Mauritius History

It has been frequently hypothesized that Mauritius was first discovered by the Arabs, who named the island Dina Harobi. ~ Wiki

Arrival of Portuguese between 1507 and 1513

Dutch arrive in 1598, Island is named Mauritius after Prince Maurits Van Nassau, the stadtholder of Holland.

......and took away the precious Ebony Trees

and also The..

Dodo

Dutch Colonisation 1638–1710, Grew Sugar Cane & traded Slaves

French rule 1710–1810

French rule 1710–1810 name the island "Isle de France"

British Rule 1810–1968

Despite the only French naval victory (during the Napoleonic Wars) of Battle of Grand Port on 19 and 20 August 1810 by a fleet commanded by Pierre Bouvet, Mauritius was captured on 3 December 1810 by the British under Commodore Josias Rowley. Their possession of the island was confirmed four years later by the Treaty of Paris (1814). French institutions, including the Napoleonic code of law, were maintained. The French language was at that moment still used more widely than English.

Indentured labourers

When slavery was abolished in 1835, an attempt was made to secure a cheap source of adaptable labour for intensive sugar plantations in Mauritius. Indentured labour began with Chinese, Malay, African and Malagasy labourers, but ultimately, it was India which supplied the much needed laborers to Mauritius. This period of intensive use of Indian labour took place during British rule, with many brutal episodes and a long struggle by the indentured for respect. The term applied to the indentured during this period, and which has since become a derogatory term for Mauritians of Asian descent, was Coolie. ~Wiki

When slavery was abolished in 1835, an attempt was made to secure a cheap source of adaptable labour for intensive sugar plantations in Mauritius. Indentured labour began with Chinese, Malay, African and Malagasy labourers, but ultimately, it was India which supplied the much needed laborers to Mauritius. This period of intensive use of Indian labour took place during British rule, with many brutal episodes and a long struggle by the indentured for respect. The term applied to the indentured during this period, and which has since become a derogatory term for Mauritians of Asian descent, was Coolie. ~Wiki

Independence achieved 1968

To Be Continued......

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