Timeline of Port Louis

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Port Louis on the island of Mauritius.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

## Prior to 20th century[edit]

Part of a series on the

History of Mauritius

* Discovery of Mauritius

Portuguese

* Portuguese in Mauritius

Dutch

* Dutch Expedition to Mauritius
* Dutch Mauritius (1638–1710)
* Slavery

French (1710–1810)

* Isle of France

British (1810–1968)

* British Mauritius
* Indentured labourers
* 1911 Curepipe riots
* Uba riots of 1937
* 1943 Belle Vue Harel Massacre
* 1965 Mauritius race riots
* Excision of the Chagos Archipelago
* Expulsion of the Chagossians
* 1968 Mauritian riots
* Independence of Mauritius

Independence (1968)

* Mauritius (1968–1992)
* Modern History of Mauritius
(1968–present)

* 1999 Mauritian riots

Specific themes

* Timeline (fr)
* Economics
* Political
* Years

* v
* t
* e

* 1606 - Dutch settlers start to use this area as a harbour which they call Harbour of Tortoises, after their initial 1598 settlement at Port de Warwick in Ferney, Vieux Grand Port.[1]
* 1721 - French in power on Isle de France; Noord-Wester Haven (harbor) renamed "Port Louis."[2]
* 1729 - Hôtel du Gouvernement built.[3]
* 1735 - Development of Port Louis begins (approximate date).[4]
* 1749 - Le Réduit (fort) built near Port Louis at Moka.
* 1772 - Bagne Prison built.[5]
* 1774 - Line Barracks or Casernes Centrales is inaugurated after start of construction in 1740.[6]
* 1782 - Dyot Canal [sv] construction begins.(de)
* 1790 - Thomas Enouf becomes mayor of Town of Port Louis.[citation needed]
* 1791 - Foundation of Collège National or Collège Colonial in Port Louis. This would later become Lycée Colonial and eventually the island's first Royal College.[7]
* 1794 - Town renamed "Port de La Montagne."[citation needed]
* 1795 - Town renamed "Port Nord-Ouest."[citation needed]
* 1803 - Captain Matthew Flinders is arrested during a port call to repair his ship Cumberland as Governor De Caen believes he is a British spy.[8]
* 1805 - Mosque constructed.[2]
* 1810
* Invasion by British navy and army forces from Bombay, Madras and the Cape of Good Hope which land between Cap Malheureux and Bain des Boeufs in late November and early December.[citation needed][9]
* For 6 months after the British invasion the "Lycée Colonial" is used as a military hospital.[7]
* Town renamed "Port Louis" again.[citation needed][citation needed]
* Population: 24,000.[2]
* 1812 - Champ de Mars Racecourse opens.[10]
* 1816 - Fire.[3]
* 1822 - Political prisoner Ratsitatane (from Madagascar) is sentenced to death and is beheaded at Jardin Plaine Verte[11]
* 1838 - Citadel [fr] (Fort Adelaïde) built.[12]
* 1847 - Roman Catholic Diocese of Port-Louis established.[13]
* 1849 - Development of Coolie Ghat immigration depot begins.[12]
* 1850
* February: Municipal election held.[14]
* March: Louis Léchelle becomes mayor.[15]
* November: 1850 Yamsé Ghoon Riots break out at Camp Des Malabars (Plaine Verte nowadays) when muslim pilgrims were forced to abandon their Ghoon structures or Ta'zieh as they were chased around the streets in broad daylight by the Creole assailants who were former slaves, also known as ex-apprentices.[16]
* 1852 - Mosquée des Arabes established.
* 1864 - North line railway begins operating.[citation needed]
* 1866 - Municipal government headquartered in the Hôtel d’Europe building.[14]
* 1867 - Malaria outbreak.
* 1869 - Port Louis economy affected by opening of Suez Canal in Egypt.[2]
* 1870 - General Post Office built.[5]

