HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bertrand-François Mahé, comte de La Bourdonnais (11 February 169910 November 1753) was a French naval officer and colonial administrator, in the service of the
French East India Company The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in t ...
.


Biography

La Bourdonnais entered the service of the
French East India Company The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in t ...
as a lieutenant. In 1724, he was promoted to captain, and displayed such bravery in the capture of Mahé on the Malabar Coast that the name of the town was added to his own; although an alternative account suggests that the town adopted his name, rather than the other way around. For two years he was in the service of the Portuguese Viceroy, but in 1735 he returned to French service as governor of the Isle de France (now
Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It inc ...
) and the Île de Bourbon (
Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island o ...
). His first five years' administration of the islands was vigorous and successful. He significantly increased the enslaved African population in
Isle de France (Mauritius) Isle de France () was the name of the Indian Ocean island which is known as Mauritius and its dependent territories between 1715 and 1810, when the area was under the French East India Company and a part of the French colonial empire. Under th ...
which grew from only 638 in 1735 by around 1,300 annually. Labourdonnais also brought 70 slaves for his own estate. In 1744 Labourdonnais assembled a squadron of 3,342 men, including 720 slaves, and led a military expedition from Isle de France to Madras in India. His victory increased the rivalry with Governor of Pondicherry,
Joseph François Dupleix Joseph Marquis Dupleix (23 January 1697 – 10 November 1763) was Governor-General of French India and rival of Robert Clive. Biography Dupleix was born in Landrecies, on January 23, 1697. His father, François Dupleix, a wealthy ''fermier g ...
. Soon Labourdonnais was accused of receiving money from the
British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
and in 1746 he was forced to return to France to face trial and was jailed at the
Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was sto ...
for 3 years. He was replaced by Pierre Félix Barthelemy David, the son of a director of the
French East India Company The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in t ...
.


Recognition and legacy

In 1742 his name was given to the main island ( Mahé Island) of the Seychelles archipelago by French explorer Lazare Picault. In 1806 the French General Decaen founded and named the historic port village of Mahébourg in homage to Mahé de La Bourdonnais. Close to the village of Mapou, in Rivière du Rempart District, there is an estate named Domaine de Labourdonnais with its manor house known as Le Château de Labourdonnais, built in 1856, and now converted into a museum. A statue of La Bourdonnais was erected at Place D'Armes in Port Louis on 30 August 1859 during a ceremony. In
Curepipe Curepipe () also known as ''La Ville-Lumière'' (The City of Light), is a town in Mauritius, located in the Plaines Wilhems District, the eastern part also lies in the Moka District. The town is administered by the Municipal Council of Curepipe ...
a school called ''
Lycée La Bourdonnais Lycée La Bourdonnais (LLB) is a French international school in Curepipe, Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocea ...
'' was founded in 1953, where the curriculum is modelled on practices in France. There is another statue of La Bourdonnais in the port of
Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Al ...
, France. In
Saint-Denis, Réunion Saint-Denis (, , unofficially Saint-Denis de La Réunion for disambiguation; ) is the prefecture (administrative capital) of the French overseas department and region of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. It is located at the island's northernmost ...
a statue of La Bourdonnais was also erected, and a suburb is named ''Cité Labourdonnais''. However the statue and suburb in Reunion island have been the target of anti-slavery protesters since 2020.


Family

In March and April 1738 two of Labourdonnais' children died and in May 1738 his wife also died on
Isle de France (Mauritius) Isle de France () was the name of the Indian Ocean island which is known as Mauritius and its dependent territories between 1715 and 1810, when the area was under the French East India Company and a part of the French colonial empire. Under th ...
. His daughter Montlezun Pardiac continued to live on
Isle de France (Mauritius) Isle de France () was the name of the Indian Ocean island which is known as Mauritius and its dependent territories between 1715 and 1810, when the area was under the French East India Company and a part of the French colonial empire. Under th ...
and received an annual pension of 3,000 Louis following a vote in the National Assembly in August 1798. His grandson was
Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais (1795 – December 1840) was a French chess master, possibly the strongest player in the early 19th century. Early life La Bourdonnais was born on the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean in 1795. He w ...
. In December 1827 a lead-lined coffin containing the remains of Labourdonnais' wife and child was discovered during repairs of a government building near the ''Jardin de la Compagnie''.


References


Further reading


Autobiography

*B.-F. Mahé de La Bourdonnais: ''Mémoires historiques de B.-F. Mahé de La Bourdonnais, gouverneur des îles de France et de la Réunion'', recueillis et publiés par son petit-fils... (Cte A.-C. Mahé de La Bourdonnais).   Paris, 1890 (with a second edition (Paris,1898))


Biography

*''Histoire, ou éloge historique de M. Mahé de La Bourdonnais''. . p.: n. d. *''Île Maurice: Mahé de La Bourdonnais: documents réunis par le comité du bi-centenaire de La Bourdonnais, 11 février 1899, avec des annotations par le comité des souvenirs historiques. (2 août 1899)''.   Port-Louis : E. Pezzani, 1899 *Étienne Buisson: ''Le mirage de l'Inde: la dramatique existence d'un grand Français au XVIIIe siècle : Bertrand Mahé de La Bourdonnais''.   Paris : Hachette, 1937. *Pierre Crépin: ''Mahé de La Bourdonnais, gouverneur général des îles de France et de Bourbon (1699–1753) ... ''.   Paris : Leroux, n. d. *Louis Ducrocq: ''Une ingratitude nationale: La Bourdonnais, gouverneur des îles de France et de Bourbon, 1735–1746''.   Arras : Sueur-Charruey, 1902 (Reprinted from the ''Revue de Lille'' of August 1902) *Philippe Haudrère: ''La Bourdonnais: marin et aventurier''.   Paris : Desjonquères, 1992   *E. Herpin: ''Mahé de La Bourdonnais et la Compagnie des Indes''.   Saint-Brieuc : R. Prud'homme, 1905 *Alfred de Longpérier-Grimoard: ''Notice historique sur La Bourdonnais''.   Paris, 1856 *Huguette Ly Tio Fane-Pineo: ''Île de France, 1715–1746''. Tome I. ''L'émergence de Port Louis'' .   Moka (Île Maurice) : Mahatma Gandhi Institute, 1993   *Michel Missoffe: ''Dupleix et La Bourdonnais: essai critique''.   Paris : Ligue maritime et coloniale, 1943 *Dureau Reydellet: ''Mahé de La Bourdonnais, gouverneur des Mascareignes''.   Saint-Denis: Éd. CNH, 1994  (Cahiers de notre histoire ; 45–46)   *Louis Roubaud: ''La Bourdonnais''.   Publication : Paris : Plon, 1932   (Les grandes figures coloniales ; 10) *Jackie Ryckebusch: ''Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais : entre les Indes et les Mascareignes''.   Sainte-Clotilde : Éd. du CRI, 1989  (Collection: Figures)   *Robert Surcouf: ''Souvenirs historiques sur Mahé de La Bourdonnais: le combat de La Hogue. Eloge de La Tour d'Auvergne. Portzmoguer (Primauguet)''.   Saint-Malo, 1886 * ''Le Guide de Pondichéry. L'unique guide français de Pondichéry.'' Editions Presse Bureau 2008/2009. Pondicherry. * ''Pondicherry Heritage Trail''. Published by INTACH, Pondicherry. December 2007.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahe, comte de La Bourdonnais, Bertrand-Francois French slave owners Governors of Réunion Governors of Isle de France (Mauritius) French Navy officers from Saint-Malo 1699 births 1753 deaths Prisoners of the Bastille