Louisiana Rebellion
- "This Spanish "gouverneur" has placed so many restrictions on trade, even plantation owners are practically "begging" for an excuse to riot."
- ―Gérald Blanc on the laws implemented by Antonio de Ulloa, 1768.[src]
The Louisiana Rebellion was an unsuccessful attempt by the French Creoles of New Orleans to prevent the handover of the colony to the Spanish Empire.
Unhappy with the policies implemented by Antonio de Ulloa, the colony's first Spanish governor, the people rebelled against his regime. Following an ambush orchestrated by the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré, de Ulloa fled Louisiana, though his replacement Alejandro O'Reilly would permanently reassert control roughly eight months later.
Prelude to rebellion
Following France's loss in the French and Indian War, the territory of Louisiana west of the Mississippi River came under the control of Spain, as stipulated in the Treaty of Paris. However, the transition from French colonial rule to Spanish occupation left the people of New Orleans frustrated with Spain's weak political authority, as it tried to distance itself from the previous French administrative structures.[1]
In 1766, the Spanish governor Antonio de Ulloa arrived in New Orleans but brought with him few soldiers, did not fly the Spanish flag over the city, and left the administration of the city to French Creole officials.[2]
Evicting de Ulloa
In 1768, he implemented strict trade laws and restrictions in order to benefit the Templar Order and secretly diverted slaves and workers to a Templar work camp in Mexico. In response, French Creoles rebelled against his regime, forcing de Ulloa to take shelter outside the city in La Balize.[2]
During this time, the Mentor of the Assassins, Agaté, ordered Aveline de Grandpré to assassinate de Ulloa. Aveline drew the governor out of La Balize and ambushed him inside the city.[2]
However, after learning that the slaves taken from New Orleans were being transported south to Mexico, she decided to spare de Ulloa and allowed him to leave the city, in return for a map leading to the Templar worksite in Mexico, a lens used to decode Templar documents and the promise for de Ulloa to go into exile.[2]
Spanish response
On 1 November 1768, while Aveline was away in Mexico, the Spanish, with the approval of the French King Louis XV, assigned de Ulloa's replacement, General Alejandro O'Reilly to quell the rebellion in New Orleans. To prevent bloodshed, French Creole leaders advised citizens to accept Spanish authority and avoid military confrontation.[1]
References
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