Port Louis in the late 19th century

* 1880 - Foundation of Mauritius Institute.[17]
* 1887 - Revue historique et littéraire de l'Ile Maurice begins publication.
* 1892 - 29 April: 1892 Mauritius cyclone occurs.[18]
* 1897 - 22 June: Statue of British queen Victoria unveiled.[18]
* 1899 - Due to a plague epidemic the original Royal College Port Louis is permanently closed down as people flee Port Louis to settle in the cooler highlands of Curepipe.[7]

## 20th century[edit]

* 1904 - 8–9 June: Flood.[18]
* 1906 - Pagoda Riots between three rival clans (Hakka, Cantonese, Fukienese) over control of Cohan Tai Biou Pagoda
* 1907 - Population: 30,899.[19]
* 1910 - Government House rebuilt.[3]
* 1911 - Riots, which started in Curepipe, spread to Port Louis
* 1919 - Population: 40,106 metro.[20]
* 1933 - Catholic St. Louis Cathedral rebuilt.
* 1937 - Honorary Consulate of Poland opened.[21]
* 1942 - Airport established in Plaine Magnien, 48 km from Port Louis.
* 1943 - Mass gathering of Basdeo Bissoondoyal's Jan Andolan at Marie Reine de la Paix on 12 December, a precursor to the proclamation of the new 1947 Constitution to grant voting rights to the mass.[22]
* 1945
* 3 tropical cyclones strike (on 16 January, 2 February and 6 April), causing deaths and destroying homes and infrastructure. International relief arrives in Port Louis.[23]
* End of World War II is celebrated at Champ de Mars, Town Hall, Luna Park, Majestic, Citadel, Signal Mountain, and streets of Port Louis.

Port Louis Theatre in the 1950s

* 1951 - Fort Adelaide (La Citadelle) murders and hanging
* 1952 - Population: 84,539.[24]
* 1953 - Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute founded in nearby Réduit.[12][1]
* 1956 - Foundation stone for Royal College Port Louis is laid by Princess Margaret.[25]
* 1960
* Tropical Cyclone Alix strikes in January, destroying homes and infrastructure.
* Tropical Cyclone Carol strikes on 27 February, causing 42 deaths and destruction of infrastructure.
* 1963 - L'Express newspaper begins publication.[26]
* 1964 - Population: 126,550 (estimate).[27]
* 1965
* University of Mauritius established in nearby Réduit.[12]
* State of Emergency & British military from Yemen intervene due to 1965 Ethnic riots
* 1966
* City Hall built.
* Photography museum [fr] founded.[2]
* Riots erupted in October in front of Government House following protests against 10,000 job losses[28]
* 1967
* City economy affected by temporary closure of Suez Canal during war in Egypt.[12]
* Ethnic riots during August 1967 elections[29]
* September & October 1967 Riots following the dismissal of 10,000 relief workers by the Government
* 1968
* Ethnic riots in January, State of Emergency and British military from Malaysia intervene prior to Independence ceremony
* Mauritian independence in March.[10]
* 1969 - Six administrative wards created.[citation needed]
* 1975
* Suez Canal reopens in Egypt.[12]
* Tropical Cyclone Gervaise strikes in February, causing 10 deaths and destruction of infrastructure.
* Student Riots break out on 20 May following a protest march, resulting in looted shops and burnt buses in Port Louis and other parts of the island.
* 1978 - January: Arson attack on headquarters of Le Mauricien which gave rise to the Sheik Hossen Affair.[30]
* 1979 - August: Sugar industry labor strike.[31]
* 1984 - Population: 135,200 (estimate).[32]
* 1986 - Landslide (glissement de terrain) at La Butte results in damage to 1500 private homes, power lines and water pipes.[33]
* 1989 - Stock Exchange of Mauritius headquartered in city.[34]
* 1992
* Mauritius Telecom headquartered in city.[26]
* City becomes part of independent Republic of Mauritius.[10]
* 1993
* October: Meeting of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie held in city.
* Meeting of the Association Internationale des Maires Francophones held in city.
* 1995
* Mauritius Postal Museum opens
* Sun Trust Building is inaugurated on Edith Cavell Street.[35]
* 1996
* Caudan Waterfront in business.[10]
* October: 3 political activists are gunned down at night on Gorah Issac Road prior to municipal elections.[36]
* 1999
* February: Riots break out at Roche Bois, a suburb of Port Louis, following the death in police custody of singer Kaya and ethnic riots spread across the island.[37]
* May: L'Amicale riots erupt in the centre of Port Louis following a soccer match, resulting in 7 deaths, looting and property damage.[38]
* 2000
* AS Port-Louis 2000 (football club) formed.
* Population: 144,303 metro.[12]

