Editing Saint Lucia (section)

==History==
{{main|History of Saint Lucia}}

===Pre-Columbian ===
The first proven inhabitants of Saint Lucia were the [[Taino people|Arawak]]s, though there may have been other native peoples prior to them. The Arawaks are believed to have come from northern South America, sometime around AD 200–400, as there are numerous [[Archaeology|archaeological]] sites on the island where specimens of their pottery have been found.<ref name=AllAbout>{{Cite web|url=https://allaboutstlucia.com/|title=All About St. Lucia|website=All About St. Lucia|access-date=30 November 2020|archive-date=28 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928041850/https://allaboutstlucia.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECONNAISSANCE AT SAINT LUCIA, WEST INDIES |url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/89/2018/07/stlucia2004.pdf}}</ref>

The [[Kalinago]] (Island Caribs) arrived around AD 800, and seized control from the Arawaks by killing their men and assimilating the women into their own society.<ref name=AllAbout/><ref>{{Cite web |title=History & Culture of Saint Lucia {{!}} Let Her Inspire You |url=https://www.stlucia.org/en/discover-saint-lucia/history-culture/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=Saint Lucia Tourism Authority |language=en-US}}</ref> 

===Early European exploration and colonization ===
It is possible that [[Christopher Columbus]] may have sighted the island during his fourth voyage in 1502, but he does not mention the island in his log.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-21 |title=Why St Lucia CIP is Top Class and Super Interesting – Best Citizenships |url=https://best-citizenships.com/2021/06/21/why-saint-lucia-citizenship-is-top-class-and-super-interesting/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Juan de la Cosa]] noted the island on his map of 1500, calling it ''El Falcon'', and another island to the south ''Las Agujas''. A Spanish [[Real cédula|cédula]] from 1511 mentions the island within the Spanish domain, and a globe in the Vatican made in 1520, shows the island as Sancta Lucia.<ref name="auto"/>

In the late 1550s, the French [[pirate]] [[François le Clerc]] (known as ''Jambe de Bois'', due to his wooden leg) set up a camp on [[Pigeon Island (Saint Lucia)|Pigeon Island]], from where he attacked passing Spanish ships. In 1605, an English vessel called the ''Oliphe Blossome'' was blown off-course on its way to [[Guyana]], and the 67 colonists started a settlement on Saint Lucia, after initially being welcomed by the Carib chief Anthonie. By 26 September 1605, only 19 survived following continued attacks by the Carib chief Augraumart, so the settlers fled the island.{{sfn|Harmsen|Ellis|Devaux|2014|pp=16–21}} The English tried to settle the island again in 1638, but the Caribs continued to be hostile. Eventually, the French successfully claimed the island in 1650 and they signed a treaty with the Caribs in 1660.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Saint Lucia – History {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Lucia/History |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=12 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712072122/https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Lucia/History |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1664, Thomas Warner (son of [[Thomas Warner (explorer)|Sir Thomas Warner]], the governor of [[St Kitts]]) claimed Saint Lucia for England but the English fled again in 1666, with the French gaining full control of the island after the signing of the [[Treaty of Breda (1667)|Treaty of Breda]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Niddrie, David Lawrence, Momsen, Janet D., Tolson, Richard. "history of Saint Lucia". Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Dec. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Saint-Lucia. Accessed 10 May 2025</ref> Saint Lucia was made an official French crown colony in 1674, as a dependency of [[Martinique]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Lucia – History {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Lucia/History |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=12 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712072122/https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Lucia/History |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1" />

===18th and 19th centuries===
{{Main|French West Indies|British West Indies|British Windward Islands}}

After the slave-based sugar industry developed, both the British and the French found the island attractive. During the 18th century, the island changed ownership, or was declared neutral territory, a dozen times, although the French settlements remained and the island was a de facto French colony well into the eighteenth century.

