The eighteenth century marked the rationalization and rise of modern fencing as an elite sport, especially in France. Through his show-match and decisive victory against the bigot Picard, Saint-Georges helped to open a path for social mobility and acceptance for people of colour in the arena of highculture athletics in metropolitan Europe. This, in turn, opened more doors, metaphorically speaking, on the right bank of the Seine River. Acknowledging his victory, Louis XV made him a Gendarme du Roi (King's Guard) and his father, Georges, bought him his prize as promised. The King's appointment was significant insofar as it represented a public repudiation of the bigoted calls of the procurator of the naval and colonial ministry, Guillaume Poncet de la Grave (1725-1803) and others, who were calling for the banning of people of colour in metropolitan France and, to some degree, it helped forestall the incorporation of racial ideology in French law.  
Subsequently, Georges returned to Guadeloupe at the end of the Seven Years' War but left Anne and Saint-Georges a sizeable annuity of between 7,000 and 8,000 livres. And it is clear that he journeyed across the Atlantic and continued to be involved in his son's advancement.  
Throughout the eighteenth century, but especially from the middle of the century onwards, the colonial powers were flooded with intra-European newcomers, notably German-speakers, in addition to those from beyond Europe. While many moved on to the colonies, many also stayed in the metropolitan dominions of England, France, the Dutch Republic and Spain. The changes in the world of music reflected this broader demographic change, with the newcomers clamouring for recognition and acceptance. It was in this