Antoine Lavalette, SJ (also de La Valette, and born Valete; 26 October 1708 – 13 December 1767) was a French Jesuit priest and missionary known for his slaveholding.
In 1742 he arrived on the Caribbean island of Martinique,[1] a French colony with an economy dominated by large plantations growing coffee, sugar cane and other crops for export.
In 1756, his most important agent in France went bankrupt because they were unable to redeem the lettres de change Lavallete had issued to his creditors.
The Jesuits in France attempted to pay the growing number of Lavalette's creditors and ordered an investigation of his business practices.
[7][8] In 1761, as the Seven Years' War was winding down, Jean-François de la Marche, a Jesuit visitor, journeyed to Martinique to investigate Lavalette.
De la Marche was shocked, but "for Lavalette, accustomed to the sovereignty of the planter class, it was a rational response to a perceived threat from below."
However, Lavalette was ordered to return to Europe, convicted by the Jesuits of "profane commerce" and removed from his position.
Other than Ricci's mention, the story of Lavalette's murders was ignored by the Jesuits until 1996 when a researcher uncovered de la Marche's report.
[10] Although they attempted to satisfy their creditors, the French parliament in 1762 ruled against the Jesuits and confiscated 38 of their 124 schools in France.