In 1722, [[George I of Great Britain]] granted both Saint Lucia and [[Saint Vincent (island)|Saint Vincent]] to the [[John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu|2nd Duke of Montagu]]. Montague appointed [[Nathaniel Uring]], a merchant sea captain and adventurer, as deputy-governor. Uring went to the islands with a group of seven ships, and established settlement at Petit Carenage. Unable to get enough support from British warships, he and the new colonists were quickly run off by the French.<ref>{{DNB|wstitle=Montagu, John (1688?-1749)|first=Henry Manners |last=Chichester|volume=38}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=A relation of the late intended settlement of the islands of St. Lucia and St. Vincent, in America; in right of the Duke of Montagu, and orders, in the year 1722 {{!}} Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/02014209/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=www.loc.gov}}</ref>

During the [[Seven Years' War]], Britain occupied Saint Lucia for a year, but handed the island back to the French in 1763, under the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Edu |first1=World History |title=Treaty of Paris (1763) – Key Provisions, Outcomes & Significance |url=https://www.worldhistoryedu.com/treaty-of-paris-in-1763-key-provisions-outcomes-and-significance/ |website=World History Edu |access-date=9 February 2023 |date=15 October 2019 |archive-date=9 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209231341/https://www.worldhistoryedu.com/treaty-of-paris-in-1763-key-provisions-outcomes-and-significance/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Like the English and Dutch on other islands, in 1765, the French began to develop the land for the cultivation of sugar cane as a commodity crop on large plantations. The British [[Battle of St. Lucia|occupied the island]] again in 1778.

From 1782 to 1803, control of the island switched multiple times. In January 1791, during the [[French Revolution]], the [[National Assembly (French Revolution)|National Assembly]] sent four ''commissaires'' to St Lucia to spread the revolutionary philosophy. By August 1791, slaves began to abandon their estates and Governor [[Jean-Joseph Sourbader de Gimat]] fled. In December 1792, Lt. [[Jean-Baptiste Raymond de Lacrosse]] arrived with revolutionary pamphlets, and the impoverished whites and free people of colour began to arm themselves as ''patriots''. On 1 February 1793, France declared war on England and Holland, and General [[Nicolas Xavier de Ricard]] took over as Governor. The [[National Convention]] abolished enslavement on 4 February 1794. On 1 April 1794, St. Lucia was captured by a British expeditionary force led by Vice Admiral [[John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent|John Jervis]]. [[Morne Fortune]] was renamed ''Fort Charlotte''. Soon, a combined force of [[French Revolutionary Army]] soldiers and [[maroons]], ''L'Armee Française dans les Bois'', began to fight back, starting the First Brigand War.{{sfn|Harmsen|Ellis|Devaux|2014|pp=60–65}}

A short time later, the British invaded the island as a part of the war with France that had recently broken out. On 21 February 1795, French forces under the nominal control of [[Victor Hugues]], defeated a battalion of British troops at Vieux Fort and Rabot. In 1796, [[Castries]] was burned as part of the conflict. Leading the [[27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot|27th (Inniskilling) Regiment]], [[John Moore (British Army officer)|General John Moore]] retook Fort Charlotte in 1796, after two days of bitter fighting. As an honour, the Fusiliers' regimental colour was displayed on the flagstaff of the captured fortress at [[Morne Fortune]] for an hour before being replaced by the [[Union Jack]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Trimble|first=Copeland|title=Historical record of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment from the period of its institution as a volunteer corps till the present time|publisher=William Clowes|year=1876|url=https://archive.org/details/historicalrecor02goog|page=[https://archive.org/details/historicalrecor02goog/page/n83 49]}}</ref> Upon the capture of the fort, Moore's superior, [[Ralph Abercromby]], departed the island and placed Moore in charge of the British garrison. Moore remained at this post until falling ill with [[yellow fever]], leading to his return to Britain before 1798.

