Editing Abolitionism (section)

===Early abolition in metropolitan France===
[[Balthild of Chelles]], herself a former slave, [[queen consort]] of Neustria and Burgundy by marriage to [[Clovis II]], became [[regent]] in 657 since the king, her son [[Chlothar III]], was only five years old. At some unknown date during her rule, she abolished the trade of slaves, although not slavery. Moreover, her (and contemporaneous [[Saint Eligius]]') favorite charity was to buy and free slaves, especially children. Slavery started to dwindle and would be superseded by [[serfdom]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/eligius.asp |title=The Life of St. Eligius |translator=Jo Ann McNamara |series=Medieval Sourcebook |publisher=Fordham University |access-date=December 2, 2011}}</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/forgetfuloft_schu_1998_000_5601595 <!-- quote=Forgetfuloftheirsex:femalesanctityandsociety.--> Schulenburg, Jane. ''Forgetful of their Sex: Female Sanctity and Society, ca. 500–1100'', Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998]</ref>

In 1315, [[Louis X of France|Louis X]], king of France, published a decree proclaiming that "France signifies [[freedom]]" and that any slave setting foot on French soil should be freed. This prompted subsequent governments to circumscribe slavery in the [[French colonial Empire|overseas colonies]].<ref>Christopher L. Miller, [https://books.google.com/books?id=480BBURkreYC&pg=PA122 ''The French Atlantic Triangle: literature and culture of the slave trade''], Duke University Press, p. 20.</ref>

Some cases of African slaves freed by setting foot on French soil were recorded such as the example of a [[Normandy|Norman]] slave merchant who tried to sell slaves in [[Bordeaux]] in 1571. He was arrested and his slaves were freed according to a declaration of the [[Parlement]] of [[Guyenne]] which stated that slavery was intolerable in France, although it is a misconception that there were 'no slaves in France'; thousands of African slaves were present in France during the 18th century.<ref>Malick W. Ghachem, [https://books.google.com/books?id=btNeAEelkNMC&pg=PA54 ''The Old Regime and the Haitian Revolution''], Cambridge University Press, p. 54.</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Chatman|first=Samuel L.|doi=10.2307/2649071|title='There Are No Slaves in France': A Re-Examination of Slave Laws in Eighteenth Century France|journal=The Journal of Negro History|volume=85|number=3|year=2000|pages=144–153|jstor=2649071|s2cid=141017958}}</ref> Born into slavery in [[Saint Domingue]], [[Thomas-Alexandre Dumas]] became free when his father brought him to France in 1776.