In the mid-1700s, the French, who were planning to establish plantations in neighboring Mascarene, became interested in Madagascar as a source of cheap labor. In 1642, the French East India Company was founded. Its goal was to conquer the Mascarenes. Madagascar was to become a base for the nearby islands. Thirteen settlers were disembarked off its coast, on the island of Sainte Luce, to establish a fort. In 1643, Fort Dauphin was established in the southern part of Madagascar, from where steps were taken to capture the northeastern part of the island, located on Antongil Bay, and the island of Sainte Marie. Ponis commanded the fort from 1642 to 1643, but neither he nor his successor from 1643 to 1655, Flacourt, were able to establish friendly relations with the Malagasy. There was a shortage of goods to trade, supplies from France were irregular, so the French organized notorious looting expeditions and extorted tribute from the indigenous population. In 1665, a new wave of colonists arrived from France. In 1674, Fort Dauphin was captured by the Malagasy (Antanusi), and most of the French staying there were slaughtered. The reasons for France's failure in its 17th-century settlement policy in Madagascar are attributed to the divergence of interests between Louis XIV's finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a supporter of French settlement on the island, and the leaders of the Indian Company. Opponents refused to provide funds for Colbert's plans and focused on trade with India and developing the plantation economy in Mascarene. source: wikipedia.org
