1691–1703: (The Era of Jean-Baptiste du Casse and the Treaty of Ryswick): Jean-Baptiste du Casse assumed leadership in 1691, using his military energy to rec…
1691–1703: (The Era of Jean-Baptiste du Casse and the Treaty of Ryswick): Jean-Baptiste du Casse assumed leadership in 1691, using his military energy to reconstruct the colony and move the capital to Léogâne in 1695. He led a massive raid on Jamaica in June 1694, looting sugar machinery and carrying off 3,000 slaves to revitalize Saint-Domingue’s plantations. Formal recognition of French sovereignty over the western third of the island was finally achieved on September 20, 1697, with the signing of the Peace of Ryswick. Du Casse viewed the colony not just as a source of sugar and indigo, but as a strategic “place d’armes” for French ambitions in Mexico and Peru. His final act was the chartering of the Compagnie de St. Louis in 1698, which populated the southern peninsula with 1,500 French emigrants and 2,500 Africans.