## 21st century[edit]

* 2001 - City hosts the 2001 African Amateur Boxing Championships.
* 2002 - Statue of Basdeo Bissoondoyal unveiled.
* 2006 - Bank of Mauritius Tower built.[39]
* 2007 - Appleby Mauritius in business.[3]
* 2008 - Musée de l'immigration chinoise [fr] (museum) opens.
* 2010 - Population: 128,483 city; 148,416 metro.[10]
* 2013 - March–April: Flood.[34]
* 2017 - Heritage building (circa 1791) "La School" (Edith Cavell Street) was demolished.[40]
* 2018 - Population: 147,448 (estimate).[41]
* 2019 - October: First train connecting Port Louis to Rose Hill was launched from Richelieu (Phase 1 of Metro Express Project)[42]
* 2020 - August 29: Around 75,000 citizens march with activist Bruneau Laurette in the centre of Port Louis to protest against the government's poor handling of the MV Wakashio oil spill[43]

## See also[edit]

* Port Louis history
* List of mayors of Port Louis
* List of heritage sites in Port Louis [de]
* List of governors of Isle de France (Mauritius) 1735-1810, seated at Le Réduit, Moka, near Port Louis
* List of governors of British Mauritius, 1810-1968, seated at Moka near Port Louis
* Timeline of Mauritius history (in French)

