking French ranks. The subsequent British counterattack turned the French retreat into a rout, forcing the attackers back to their ships amid chaos, heavy losses, and drownings.

The French fleet withdrew to Martinique following the battle, leaving behind at least 100 French casualties, including notable officers such as Commodore La Touché's second captain, the first lieutenant of another frigate, Captain Rolough of a privateer, and the son of the Governor of Saint Barthélemy. La Touché himself was wounded and later negotiated unsuccessfully for prisoner exchanges. The British, suffering only seven casualties, captured two French colors, firearms, grenades, and swivel guns, rewarding the enslaved Africans who aided in their defense efforts.

Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and Colonial Adjustments

The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) provided minimal clarity regarding territorial claims in the Caribbean, leaving many disputes unresolved. However, the treaty established neutrality for Tobago, Grenada, Saint Vincent, and Dominica, allowing economic access without garrisons. Significantly, France gained definitive control of Saint Luciaas a colony.

Danish Administrative Changes

The Danish presence in the Caribbean, through the Danish West India and Guinea Company, continued its economic prosperity based primarily on the North Atlantic triangular trade. In 1754, administrative control of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas transitioned directly to the Danish crown under King Frederick V, making them royal Danish colonies and marking the end of the Danish West India Company's governance.

Conclusion

The period from 1744 to 1755 in the Eastern West Indies was marked by intense colonial warfare and territorial readjustments. Battles like the decisive British victory on Anguilla demonstrated the volatility of colonial control, while diplomatic outcomes such as the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle reshaped political boundaries and colonial policies. Simultaneously, the Danish shift to direct royal governance underscored the evolving complexities and geopolitical significance of the Caribbean colonies.