Empire of Haiti
Encyclopedia
The Empire of Haiti was an elective monarchy
in North America
. Haiti had previously been the French colony
of Saint-Domingue
but on January 1, 1804 independence was declared. The Governor-General of Haiti, Jean-Jacques Dessalines
, created the Empire on September 22, 1804 when he proclaimed himself Emperor Jacques I. On 6 October Emperor Jacques' coronation ceremony was held. The constitution of May 20, 1805 set out the way the Empire was to be governed with the country split into six military divisions with each general of the division to correspond directly with the Emperor or the general in chief who would be appointed by the Emperor. The constitution also set out the succession to the throne with the crown being elective with the reigning Emperor having the power to appoint his successor. The constitution also banned white people
(by which it meant not the local white people but all foreigners except for Germans and Poles, who were viewed as sympathetic to the Revolution's cause) from owning property in the Empire.
Emperor Jacques I was assassinated on October 17, 1806 with two members of his administration Alexandre Pétion
and Henri Christophe
assuming power which led to a split in the country with Pétion leading the southern Republic of Haiti and Christophe leading the northern State of Haiti
. Many years later, on August 26, 1849, President Faustin Soulouque re-established an Empire in Haiti which would last until January 15, 1859.
Elective monarchy
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected rather than hereditary monarch. The manner of election, the nature of the candidacy and the electors vary from case to case...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Haiti had previously been the French colony
French colonial empire
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
of Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
but on January 1, 1804 independence was declared. The Governor-General of Haiti, Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Jean-Jacques Dessalines was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1801 constitution. Initially regarded as Governor-General, Dessalines later named himself Emperor Jacques I of Haiti...
, created the Empire on September 22, 1804 when he proclaimed himself Emperor Jacques I. On 6 October Emperor Jacques' coronation ceremony was held. The constitution of May 20, 1805 set out the way the Empire was to be governed with the country split into six military divisions with each general of the division to correspond directly with the Emperor or the general in chief who would be appointed by the Emperor. The constitution also set out the succession to the throne with the crown being elective with the reigning Emperor having the power to appoint his successor. The constitution also banned white people
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
(by which it meant not the local white people but all foreigners except for Germans and Poles, who were viewed as sympathetic to the Revolution's cause) from owning property in the Empire.
Emperor Jacques I was assassinated on October 17, 1806 with two members of his administration Alexandre Pétion
Alexandre Pétion
Alexandre Sabès Pétion was President of the Republic of Haiti from 1806 until his death. He is considered as one of Haiti's founding fathers, together with Toussaint Louverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and his rival Henri Christophe.-Early life:Pétion was born in Port-au-Prince to a Haitian...
and Henri Christophe
Henri Christophe
Henri Christophe was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution, winning independence from France in 1804. On 17 February 1807, after the creation of a separate nation in the north, Christophe was elected President of the State of Haiti...
assuming power which led to a split in the country with Pétion leading the southern Republic of Haiti and Christophe leading the northern State of Haiti
State of Haiti
The State of Haiti was the name of the state in northern Haiti. It was created on October 17, 1806 following the overthrow of the Empire of Haiti following the assassination of Emperor Jacques I...
. Many years later, on August 26, 1849, President Faustin Soulouque re-established an Empire in Haiti which would last until January 15, 1859.
See also
- History of HaitiHistory of HaitiThe recorded history of Haiti began on December 5, 1492 when the European navigator Christopher Columbus happened upon a large island in the region of the western Atlantic Ocean that later came to be known as the Caribbean. It was inhabited by the Taíno, an Arawakan people, who variously called...
- Empire of Haiti (1849–1859)