Charles Houël du Petit Pré (; 161622 April 1682) was a French governor of Guadeloupe from 1643 to 1664. He was also a knight and lord.Amerindians Africans Americans: Amerindios Africanos Americanos : Tres Ensayos Sobre la Historia Del Caribe, Association of Caribbean Historians. Conference
He became, by a royal proclamation dated August 1645, the island's first judicial officer. He was named Marquis de Guadeloupe by Louis XIV.Crime and Punishment around the World, Graeme R. Newman, p. 170
On 4 September 1649, Charles Houël, in partnership with his brother-in-law John Boisseret Herblay, bought the bankrupt Compagnie Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante, La Désirade and Les Saintes for 60,000 books of pétun (tobacco) and was committed to deliver 600 pounds of sugar per year.La Guadeloupe: renseignements sur l'histoire, la flore, la faune, la géologie, la minéralogie, l'agriculture, le commerce, l'industrie, la législation, l'administration, Volume 1, Partie 2, de Jules Ballet (Imprimerie du gouvernement, 1895) (in french) In order to secure the site and solidify a grip on the population, he built Fort Saint-Charles (Fort Delgrès) in 1650.Starfort : Delgres
Despite the 1640 peace treaty between native Kalina Carib people and France, clashes 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 Carib people took refuge north and east of Grande-Terre (pointes de la Grande-Vigie et des Châteaux, Anse-Bertrand).Archives Overseas : treaty between Charles Houel, governor of Guadeloupe and the Caribbean (31 March 1660) (in french)
Charles Houël founded the town of Basse-Terre in 1649. He gave his name to Houëlmont, one of the highest mounts in the Caribbean.
Under Jean-Baptiste Colbert in August 1664, the French West India Company had a monopoly on the exploitation of sugar islands. A main task was the acquisition of the island of Guadeloupe to be led under Houël to re-establish the royal authority.
Charles Houël was also Lord of Varennes, Lord of Petit-Pré, Knight and Baron Morainville.Dictionnaire de la noblesse, M. de la Chenaye-Desbois, Tome VIII, P132 (1774)Research Center Chateau de Versailles : Charles de Houel (N°identification : INV.GRAV.LP 31.23.1) (in french)
Titles held
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