Antoine Lavalette, Slave Murderer: A Forgotten Scandal of the French West Indies

Abstract The name Antoine Lavalette (1708–67) is infamous within the Society of Jesus. The superior of the Martinique mission in the mid-eighteenth century, he is known for triggering the 1764 expulsion from France. Less known is his torture to death of four enslaved men and women. The visitor sent...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Dial, Andrew (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Brill 2021
Dans: Journal of Jesuit studies
Année: 2021, Volume: 8, Numéro: 1, Pages: 37-55
Classifications IxTheo:CH Christianisme et société
KAH Époque moderne
KBR Amérique Latine
KDB Église catholique romaine
Sujets non-standardisés:B Slavery
B Torture
B Martinique
B Sorcery
B Murder
B Caribbean
B Scandal
B Expulsion
B Antoine Lavalette
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Résumé:Abstract The name Antoine Lavalette (1708–67) is infamous within the Society of Jesus. The superior of the Martinique mission in the mid-eighteenth century, he is known for triggering the 1764 expulsion from France. Less known is his torture to death of four enslaved men and women. The visitor sent to investigate Lavalette’s commercial activities, Jean-François de la Marche (1700–62), discovered these murders and reported them to Rome. This paper analyzes La Marche’s account of the atrocities within their Caribbean context. It demonstrates that Lavalette’s killings were within the established norms of the planter class. It further argues that his actions were part of the Society’s attempts to reconcile its religious calling with the gruesome realities of plantation slavery.
ISSN:2214-1332
Contient:Enthalten in: Journal of Jesuit studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/22141332-0801P003