Fighting for Freedom

The former slave gets into the eye of the Caribbean hurricane during the French Revolution there in 1794. He fights in Napoleonic Wars and get English Pow. He returns back to Guadeloupe after his release and takes part in the rebellion of the Bataillon des Antilles in May 1802 when slavery was to be reintroduced by the order of Napoleon. The unit is expelled from the island. François is ordered to serve in Mantua, where he escapes and finds refuge in the Danish duchy of Holstein. He settles there and founds a family in October 1806. François is a direct ancestor of the author.

His biography is retraced. The conditions of slave trade are analyzed for Nigeria, the trade itself as are society and culture in Guadeloupe. Which are the factors leading to the rebellion of May 1802? How Guadeloupe deals with it and the reintroduction of slavery? The deportation of the soldiers causes an international diplomatic affair. Which policy does Napoleon lead referring to people of color? What happens in the unit of Black Pioneers in Mantua?

François is literally fighting for freedom and a humble decent life, free of the construct of slavery. He finds his freedom in the Danish duchy of Holstein. The book contributes a micro-historic view to the macro-history.