Description
Main slave trade port in France and one of the most important in Europe, located on the Loire River estuary. Its economy in the 17th and 18th centuries was profoundly marked by triangular trade and the naval industry.
Year of Foundation or Oldest Source
Occupation since the Iron Age by the Namnetes; Gallo-Roman port (Portus Namnetum). The first slave trade expeditions date from the mid-17th century (1657 mentioned). Peak of activity in the 18th century.
Country (State or Region)
France
Location
Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, on the Loire River, with access to the Atlantic through its estuary.
Structuring
River port that extended along the banks of the Loire. Development of important quays such as Quai de la Fosse (center of mercantile and slave trade activity). Construction of canals and docks on Île de la Prairie-au-Duc from 1840 to modernize the port. Major shipbuilding center with multiple shipyards (Dubigeon, Chantiers de la Loire, Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne) that operated until the 20th century. Due to the Loire's draft limitations, it used avant-ports such as Paimbœuf, Mindin, and Couëron for larger ships. Infrastructure included historic cranes (Grue Noire, Grue Jaune) and warehouses. The Canal de la Martinière (late 19th century) was an attempt to improve maritime access.
Notes
It was France's main slave trade port, responsible for over 40% of the country's expeditions (almost 1800 voyages) and the transport of over half a million enslaved Africans. The peak of the trade occurred in the 18th century, when the city dominated French triangular trade. Proximity to Lorient and access to trade goods such as textiles (indiennes) and cowries contributed to its success in the trade. It was also a major shipbuilding center, producing many of the ships used in colonial trade and the slave trade. The immense wealth generated by these activities led to great urban development and the enrichment of the mercantile bourgeoisie and shipowners, whose mansions still mark the city's Landscape. Gaignat de l'Aulnais's Guide du commerce (1771), a Nantes merchant, is a rare accounting manual focused specifically on the financial management of the slave trade.
Sources
ARCHIVES DÉPARTEMENTALES DE LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE. Guide des sources sur l'histoire industrielle. [s.d.].; ARCHIVES DÉPARTEMENTALES DE LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE. L'essor d'un grand port (1500-1700). [s.d.].; BOOKS.OPENEDITION.ORG. Les grues du port de Nantes. 2019.; BOOKS.OPENEDITION.ORG. Nantes et son territoire. 2011.; CAIRN.INFO. Enseigner les traites, les esclavages, les abolitions. 2021.; CHÂTEAU DES DUCS DE BRETAGNE - MUSÉE D'HISTOIRE DE NANTES. Unité d'enquête historique: l'âge industriel. [s.d.].; CHATEAUNANTES.FR. Nantes et la traite des Noirs. [s.d.].; GEOGRAPHIE.ENS.FR. Une brève histoire de l'industrie. [s.d.].; MÉMORIAL DE L'ABOLITION DE L'ESCLAVAGE - NANTES. Nantes, la traite atlantique et l'esclavage. [s.d.].; NANTES PATRIMONIA. Aménagements portuaires au 19e siècle; Aménagements portuaires au 20e siècle. [s.d.].; NANTES SAINT-NAZAIRE PORT. L'histoire du port. [s.d.].; OXFORD BIBLIOGRAPHIES. French Port Cities. 2011.; PEDAGOGIE.AC-NANTES.FR. Nantes, la traite et l'ascension d'une bourgeoisie marchande. [s.d.].; RESEARCHGATE. Comptabilité et traite négrière. [s.d.].; RESEARCHGATE. Nantes 1900 - la maquette du port. [s.d.].; SNES.EDU. Actes du colloque: Enseigner l'histoire de la traite négrière. [s.d.].; WIKIPEDIA. Histoire de la construction navale dans l'estuaire de la Loire; Commerce triangulaire; Traite négrière à Nantes. [s.d.].
