Looking for Black Sailors in the Eighteenth-Century French Navy

This article explores the presence of black sailors in the French maritime world during the second part of the eighteenth century. It is apparent that both French and British navies at this time of war seem to have had opposite policies with regard to the employment of black sailors as almost none can be found on French warships whereas several examples may be found in the British Royal Navy . This article further explores whether the military navy was the rule or the exception in the French maritime world, seeking black sailors – either slaves or freemen – in the maritime activities of the French West Indies, and the islands of Guadeloupe in particular. Finally, the third part of the article examines the use of black sailors in the French merchant navy in not only the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, but also the Indian Ocean.