Editing History of Mauritius (section)

==French rule (1715–1810)==
{{main article|Isle de France (Mauritius)}}
[[File:Bonne - Isle de France (Detail).jpg|right|thumb|250px|French map from 1791 depicting Mauritius (then called "Isle de France").]]

Abandoned by the Dutch, the island became a French colony when, in September 1715, [[Guillaume Dufresne d'Arsel]] landed and took possession of this [[Port of call (nautical term)|port of call]] on the route to India. He named the island "Isle de France". Six years later, in 1721, the French started their occupation. However, it was only from 1735, with the arrival of the French governor, [[Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais|Mahé de La Bourdonnais]], that "Isle de France" started developing effectively. Mahé de La Bourdonnais planted spices such as pepper, cinnamon and cloves at "[[Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden|Jardin Pamplemousses]]".
Mahé de La Bourdonnais established [[Port Louis]] as a naval base and a shipbuilding centre. Under his governorship, numerous buildings were built, a number of which still stand today: part of Government House, the ''[[Château de Mon Plaisir]]'' at [[Pamplemousses District|Pamplemousses]] and the Line Barracks. In early 1729 Indians from [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]] arrived in Mauritius aboard the vessel ''La Sirène''. Work contracts for these craftsmen were signed in 1734 at the time when they acquired their freedom.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tamouls, les racines de l'histoire |url=https://www.lexpress.mu/article/tamouls-les-racines-de-lhistoire |publisher=L'Express |access-date=2004-02-05}}</ref>{{clarify|date=December 2022}} The island was under the administration of the [[French Indies Company|French East India Company]] which maintained its presence until 1767. In 1796 the French settlers broke away from French control when the government in Paris attempted to abolish slavery, and the local colonists expelled government envoys [[René-Gaston Baco de la Chapelle|Baco]] and [[Étienne-Laurent-Pierre Burnel|Burnel]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Attempt to abolish slavery foiled in Ile de France |date=16 January 2015 |url=http://www.mauritiustimes.com/mt/mt-60-years-ago/ |publisher=Mauritius Times |access-date=2015-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mauritius profile – Timeline |work=BBC News |date=22 June 2011 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13882731 |access-date=2019-02-25}}</ref> During the French rule slaves were brought from parts of Africa such as [[Mozambique]], [[Madagascar]] and [[Zanzibar]]. As a result, the island's population rose dramatically from 15,000 to 49,000 within 30 years. During the late 18th century African slaves accounted for around 80 percent of the island's population, and by the early 19th century there were 60,000 slaves on the island.<ref>{{cite web |title=The slave trade on Mauritius |url=https://www.roughguides.com/destinations/africa/mauritius/west-coast/le-morne-peninsula/slave-trade-mauritius/#:~:text=The%20first%20slaves%20arrived%20in,tobacco%20and%20sugar%20cane%20plantations.&text=Mauritius%20was%20the%20last%20place,slavery%2C%20on%201%20February%201835. |publisher=Rough Guides |access-date=2020-09-13 |archive-date=2020-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929045501/https://www.roughguides.com/destinations/africa/mauritius/west-coast/le-morne-peninsula/slave-trade-mauritius/#:~:text=The%20first%20slaves%20arrived%20in,tobacco%20and%20sugar%20cane%20plantations.&text=Mauritius%20was%20the%20last%20place,slavery%2C%20on%201%20February%201835. |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1806, the Governor General, [[Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen]], created the city of [[Mahébourg]], named in honour of Mahé de La Bourdonnais. It was originally known as Bourg Mahé. From that year until 1810, the island was in charge of officials appointed by the French government, except for a brief period during the [[French Revolution]], when the inhabitants set up a government virtually independent of France.

{{further|Invasion of Isle de France}}
During the [[Napoleonic wars]], the "Isle de France" became a base from which French [[Privateer|corsairs]] organised successful raids on British commercial ships. The raids continued until 1810 when a strong British expedition was sent to capture the island. A preliminary attack was foiled [[Battle of Grand Port|at Grand Port]] in August 1810, but the main attack launched in December of the same year from [[Rodrigues (island)|Rodrigues]], which had been captured during the same year, was successful. Rodrigues had previously been visited only for fresh water and food by the British in 1809. In late November 1810 the British landed in large numbers in the north of the island near [[Cap Malheureux]] and rapidly overpowered the French, who capitulated on 3 December 1810.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Toussaint |first1=Auguste |last2=Barnwell |first2=Patrick Joseph |title=A Short History of Mauritius |date=1949 |page=122 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dXQMAQAAIAAJ}}</ref> By the Treaty of Paris in 1814, the "Isle de France", which was renamed "Mauritius" was ceded to Great Britain, together with Rodrigues and the [[Seychelles]]. In the act of capitulation, the British guaranteed that they would respect the languages, the customs, the laws and the traditions of the inhabitants.