Editing Réunion (section)

=== French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1793–1814) ===

On 19 March 1793, during the [[French Revolution]], the island's name was changed to "La Réunion" in homage to the meeting of the Federates of Marseille and the National Guards of Paris, during the march on the Tuileries Palace on 10 August 1792, and to erase the name of the Bourbon dynasty.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Histoire - Assemblée nationale |url=https://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/decouvrir-l-assemblee/histoire |access-date=7 July 2021 |website=www2.assemblee-nationale.fr |archive-date=2 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702083705/https://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/decouvrir-l-assemblee/histoire |url-status=live }}</ref>

The abolition of [[slavery]] voted by the [[National Convention]] on 4 February 1794, was rejected by authorities in Réunion, as well as in [[Isle de France (Mauritius)|Isle de France]]. A delegation accompanied by military forces, charged with imposing the liberation of slaves, arrived on the island of Bourbon on 18 June 1796, only to be immediately expelled without mercy. There followed a period of unrest and challenges to the power of the [[metropolis]], which no longer had any authority over the two islands. The First Consul of the Republic, [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], maintained slavery there, which was never abolished in practice, with the law of 20 May 1802. On 26 September 1806, the island was renamed Isle Bonaparte and found itself on the front line of the Anglo-French conflict for the control of the Indian Ocean.

Following climatic catastrophes of 1806–1807 (cyclones, floods), coffee cultivation declined rapidly and was replaced by [[sugar cane]], whose demand in France increased, due to France's recent loss of [[Saint-Domingue]], and soon of the Isle de France. Because of its growth cycle, sugarcane is not affected by cyclones.

During the [[Napoleonic Wars]], the island was invaded by British forces and its governor, General Sainte-Suzanne, was forced to capitulate on 9 July 1810. The island then came under [[British Empire|British rule]] and was under British occupation until the end of the Napoleonic period. The old name of Isle Bourbon was restored in 1810.