User:Mscoree/Battle of Kerguelen (Great White South)

The Battle of Kerguelen was a battle during the Napoleonic Wars in which the British Royal Navy seized the French colonies of Kerguelen, including the Kerguelen and Crozet islands, and the city of Port-aux-Français from France, temporarily removing France from Antarctica and beginning a five year occupation period lasting from 1810 to 1815.

Background

 * See: History of Kerguelen

In January 1772 Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne discovered the Crozet Islands (which he named for his First Mate Jules Crozet), claiming them for France. This marked the beginning of French dominance in the area. In February 1772 Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen de Trémarec discovered the Kerguelen archipelago, which he correctly believed to be the most significant landmass in the southern Indian Ocean. Upon his return to France he was granted a Royal Charter to further explore and colonize the islands, and lead a second expedition later that year.Trémarec’s expedition would found the city of Port-aux-Français, which later grow to become the capital of the region.

Due to their wealth of natural resources, including their bases for lucrative fishing, sealing, and whaling operations, The Kerguelen and Crozet islands soon became more populated with French settlers, growing Port-aux-Français into a successful colonial city.

Aftermath
Following the successful British seizure in 1810 the islands became placed under occupation from 1810 to 1815. There was no British settlement of the islands during this period, simply a military occupation consisting of a few hundred sailors and Royal Marines.

After the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars the islands would be returned to France through the Congress of Vienna, which ended the conflict and create new boundaries for the belligerents in Europe. Shortly after the Congress of Vienna, the Kerguelen and Crozet islands would be combined into the Colony of Kerguelen, and separated from Réunion to the north.

Beginning in 1820, with Kerguelen restored to France, its ports would become a center for operations into the mainland, to what would later become known as French Antarctica. In 1828 French Antarctica, would become a Dependency of Kerguelen, governed from Port-aux-Français.