Nothing is known about his family. His reason for renown is his 1503 voyage from France to Senegal, defying the Iberian monopoly over European maritime trade with West Africa. Captain Gonneville did not kidnap and enslave West African. He showed Africans that all Europeans did not capture Africans and enslave them in Europe and insular colonies from the Spanish Canaries to the Portuguese Azores, Madeiras, Cape Verdes, and São Tomé.
The French were the first Europeans to question the power of the Catholic Church to give West Africa to Portugal and America to Spain King François I said sarcastically where is it written in the will of Adam that Portugal has monopoly over West Africa Lyautey pp 5 6 The French maintained that no Christian nation has the authority to monopolize the seas and restrict trade with non Christian people whom they had not conquered Captain Gonneville sailed to the ...
