The Decree of 29 March 1815 was issued by Emperor Napoleon I, who had previously in Guadeloupe and Guyana and maintained it in Martinique, abolished the "slave trade". This action followed the , prompted by pressure from Britain, which controlled the seas and had prohibited the slave trade since 1807.: The decree prohibited the introduction of "any Black person resulting from the slave trade, whether French or foreign" for sale in French colonies. However, this decree did not abolish slavery, which continued until 1848.
The decree comprises five articles
Article 1. Upon publication of this decree, the slave trade is abolished. No expedition for this trade will be permitted in the ports of France or its colonies.
Article 2. No Black person resulting from the slave trade, whether French or foreign, may be introduced for sale in French colonies.
Article 3. Violations of this decree will result in the confiscation of the vessel and its cargo, as determined by French courts and tribunals.
Article 4. Shipowners who dispatched expeditions for the slave trade before the decreeâÂÂs publication may sell their cargo in French colonies.
Article 5. Ministers are tasked with enforcing this decree.
Slavery in French colonies was initially abolished during the French Revolution by the Montagnard Convention through the law of 4 February 1794. However, under the Consulate, with Napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul holding full authority, the Law on the slave trade and the regime of the colonies of 20 May 1802 maintained slavery in colonies where the 1794 abolition had not been implemented due to British occupation or resistance from colonists (Martinique, Tobago, Saint Lucia, Bourbon, and Isle de France).
In a letter dated 14 June 1802, NapoleonâÂÂs Minister of the Navy, Denis Decrès, instructed General Leclerc, commander of the Saint-Domingue expedition, to re-establish slavery in the colony.
Subsequently, the consular decree of 16 July 1802 re-established slavery in Guadeloupe and repealed both the 1794 abolition decree and the .
For Guyana, a consular decree of 7 December 1802 re-established slavery.
Some historians attribute BonaparteâÂÂs policy shift in 1801 to the influence of the slaveholding lobby, driven by political and economic considerations.
According to Jean-Joël Brégeon, Napoleon was initially opposed to re-establishing slavery. He considered a transitional status tailored to each colony. However, the insurrection in Saint-Domingue necessitated restoring order, and a significant âÂÂCreole factionâ advocated for the return of slaves to plantations.
Historian Jean-François Niort notes: âÂÂInfluenced by the slaveholding lobby, Bonaparte believed that Guadeloupe was in chaos â which was untrue â and that restoring order required re-establishing slavery.âÂÂ
In practice, the abolition law had limited impact due to the near-total loss of colonies following the war with England and the Haitian Revolution. From 1804 to 1814, during his reign as emperor, Napoleon shifted focus away from the issue of slavery.
In 1799, following his coup d'état, First Consul Bonaparte stated to the Council of State, referencing the 1794 abolition and the British occupation of Martinique at the colonistsâ request: âÂÂIf I had been in Martinique, I would have supported the British, as oneâÂÂs life must come first. I support the Whites because I am white; that reason suffices. How could freedom have been granted to Africans, to people without civilization, who did not even understand what a colony or France was? If the majority of the Convention had understood its actions and the colonies, would it have granted freedom to the Blacks? Certainly not.âÂÂ
After maintaining or re-establishing slavery in 1802, Bonaparte suppressed colonial revolts in Guadeloupe and Saint-Domingue. He also implemented a policy of segregation and discrimination against free people of color, which was stricter than under the Ancien Régime. In mainland France, the consular decree of 2 July 1802 (13 Messidor Year X) reinstated a prohibition on free people of color and slaves entering French territory, as previously enacted in 1763 and 1777.
The Civil Code was amended to establish a racial hierarchy, categorizing Whites, free people of color from before 1789, and slaves. Additionally, mixed-race marriages were prohibited, fulfilling a longstanding demand from the colonial lobby that the Ancien Régime had rejected.
Several historically slaveholding powers began to reconsider their positions. Notably, Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807, though full abolition of slavery was deferred.
In 1814, the Allies invaded France, forcing NapoleonâÂÂs abdication. At BritainâÂÂs initiative, an article in the Treaty of Paris of stipulated that France prohibit the slave trade within five years, by 1819.
On , King Louis XVIII affirmed that the French delegation would support BritainâÂÂs stance at the Congress of Vienna, commencing on 18 September 1814.
However, this commitment had limited impact. French diplomats Talleyrand and Jaucourt delayed action, prioritizing the recovery of French colonies. Other nations, such as Spain and Portugal, also resisted abolishing the slave trade.
Consequently, the Congress of Vienna issued a declaration on 8 February 1815 condemning the âÂÂslave trade of African Blacksâ without mandating its immediate cessation.
Upon returning from exile on the Island of Elba during the Hundred Days, Napoleon issued the decree of , prohibiting the slave trade and the sale of slaves.
According to Thierry Lentz, director of the Fondation Napoléon, which promotes Napoleonic heritage: âÂÂNapoleon was aware of the discussions at the Congress of Vienna, including a commission preparing the abolition of the slave trade. He sought to preempt these efforts and demonstrate a more progressive stance.âÂÂ
Johanne Vernier notes that NapoleonâÂÂs decree responded to British pressure, as Britain had prohibited the slave trade since 1807, controlled maritime routes, and enforced .
On , NapoleonâÂÂs defeat at the Battle of Waterloo led to his second abdication on 22 June, with Louis XVIII restored to the throne on 8 July.
Despite the limited impact of NapoleonâÂÂs decree, Bonapartist scholar Thierry Choffat argues that âÂÂNapoleonâÂÂs decree set France on a path toward reform, marking a step toward the abolition of slavery in 1848.â However, during the Second Restoration, all acts of the âÂÂusurperâ were deemed null.
The by Louis XVIII prohibited the introduction of slaves into French colonies, and the formally abolished the slave trade, though enforcement was weak. The illegal slave trade was often framed as resistance to British efforts to undermine the French economy.
Historians Bruno Marnot and Thierry Sauzeau note that the French prohibition faced challenges due to the demand for slaves in remaining colonial plantations, despite the loss of Saint-Domingue. They highlight a âÂÂdeliberate oversight of strategies used by slave traders to evade ship confiscation.â Enforcement strengthened after 1822 with the appointment of the Marquis de Clermont-Tonnerre as Minister of the Navy. In 1825, the Court of Cassation ordered the prosecution of slave traders, followed by the classifying slave traders as criminals. Serge Daget documents 729 confirmed, suspected, or questionable French slave trade expeditions between 1814 and 1850.