France Équinoxiale
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2008-06-15T14:49:12Z
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{{BrazilianHistory}}
'''Equinoctial France''' was the contemporary name given to the colonization efforts of France in the 17th century in [[South America]], around the line of [[Equator]], before "[[tropical]]" had fully gained its modern meaning: [[Equinox|Equinoctial]] means in [[Latin]] "of equal nights", i.e., on the Equator, where the duration of days and nights is nearly the same year round.
The [[French colonial empire]] in the [[New World]] also included '''[[New France]]''' (''Nouvelle France'') in [[North America]], particularly in what is today the province of [[Québec]], [[Canada]], and '''[[France Antarctique|Antarctic France]]''' (''France Antarctique'', in French), in present-day [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Brazil]]. All of these settlements were in violation of the papal bull of [[1493]], which divided the New World between [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]]. This division was later defined more exactly by the [[Treaty of Tordesillas]].
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Map-south-america.jpg|thumb|Antique map of South America showing the locations of Cayenne in [[French Guiana]], Saint Louis in France Équinoxiale and Henryville (Rio de Janeiro) in [[France Antarctique]] ]] -->
''France Équinoxiale'' started in [[1612]], when a French expedition departed from [[Cancale]], ([[Bretagne]]), [[France]], under the command of [[Daniel de la Touche]], Seigneur de la Ravardière. Carrying 500 colonists, it arrived in the Northern coast of what is today the state of [[Maranhão]], in [[Brazil]]. De la Ravardière had discovered the region in [[1604]] but the death of the king postponed his plans to start its colonization.
The colonists soon founded a village, which was named "Saint Louis", in honor of the French king [[Louis IX of France|Louis IX]] as a compliment to King [[Louis XIII]] of France. This later became "[[São Luís]] in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], the only Brazilian state capital founded by France. It is a translation of the original name given by the French, which was strangely maintained by the Portuguese. On September 8th, [[Capuchin friars]] prayed the first mass, and the soldiers started building a fortress. An important difference in relation to France Antarctique is that this new colony was not motivated by escape from religious persecutions to [[Protestants]] (see [[French Wars of Religion]]).
The colony did not last long. An army was assembled in the state of [[Pernambuco]], under the command of [[Alexandre de Moura]] and Portugal was able to mount a military expedition, which defeated and expelled the French colonists in [[1615]], less than four years after their arrival in the land. Thus, it repeated the disaster spelt for the colonists of France Antarctique, in [[1567]]. A few years later, in [[1620]], Portuguese and Brazilian colonists arrived in number and São Luís started to grow slowly, with an economy based mostly in [[sugar cane]] and [[slavery]].
French traders and colonists tried again to settle a France Équinoxiale further North, in what is today [[French Guiana]], in [[1626]], [[1635]] (when the capital, [[Cayenne]], was founded) and [[1643]]. Twice a [[Compagnie de la France Équinoxiale]] was founded, in [[1643]] and [[1645]], but both foundered as a result of misfortune and mismanagement. It was only after [[1674]], when the colony became under the direct control of the French crown and a competent Governor took office, that the France Équinoxiale became a reality. To this day, the French Guiana is a [[department of France]].
==See also==
*[[History of French Guiana]]
*[[History of Brazil]]
*[[France Antarctique|Antarctic France]]
{{French overseas empire}}
[[Category:History of Brazil]]
[[Category:Former colonies of France]]
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