Joseph de Villèle and the question of Reunion independence (1799-1801)

Résumé 0

The residence of Joseph de Villèle (1773-1854) in the Mascarene Islands (1791-1807) has received little attention from historians of the Restoration despite the central role this experience played in the political development of the ultraroyalist head of government (1821-1828). Arriving as a naval cadet on the Île de France (Mauritius), Villèle left the service in December 1793. By his marriage and his political convictions, he became part of the colonial elite of Reunion, which led to his election in 1799 as deputy to the colonial assembly. Since 1796, the Mascarene Islands had resisted the abolition of slavery, even though they remained part of the Republic. Between 1799 and 1801, however, the royalists of Reunion divided over a project for independence, this amid the uncertainty at the outset of the Consulate, economic crisis, British pressure, and American interference. Villèle, himself, opposed such independence, a solution presented as only temporary while awaiting a monarchical restoration that would ensure the permanence of the colonial slave order. This article, based on unpublished sources, explores how this crisis marked the advent of Villèle as a political figure in a shift towards authoritarian rule controlled by a family oligarchy.