1697: France officially obtained the western portion of Hispaniola, known as St.-Domingue, through the Treaty of Ryswick which ended the Nine Years’ War.

1697: France officially obtained the western portion of Hispaniola, known as St.-Domingue, through the Treaty of Ryswick which ended the Nine Years’ War. This diplomatic acquisition laid the groundwork for the colony to become the world’s leading producer of sugar, coffee, and indigo by the middle of the eighteenth century. The territory’s immense productivity was built entirely upon the labor of a massive enslaved African population that eventually numbered over 500,000. St.-Domingue would remain the crown jewel of the French Atlantic empire until its plantation regime was destroyed by revolution.