The history of the Seychelles begins around the end of the XV century, during the unique age of the great sea voyagers which ultimately culminated in the discovery and colonization of the new world. The first to land on the Seychelles shores were Arab seafarers, but it was only when Vasco de Gama, the Portuguese admiral, reached these islands that they were first noted in the logbooks of European sea captains and marked on their nautical charts.

Soon thereafter the archipelago became a port of call re-supplying the merchant vessels on their route to India and, because of the abundant fresh water and food they had to offer, the islands were soon nicknamed the “Earthly Paradise”. A legendary era of sinister fame began when pirates, forced to leave the West Indies, found ideal shelter in the maze of Seychellean islands north of Madagascar. One story, still told by the natives, and apt to kindle the imagination of tourists, is well worth telling: Among the most famous of the pirates who based their raids from these islands was a blood thirsty Frenchman, Olivier La Vasseur, nicknamed “LaBuse” (The Buzzard). Disrespecting an agreement not to touch the merchant vessels on route to the colonies, the Buzzard and His pirate crew nonethelless boarded the great ship La Vierge du Cap. The booty turned out to be the richest in the history of piracy. Immediatly pursued, Le Vasseur was soon captured on the island of Mauritius where he was sentenced to death and executed. As the story goes, before being hanged he shouted a garbled message, apparently in code language, to the crowd assembled to watch his execution. The message supposedly contained pertinent information for finding the fabulous treasure, apparently buried somewhere in the Seychelles. The treasure hunt goes on to this every day!

Around the middle of the XVII century the serious colonization of these islands, appreciated both for their fertility and for their strategic location along the commercial shipping routes, began. At this time the island of Mahé was given its name – that of the French Governor of Mauritius, Mahé de Labourdonnais. A few years and a few events later, Jean Moreau de Séchelles, the Finance Minister under King Louis XV, expanded the French presence by occupying all of the islands which offered good natural landings: hence the name of the archipelago.

Towards the end of the XVII century only a few settlers inhabited the islands, trying to increase the production of spices and other tropical crops. Their principal role though, was to operate the naval supply bases for the merchant trade ships and for slave ships coming from Africa. Early in the XVIII century, during a war between France and England in which the pirates were used unembarrassedly by both governments and played a significant role, the British took possession of the Seychelles.

Following the Treaty of Paris (1814), the archipelago, together with the island of Mauritius, officially became a part of the British empire under King George III. The colony population consisted at this point of only a few thousand; some Europeans, but ninety percent were slaves of every origin – African, Madagascan, Indian and Mascarene natives of Mauritius. Meanwhile, the planting of cotton crops, and later of coconut, sugar cane and tobacco became a priority of the British.

The abolition of slavery proclaimed by the British government in 1835, radically changed the Seychellean society and provoked a final large wave of immigrants from Africa. The opening of the Suez Canal made the shipping traffic through the islands even more attractive and in 1903 the Seychelles were officially given status as a colony. The clock tower which is still located in the centre of Victoria – a smaller version of the famous Big Ben in London – is a lasting reminder thereof.

Slow economic progress continued with the export to the west of spices, essential oils and, of guano, a valuable fertilizer and base for gunpowder. The islands  also played a role in both World War I and II when they were transformed into bases for the Royal Navy in the Indian Ocean. Following World War II a powerful push towards reconstruction and renewal began throughout the British Empire, and the Seychelles, as a British colony, were fully involved.

That was but the beginning, as the colony started developing more autonomous political and social systems which gradually led towards its full independence from Britain, finally obtained on June 29th, 1976. James Mancham presided over the first coalition government and he was succeeded by France Albert Renè, James Alix Michel and the actual President Mr Wavel John Charles Ramkalawan.