1643-1793: La Rochelle stood as the second most important slaving port in France, utilizing its favorable Atlantic location to organize efficient triangular …

1643-1793: La Rochelle stood as the second most important slaving port in France, utilizing its favorable Atlantic location to organize efficient triangular voyages. Its merchants drew heavily from the African ports of Ouidah and Malembo, though they eventually struggled to compete with Le Havre for dominance in the St.-Domingue markets. The port’s slave traffic began a noticeable decline after 1788, even as the broader French trade in captives was still expanding. Ultimately, La Rochelle took almost no part in the illegal nineteenth-century slave trade that followed the official abolition of the traffic.