Julien Fédon
| Julien Fédon | |
|---|---|
| Born | ?? Martinique |
| Died | 1796? Unknown (possibly in a canoe on the sea) |
| Occupation | Landowner |
| Spouse(s) | Marie Rose Cavelan |
Julien Fédon (? - 1796?), also called Julien Fedon, Foedonn, Feydn, and Fidon, was the leader of the Fédon Rebellion, a slave revolt that took place in Grenada between March 2, 1795, and June 19, 1796.
The Fédon Rebellion broke out in the same year as several other rebellions in the Caribbean, including in Cuba, Jamaica, and Coro, Venezuela. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Fédon was considered a folk hero in Grenada and influenced the nationalist leaders and revolutionaries of the island.
Julien Fédon was born on the island of Martinique. He was the son of Pierre Fédon, a French jeweler who had migrated to Martinique from Bordeaux, France, in 1749. His mother was a freed black slave. The family moved to Grenada in the 1750s, when the island was under French rule. However, according to a historian, Edward Cox, Fédon seems not to have lived there until 1772 and probably migrated to it later.
In Grenada, Fédon married Marie Rose Cavelan, a mulatto, in 1787, and they settled on a plantation in Saint John Parish known as the Belvedere Estate Grenada. Fédon was appointed commanding general of the French republican forces on Guadeloupe.
Fédon began his revolt in Grenada on the night of March 2, 1795. The purpose of the revolt was to abolish slavery, grant citizenship to former slaves, and overthrow British colonial rule, returning power to the French people. With the help of around 100 freed slaves and mulattoes, Fédon fought against the island's landlords and white British bourgeoisie. The rebels' attacks were coordinated against the cities of Grenville and Gouyave. They looted and burned houses and dragged British settlers into the streets to be executed. After returning to the mountains of Belvedere, the rebels joined a large group of slaves who had abandoned the plantations where they worked. In the mountains, Fédon built several fortifications to withstand British attacks.
...
Wikipedia