By 1674, when Louis XIV took formal control of the islands from the debt-ridden commercial administrators, Martinique had become France's colonial capital in the Lesser Antilles.
Louis XIV allowed the commercial administrators to remain in control, praising their wise stewardship.
mnli hypothesis: Louis XIV allowed the commercial administrators to remain in control, praising their wise stewardship. premise: By 1674, when Louis XIV took formal control of the islands from the debt-ridden commercial administrators, Martinique had become France's colonial capital in the Lesser Antilles.