Treaty of Versailles

This was the treaty that returned Dominica to the British after five years of French occupation (1778 -1783). It was signed in the Palace of Versailles 3 September 1783. It was part of the arrangements ending the American War of Independence, because France had joined the war on the side of the American colonists against the British. During the war, the French captured Dominica on 7 September 1778 and had hoped to hold onto it. But on 12 April 1782, Admiral Rodney defeated the French at the Battle of The Saintes. This victory gave the British the upper hand to demand Dominica back and the treaty confirmed this. The French tried to capture the island on two other occasions, in 1795 and 1805, but were unsuccessful and the island remained British until 1978.

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