The
island had for a long time remained unknown and uninhabited. It
was probably visited by Arab sailors during the Middle Ages, and
on maps of about 1500, it is shown by an Arabic name `Dina Arobi'.
The Portuguese sailor Domingo Fernandez Pereira was probably the
first European to land on the island at around 1511. The island
appears with a Portuguese name `Cirne' on early Portuguese maps,
probably because of the presence of the Dodo, a flightless bird
which was found in great numbers at that time.
It
was another Portuguese sailor, Don Pedro Mascarenhas, who gave
the name Mascarenes to the group of islands now known as Mauritius,
Rodrigues and Reunion. The Portuguese did not stay long as they
were not interested in these islands.
The
Dutch period (1598-1710)
In
1598, a Dutch squadron, under the orders of Admiral Wybrand Van
Warwyck, landed at Grand Port and named the island "Mauritius",
in honour of Prince Maurice Van Nassau, "Stathouder" of Holland.
However,
it was not until 1638 that there was a first attempt of Dutch
settlement. It was from here that the famous Dutch navigator Tasman
set out to discover the western part of Australia. The first Dutch
settlement lasted only twenty years. Several attempts were subsequently
made, but the settlements never developed enough to produce dividends
and the Dutch finally left Mauritius in 1710. They are remembered
for the introduction of sugar-cane, domestic animals and deer.
The
French period (1715-1810)
Abandoned by the Dutch, the island became
a French colony when, in September 1715, Guillaume Dufresne D'Arsel
landed and took possession of this precious port of call on the
route to India. He named the island "Isle de France", but it was
only in 1721 that the French started their occupation. However,
it was only as from 1735, with the arrival of the most illustrious
of French governor, Mahé de La Bourdonnais, that the "Isle de
France" started developing effectively.
Mahé de La
Bourdonnais established Port Louis as a naval base and a ship-building
centre. Under his governorship, numerous buildings were built,
a number of which are still standing today - part of Government
House, the Chateau de Mon Plaisir at Pamplemousses, the Line Barracks.
The island was under the administration of the French East India
Company which maintained its presence until 1767.
From that year until 1810, the island
was in charge of officials appointed by the French Government,
except for a brief period during the French Revolution, when the
inhabitants set up a government virtually independent of France.
During the Napoleonic wars, the "Isle
de France" had become a base from which French corsairs organised
successful raids on British commercial ships. The raids continued
until 1810 when a strong British expedition was sent to capture
the island. A preliminary attack was foiled at Grand Port in August
1810, but the main attack launched in December of the same year
from Rodrigues, which had been captured a year earlier, was successful.
The British landed in large numbers in the north of the island
and rapidly overpowered the French, who capitulated. By the Treaty
of Paris in 1814, the "Isle de France" which regained its former
name `Mauritius' was ceded definitely to Great Britain, together
with its dependencies which included Rodrigues and the Seychelles.
In the act of capitulation, the British guaranteed that they would
respect the language, the customs, the laws and the traditions
of the inhabitants.
The British period (1810-1968)
The
British administration, which began with Robert Farquhar as governor,
was followed by rapid social and economic changes. One of the
most important events was the abolition of slavery in 1835. The
planters received a compensation of two million pounds sterling
for the loss of their slaves which had been imported from Africa
and Madagascar during the French occupation.
The
abolition of slavery had important repercussions on the socio-economic
and demographic fields. The planters turned to India, from where
they brought a large number of indentured labourers to work in
the sugar cane fields.
The
Indian immigrants, who were of both Hindu and Muslim faith, were
to change rapidly the fabric of the society. They were later joined
by a small number of Chinese traders.
Cultivation
of sugar cane was given a boost and the island flourished, especially
with the export of sugar to England. Economic progress necessitated
the extension and improvement of means of communication and gradually
an adequate infrastructure was created.
Constitutional
development
On
the constitutional plane, the Council of Government which was
first established in 1825, was enlarged in 1886 to make room for
elected representatives. The new council included 10 members elected
on a restricted franchise. It was not until 1933 that the Constitution
was again amended in a significant respect. The proportion of
nominated members of the Council not holding public office was
raised to two-thirds. However, franchise was still restricted
to persons within a certain income bracket and to proprietors.
A major breakthrough occurred in 1948, when after years of protracted
negotiations for a more liberal constitution, franchise was extended
to all adults who could pass a simple literacy test.
The
Council of Government was replaced by a Legislative Council composed
of 19 elected members, 12 members nominated by the Governor and
three ex-officio members. General elections were held in August
1948 and the first Legislative Council met on 1st September 1948.
Following
constitutional conferences held in London in1955 and 1957, the
ministerial system was introduced and general elections were held
on 9th March 1959. Voting took place for the first time on the
basis of universal adult suffrage and the number of electors rose
to 208,684. In 1961, a Constitutional Review Conference was held
in London and a programme of further constitutional advance was
established. It was followed in 1965 by the last constitutional
conference which -paved the way for Mauritius to achieve independence.
After general elections in 1967, Mauritius adopted a new constitution
and independence was proclaimed on 12 March 1968. Mauritius achieved
the status of Republic 24 years later on 12 March 1992.
Mauritius
History
