In early 1654, Fort-Dauphin was surrounded by indigenous people revolting against the harsh administration of Governor Étienne de Flacourt, leaving the village on the brink of famine and ruin. Disillusioned by the distant colony’s lack of profit, the East India Company lost interest, leaving the settlement without French supply ships for over four years. Soldiers and colonists went unpaid, lacking basic necessities, with even the governor himself reportedly lacking a shirt.
Desperate, Flacourt sent a small vessel to Mozambique to dispatch a letter to the Company’s administrators, pleading for urgent instructions and aid. This realization of their dire situation sparked a conspiracy led by an officer named Anthoine Couillard, nicknamed “Marovolo” (the Hairy One) by the locals. Couillard conspired with the insurgents, supplying them with weapons stolen from the fort and plotting to assassinate the governor.
Upon discovering the betrayal, Flacourt arrested Couillard and exiled him to Bourbon (modern-day Réunion) along with seven accomplices and six Malagasy individuals. There, they lived a quiet life farming tobacco and aloe fibers until 1658, when a ship captained by a slave trader named Gosselin arrived. Deceiving the exiles into believing Fort-Dauphin had been abandoned, Gosselin convinced them to board his ship for India.
Upon arriving in Madras, their tobacco cargo proved unsellable due to local religious customs. To cover the cost of the voyage, Gosselin sold the six Malagasy individuals into slavery. Couillard and his companions were forced to enlist as soldiers to survive, eventually finding their way back to Europe years later via a Dutch ship.
Captured & Published at: 2026-10-03 06:39:02 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/10/le-fort-dauphin-en-plein-desastre.html