Charles Houël du Petit Pré (1616—22 April 1682) was a French governor of

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands— Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and ...

from 1643 to 1664. He was also knight and lord. He became, by a royal proclamation dated August 1645, the first of the island judicial officer. He is named Marquis de Guadeloupe by Louis XIV. On 4 September 1649, Charles Houël, who partnered with his brother in law John Boisseret Herblay, bought the bankrupt Compagnie Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante, La Désirade and Les Saintes for 60000 books pétun (tobacco) and was committed to deliver 600 pounds of sugar per year. In order to secure the site and solidify its grip on the population, he built Fort Saint-Charles () in 1650. Despite the 1640 peace treaty between Indians and France, clashes with the Caribbean continued. On 31 March 1660, Charles Houël signed a treaty with the Caribbean, who abandoned the majority of the island to the French and retreated to the island of Dominica. However, a small number of Indians took refuge north and east of

Grande-Terre Grande-Terre Island (french: île de Grande-Terre / île de la Grande-Terre; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Gwantè) is the name of the eastern-half of Guadeloupe proper, in the Lesser Antilles. It is separated from the other half of Guadeloupe ...

(pointes de la Grande-Vigie et des Châteaux,

Anse-Bertrand Anse-Bertrand is a commune in Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France in the Lesser Antilles. The inhabitants in Anse-Bertrand are called Ansois. Geography Anse-Bertrand is located in northern Grande-Terre. The town is , north-n ...

). Charles Houël founded the town of

Basse-Terre Basse-Terre (, ; ; gcf, label=Guadeloupean Creole, Bastè, ) is a commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the ''prefecture'' (capital city) of Guadeloupe. The city of Basse-Terre is located o ...

in 1649. He gave his name to Houëlmont, one of the highest mounts in the Caribbean. Created by Colbert in August 1664, the

French West India Company The French West India Company (french: Compagnie française des Indes occidentales) was a French trading company founded on 28 May 1664, some three months before the foundation of the corresponding eastern company, by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and diss ...

has to the monopoly for exploitation of sugar islands and main task the acquisition of the island of Guadeloupe to Houël to re-establish the royal authority. Charles Houël was also Lord of Varennes, Lord of Petit-Pré, Knight and Baron Morainville.Research Center Chateau de Versailles : Charles de Houel (N°identification : INV.GRAV.LP 31.23.1) (in french)

Titles held

References

1616 births 1682 deaths French colonial governors of Guadeloupe French marquesses {{Guadeloupe-bio-stub