In 1803, the British regained control of the island. Many members of the ''L'Armee Française dans les Bois'' escaped into the thick rainforest where they evaded capture and established [[Maroons|maroon communities]].<ref>''They Called Us the Brigands. The Saga of St. Lucia's Freedom Fighters'' by Robert J Devaux</ref>

Slavery on the island continued for a short time, but anti-slavery sentiment was rising in Britain. The British stopped the import of slaves by anyone, white or coloured, when they [[Slave Trade Act 1807|abolished the slave trade]] in 1807.<ref>{{cite web |title=Parliament and the British Slave Trade |url=https://www.parliament.uk/slavetrade/ |website=UK Parliament |access-date=6 February 2023 |archive-date=6 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206211259/https://www.parliament.uk/slavetrade/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

France and Great Britain continued to contest Saint Lucia until the British secured it in 1814, as part of the [[Treaty of Paris (1814)|Treaty of Paris]], ending the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref>{{cite web |title=St Lucia country profile |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19833213 |website=BBC News |date=18 October 2012 |access-date=6 February 2023 |archive-date=6 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206211256/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19833213 |url-status=live }}</ref> Thereafter, Saint Lucia was considered one of the [[British Windward Islands]] colonies.

The institution of slavery was abolished on the island in 1834, as it was [[Slavery Abolition Act 1833|throughout the British Empire]]. After abolition, all former slaves had to serve a four-year "apprenticeship", to accustom them to the idea of freedom. During that period, they worked for their former masters for at least three-quarters of the work week. Full freedom was duly granted by the British in 1838.<ref>{{Cite web |title=6 facts you should know about Emancipation in the Caribbean |url=https://www.loopnews.com/content/6-facts-you-should-know-about-emancipation-in-the-caribbean/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=Loop News |language=en-US}}</ref> By that time, people of African ethnicity greatly outnumbered those of ethnic European background. People of Carib descent also comprised a minority on the island.

[[File:Flag of Saint Lucia (1939–1967).svg|thumb|[[Flag of Saint Lucia]] 1939–1967]]

===20th century===
Saint Lucia's first representative government was introduced in 1924, with the first election taking place in 1925.<ref>{{cite web |title=Electoral History – Saint Lucia |url=http://www.electoral.gov.lc/about-elections/levels-of-government/electoral-history |access-date=10 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605232442/http://www.electoral.gov.lc/about-elections/levels-of-government/electoral-history |archive-date=5 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-13 |title=Electoral History |url=https://www.sluelectoral.com/about-elections/levels-of-government/electoral-history/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=Saint Lucia Electoral Department |language=en-US}}</ref> Many Saint Lucians served during the [[Second World War]], and the conflict visited the island directly during the [[Battle of the Caribbean]], when a German [[U-boat]] attacked and sank two British ships in [[Castries]] harbour on 9 March 1942.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Digital |first1=V. P. |title=Remembering What to Never Forget |url=https://thevoiceslu.com/2014/11/remembering-what-to-never-forget/ |access-date=13 February 2023 |work=St. Lucia News From The Voice |agency=The Voice SLU |publisher=The Voice SLU |date=17 November 2014 |archive-date=13 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213203327/https://thevoiceslu.com/2014/11/remembering-what-to-never-forget/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The United States used the island as a military hub during the war, including setting up a [[NAF St. Lucia|secondary naval base]] in [[Gros Islet]] and using what is now the [[Hewanorra International Airport|island's international airport]] as an [[United States Air Force|air force]] base.