## References[edit]

1. ^ Auguste Toussaint, Histoire des îles Mascareignes, p. 24
2. ^ a b c d Nave 2005.
3. ^ a b c "L'hôtel du gouvernement: sur les traces des élus", Lexpress.mu (in French), 24 April 2017
4. ^ "History of the City". Mccpl.mu. City Council of Port Louis. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017.
5. ^ a b Satyendra Peerthum (25 August 2008), "Port Louis: Home to half of our national heritage", Lexpress.mu. Part 2, 1 September 2008
6. ^ "History of MPF". Government of Mauritius. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
7. ^ a b c "School History". Government of Mauritius. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
8. ^ "From Terra Australis to Australia". State Library of New South Wales. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
9. ^ "History of Mauritius: 1810". Mauritius Holidays. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
10. ^ a b c d e Cybriwsky 2013.
11. ^ Valayden, Rama. "Ratsitatane". L'Express. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
12. ^ a b c d e f g "Port Louis". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
13. ^ "Chronology of Catholic Dioceses: Mauritius". Norway: Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
14. ^ a b "Il y a 150 ans, P.-Louis perdait son 1er maire", Lexpress.mu (in French), 24 April 2006
15. ^ "Municipality of Port Louis: List of mayors and deputy-mayors from 1850". Mauritius Almanac and Colonial Register. 1874.
16. ^ "Riot in The Mauritius". Trove. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
17. ^ "Historical background". Mauritius Museums Council. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
18. ^ a b c Benjamin Vincent (1910), "Mauritius", Haydn's Dictionary of Dates (25th ed.), London: Ward, Lock & Co., hdl:2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t41r6xh8t
19. ^ Blue Book for the Colony of Mauritius: 1907. Port Louis. 1908. OCLC 18922692 - via HathiTrust.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
20. ^ "British Empire: Mauritius". Statesman's Year-Book. London: Macmillan and Co. 1921. hdl:2027/njp.32101072368440.
21. ^ Ceranka, Paweł; Szczepanik, Krzysztof (2020). Urzędy konsularne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 1918–1945. Informator archiwalny (in Polish). Warszawa: Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych, Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych. p. 322\. ISBN 978-83-65681-93-5.
22. ^ Soobarah, Paramanund (29 April 2019). "MBC defeats a government initiative". Mauritius Times. Mauritius Times. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
23. ^ "Réminiscences 1945 : l'année des trois cyclones". Le Mauricien. 24 December 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
24. ^ "Population of capital city and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1955. New York: Statistical Office of the United Nations. pp. 171–184.
25. ^ Le Mauricien. "HISTOIRE: Le séjour de la princesse Margaret en 1956", Le Mauricien, Mauritius, September 2011.
26. ^ a b "Mauritius: Directory". Africa South of the Sahara 2004. Regional Surveys of the World. Europa Publications. 2004. ISBN 1857431839.
27. ^ "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1965. New York: Statistical Office of the United Nations. 1966. pp. 140–161.
28. ^ "Colonisations". Cercle de Généalogie. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
29. ^ "Voting brings riots in Mauritius 1967". New York Times. 8 August 1967. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
30. ^ "Dimanche 11 Juin 1978 : L'enquête judiciaire sur l'incendie du Mauricien". Le Mauricien. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
31. ^ "Mauritius". Political Chronology of Africa. Political Chronologies of the World. Europa Publications. 2001. ISBN 0203409957.
32. ^ United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistical Office (1987). "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". 1985 Demographic Yearbook. New York. pp. 247–289.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
33. ^ "Newsletter glissement de terrain" (PDF). JICA, Ministry of Public Infrastructure. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
34. ^ a b "Mauritius profile: Timeline". BBC News. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
35. ^ "L'affaire Sun Trust". L'Express. Retrieved 28 January 2004.
36. ^ "Shooting death of 3 Hizbullah activists at Gorah-Issac Rd". UNHCR. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
37. ^ Vellien, Clifford (25 February 1999). "Rioting in Mauritius set off by jail death of singer (1999)". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
38. ^ Kessel, Anna (3 July 2005). "Having a ball in Mauritius". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
39. ^ "Mauritius: Port Louis". Emporis.com. Hamburg: Emporis GmbH. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
40. ^ "Port Louis Batiment du 17eme siecle. Demolition de La School: La grogne continue". 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
41. ^ "Table 8 - Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants", Demographic Yearbook – 2018, United Nations
42. ^ "Mauritius launches first phase of $525 million light rail system". Reuters. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
43. ^ "Massive oil spill prompts largest protest in Mauritius in 40 years". Agence France Presse SCMP. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.

This article incorporates information from the French Wikipedia and German Wikipedia.

## Bibliography[edit]

in English

* A. Sinnot (October 1820). "Description of Port Louis, in the Isle of France". Gentleman's Magazine. London.
* James Backhouse (1844). A Narrative of a Visit to the Mauritius and South Africa. London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co. (Includes description of Port Louis)
* Ari Nave (2005). "Port Louis, Mauritius". In Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates (ed.). Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-517055-9.
* Roman A. Cybriwsky (2013). "Port Louis". Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-61069-248-9.

in French

* Eugène Gallois (1908). "Port-Louis". La France dans l'Océan Indien (in French). Paris.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Port Louis.

* "Port Louis, Mauritius". BlackPast.org. US. 29 December 2014.
* "(Port Louis)". AfricaBib.org. (Bibliography)
* "(Port Louis)". Internet Library Sub-Saharan Africa. Germany: Frankfurt University Library. (Bibliography)
* "(Port Louis)" - via Digital Public Library of America. (Images, etc.)

## Images[edit]

* Port Louis railway station (photo circa 1880s-1890s)

* Aftermath of cyclone, 1892

* Unveiling of queen Victoria statue, 1897

* Government House, built 1729, rebuilt in 1910 (photo 2015)

* Basdeo Bissoondoyal statue, erected in 2002

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