Editing Saint Lucia (section)

===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]]