Universal suffrage was introduced in 1951 and elections [[1951 Saint Lucian general election|were held]] the same year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Lucia observes Universal Adult Suffrage |url=https://www.govt.lc/news/saint-lucia-observes-universal-adult-suffrage |website=Saint Lucia – Government Web Portal |access-date=12 February 2023 |archive-date=12 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212133357/https://www.govt.lc/news/saint-lucia-observes-universal-adult-suffrage |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1958, Saint Lucia joined the [[West Indies Federation]], although the federation was dissolved just a few years later in 1962.<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Lucia – Countries – Office of the Historian |url=https://history.state.gov/countries/saint-lucia |website=history.state.gov |access-date=12 February 2023 |archive-date=13 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213071903/https://history.state.gov/countries/saint-lucia |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1967, Saint Lucia became one of the six members of the [[West Indies Associated States]], with internal self-government.<ref>{{cite web |title=Country Summary |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/saint-lucia/summaries |website=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=12 February 2023 |language=en |archive-date=12 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212133356/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/saint-lucia/summaries |url-status=live }}</ref> Independence was peacefully gained in 1979 under [[Sir John Compton]] of [[United Workers Party (Saint Lucia)|United Workers Party]], with the island remaining within the [[British Commonwealth]], keeping then-Queen [[Elizabeth II]] as [[Monarchy of Saint Lucia|Monarch]], represented locally by a [[Governor-General of Saint Lucia|Governor-General]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Lucia – Independence {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Lucia/Independence |website=www.britannica.com |access-date=12 February 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

===Post-independence era===
Despite leading the country to independence, Compton's initial term as prime minister lasted only a few months, being defeated by the [[Saint Lucia Labour Party]] (SLP) under [[Allan Louisy]] in the [[1979 Saint Lucian general election]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Lucia General Election Results 1979 |url=http://caribbeanelections.com/lc/elections/lc_results_1979.asp |website=caribbeanelections.com |access-date=5 February 2023 |archive-date=24 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524181906/http://www.caribbeanelections.com/lc/elections/lc_results_1979.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1980, [[Hurricane Allen]] struck the island, destroying much of its infrastructure and reducing economic growth. Compton returned to power after the [[1982 Saint Lucian general election]] after much instability during the labour government's term.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/17/world/around-the-world-st-lucia-premier-quits-over-a-series-of-strikes.html|title=St. Lucia Premier Quits Over a Series of Strikes|date=17 January 1982|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=22 February 2010|archive-date=16 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816122856/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/17/world/around-the-world-st-lucia-premier-quits-over-a-series-of-strikes.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During Compton's second term as the island's leader, banana exports significantly increased and became the nation's main source of revenue. There were improvements to infrastructure, and education was expanded to rural areas. Saint Lucia was key to the [[US invasion of Grenada]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 September 2007 |title=Sir John Compton |url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/sep/09/guardianobituaries.obituaries1 |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> During the 1990s and 2000s, the nation's economy began shifting from agriculture to tourism under the leadership of [[Kenny Anthony]]. The [[9/11 attacks]] in the United States in 2001 killed two Saint Lucians, and caused an economic slowdown, although moderate growth continued until the [[Great Recession]]. The recession, as well as the landfall of [[Hurricane Tomas]] in 2010, led to slow economic growth during the early 2010s, although the economy picked up during the later part of the decade and avoided contraction until 2020, after the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] caused [[COVID-19 recession|major economic issues]] globally.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

In June 2016, the [[United Workers Party (Saint Lucia)|United Workers Party]] (UWP), led by [[Allen Chastanet|Allen Michael Chastanet]], won 11 of the 17 seats in the [[2016 Saint Lucian general election|general election]], ousting the [[St Lucia Labour Party]] (SLP) of the incumbent Prime Minister [[Kenny Anthony]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Allen Chastanet sworn in as new Saint Lucia Prime Minister |url=https://caricom.org/allen-chastanet-sworn-in-as-new-saint-lucia-prime-minister/ |work=CARICOM |date=7 June 2016 |access-date=18 April 2023 |archive-date=19 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519030847/https://caricom.org/allen-chastanet-sworn-in-as-new-saint-lucia-prime-minister/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, Saint Lucia Labour Party won the next [[2021 Saint Lucian general election|election]] in July 2021, meaning its leader [[Philip J. Pierre|Philip J Pierre]] became the ninth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia since independence.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pierre to be sworn in as Prime Minister {{!}} Loop St. Lucia |url=https://stlucia.loopnews.com/content/pierre-be-sworn-prime-minister |work=Loop News |language=en}}</ref>