A brief History...
Version française
1507 : The island was discovered by Tristan da Cunha and named Santa Apolonia Island.
1520 : Mauritius, Rodrigues and Santa Apolonia islands were named Islas Mascarenhas
(Mascarene Islands) by the Portuguese.
1642 : The island was reached for the first time by the French ship "Le Saint-Louis".
1646 : Twelve mutineers were sent into exile on the island by a governor of Madagascar. These
mutineers were found in excellent health two years later, by a delegation which expected them
to be dead. France thus found some interest in this island.
1649 : The island was officially claimed by the French in the name of the King of France.
The island was named Ile Bourbon.
1665 : The first settlement (governor is Etienne Régnault) was governed by the
Compagnie des Indes, and located in Saint-Paul, first capital of the island.
1735 : Governor Mahé de Labourdonnais developped île de France ( Mauritius ) to
the detriment of île Bourbon, which was too mountainous for cultivation on wide areas.
However, coffee, then cloves, nutmeg and vanilla crops were to flourish.
1764 : Bankruptcy of the Compagnie des Indes. The island returned to the King of
France.
1792 : The island was renamed île de la Réunion (Reunion Island) by the Convention,
in memory of the union of the Marseillais with the National Guard for the assault on
the Tuileries.
1806 : The island was renamed île Bonaparte.
1810 : The British took possession of the Mascarene Islands,
and again used the name of île Bourbon for Reunion Island.
1815 : The British gave only île Bourbon back to the French through the treaty of Paris.
Mauritius and Rodrigues remained British.
1830 : Slave trade was abolished
1848 : Le 6/9 - The island took back the name of île de la Réunion (Reunion Island) for good.
1848 : 20/12 - Effective aboltion of slavery. This anniversary is now a public holiday
in Reunion Island.
1870 : The Suez Canal opened. Reunion Island stopped being a port of call on the way
to India and Asia.
1946 : Le 9/3 - Reunion Island became an Overseas Departement of France.
1973 : Le 2/3 - Creation of Reunion Region (Administrative)