Julien Fédon

Who is Julien Fédon?

Julien Fédon was a free planter of mixed French and African descent who led one of the largest anti-colonial uprisings in the eighteenth-century Caribbean, known as Fédon's Rebellion. He was born on the island of Martinique, the son of Pierre Fédon, a French jeweler from Bordeaux, and a freed black woman; the family relocated to Grenada in the 1750s while the island was still under French rule. Fédon rose to become a wealthy planter, operating the Belvidere Estate in Grenada's mountainous interior. Drawing inspiration from the French Revolution and the Haitian Revolution, he launched his uprising against British colonial rule on the night of 2 March 1795 with roughly one hundred free people of color and escaped enslaved people, seeking to establish Grenada as an independent Black republic. His forces fortified the mountains around Belvidere and held out against British troops for more than a year. After his brother was killed in battle, Fédon ordered the execution of most of his British prisoners, including the island's governor, Ninian Home. The rebellion was finally crushed by a large British offensive in June 1796; Fédon himself was never captured and is believed to have died attempting to flee by canoe. He is remembered in Grenada today as a folk hero of resistance.

Sources: Julien Fédon, Wikipedia biographical entry (cross-checked) · Fédon's rebellion, Wikipedia historical entry · Kentake Page, "Julien Fedon: Warrior of Grenada"