Slavery in France facts for kids

Slavery in France and its colonies is a big topic. It covers many different times and places. Slavery means when one person owns another person and forces them to work without pay. This article will tell you about how slavery happened in France and its empire, and how it was eventually stopped.

Early Slavery in France

Around the year 486, a king named Clovis I won a battle in northern France. In those early times, known as the Merovingian dynasty, some queens in France had actually been slaves before they became queens.

Historians have found records of five queens who were once slaves. Their names were Ingund, Fredegund, Bilichild, Nanthild, and Balthild. Slavery continued in France even after the Merovingian period, during the Carolingian Empire.

First Time Slavery Was Ended in France

In 1198, a group called the Trinitarians was started. Their main goal was to free Christian people who had been captured during wars, especially during the Crusades.

King Louis IX supported them. He even took Trinitarians with him on his own crusades.

In 1315, King Louis X made an important rule. He said that any slave who stepped onto French land would become free. He declared that "France signifies freedom." This rule helped many people.

However, some limited forms of slavery still happened in certain French ports until the 1600s. It also continued in some French lands overseas until the 1700s. Most parts of serfdom (a system where people were tied to the land and had to work for a lord) also ended around 1315 to 1318. King Philip V officially ended serfdom in his own lands in 1318.

Slavery in French Colonies Overseas

The French colonial empire was a group of lands that France controlled outside of Europe. They used slavery in these colonies. From the mid-1500s, enslaved people were brought from Africa to the Caribbean by European traders. This also happened in places like New France (parts of North America) and French colonies in Africa.

The French West India Company was a company that grew tobacco in French colonies. This company had a special right to trade slaves from Senegal in Africa. This slave trade continued for many years. The company traded slaves with different groups in Africa, like the Hausa Kingdoms.

By 1778, the French were bringing about 13,000 African people to the French West Indies as slaves each year. Even though slavery had been happening in French colonies for a long time, the French government didn't officially make it a law until 1794.

Slavery in New France

Slavery was also practiced in New France, which was a French colony in North America. By 1750, most enslaved people in New France were Native Americans. Later, by 1834, most enslaved people were Black individuals.

The Slave Trade and Nantes

The city of Nantes in France played a very big part in the slave trade. It was a major port for ships carrying enslaved people across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Code Noir

In 1685, King Louis XIV created a set of rules called the Code Noir. This name means "Black Code." This code explained the rules for slavery in the French colonial empire. It controlled how enslaved people were treated and what their owners could do.

Second Time Slavery Was Ended in France

A group called the Society of the Friends of the Blacks was started in Paris in 1788. They worked to end slavery and were active during the French Revolution. Jacques Pierre Brissot led this group. He often got advice from Thomas Clarkson, a British person who also worked to end slavery.

On February 4, 1794, slavery was officially ended for the second time. This happened in all French lands and colonies. It was during the National Convention, which was the first elected government of the French First Republic. Maximilien Robespierre was a leader at this time.

The new law said that "Slavery was abolished" in French colonies. It also said that slave owners would get money to make up for the value of their slaves. The French constitution made in 1795 also stated that slavery was abolished.

Slavery Returns to France in 1802

Sadly, Napoleon brought slavery back in 1802. He passed a law called the Law of 20 May 1802. This law allowed slavery again in colonies that grew sugarcane. Slavery lasted for another 13 years under this law, ending in 1815.

Slavery Finally Ends in France

In 1815, Napoleon officially ended the slave trade. Also in 1815, a meeting of European leaders called the Congress of Vienna said they were against the slave trade. By 1818, the slave trade was completely banned in France.

In 1845, new laws called the Mackau Laws were passed. These laws helped prepare the way for slavery to be completely ended in France.

Finally, on April 27, 1848, a special announcement was made. It was called the Proclamation of the Abolition of Slavery in the French Colonies, 27 April 1848. This officially ended slavery in all French colonies. A place called Gabon was even started as a settlement for people who had been freed from slavery.

Modern Day Efforts Against Slavery

Even though slavery has been against the law for a long time, some bad groups still practice human trafficking. This is a modern form of slavery where people are forced to work or do things against their will.

Because of this, on July 25, 2013, France made modern-day slavery a serious crime. People who are found guilty of it can go to jail for up to 30 years.

See also

• Slavery in the British and French Caribbean
• Slavery in the United States
• Slavery in Haiti
• Affranchi
• Race in France
• Slavery museum (France)