History

The Caraïbes (karibs), inhabited the island Caloucaéra (Karukera in Creole language) when the fleet of Christopher Columbus landed on the 3rd  of November 1493. He named the island Guadeloupe. The Spanish showed little interest for the inhospital island and the first “volunteers” of the French - mostly farmers from the Normandie, the Bretagne or the Charente - have been settled in by the Compagnie des Isles d'Amérique not until 1635.[1] Then the Karibs got killed by epidemics, alcohol and guns. But the difficult living conditions affected the first settlers very much and so soon the trade with slaves from Africa as a workforce began.

At the beginning farming was not very profitable, so the Compagnie sold Guadeloupe to Charles Houël, who started the economic growth of the island with plantations of sugar, coffee and cocoa. From 1664-1674 the island was owned by the Compagnie des Indes Occidentales, then by King Louis XIV and his successors.

From 1759-1763, in 1794, from 1810-1813 and from 1815-1816 Guadeloupe was British.

On the 19th  of March 1946, Guadeloupe became a French Overseas Department. Like all the other French Departments she is governed by a prefect. He is assisted by two secretaries general and two under-prefects, one for the district of Pointe-à-Pitre, the other one for the Northern Islands.

From 1958 the Departement d’Outremer de Guadeloupe consists of Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Désirade, a part of St. Martin and St. Barthélemy

Since the referendum held on the 7th of December 2003, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy voted for their independence from Guadeloupe's administration and got French overseas communities of their own.

Heraldry

Seal of the Compagnie des Indes Occidentales chartered in 1664. The achievement is: Arms: Azure semy of fleurs-de-lys Or. Crown of a sovereign prince and two savages as supporters

The Arms

The first coat of arms used on the island was the coat of arms of the Compagnie des Indes Occidentales since no achievement of the Compagnie des Isles d´Amerique is known. This consisted of the semy of fleurs de lys of France  with a crown and two supporters. Article 32 of the royal charter for the company reads: «Prendra la dite Compagnie pour ses armes un écusson au champ d'azur semé de fleurs de lys d'or sans nombre, deux sauvages pour supports et une couronne tréflée, lesquelles armes nous luy concédons pour s'en servir dans ses sceaux et cachets et que nous luy permettons de mettre et apposer aux édifices publics, vaisseaux, canons et partout où elle le jugera à propos».  On the seal of the Company the achievement is surrounded by the legend: sceau de la compagnie des indes occidentales • 1664. [2]

After 1674 the coat of arms of the king of France must have been used and after the Revolution the different seals of the Empire and the French Republic.

It is not known when the arms of Guadeloupe were adopted. It is:

Arms: Gules, a faced sun radiant Or and on a chief Azure, three fleurs de lys Or

Supporters: Two stalks of sugar-cane per bend proper. [3]

In the coat of arms the sun is clearly a reference to Louis XIV, the “Sun King” and first royal owner of the island. The fleurs-de-lys are from his coat of arms.

Gendarmerie

Achievement of  the “Commandement de la gendarmerie de la Guadeloupe”

The headquarters of the Gendarmerie of Guadeloupe are in Saint Claude.