Toussaint L’Ouverture (1743 – 1803) was a Haitian general and best-known leader of the Haitian Revolution. L'Ouverture was a slave in Saint-Domingue (later the country of Haiti) until the age of 33. Beginning in 1789, free people of color of Saint-Domingue were inspired by the French Revolution to seek more rights and equality. L’Ouverture joined the rebellion and quickly worked into the position of General. Allied with the French, he gradually established control over the island of Saint-Domingue. He put forth an autonomous constitution for the colony in 1801, which named him as Governor-General for Life, against the wishes of French leader Napoleon Bonaparte, causing a huge amount of friction. In 1802, he was invited to a parley by the French and was arrested under false pretenses. Deprived of food and water in a French jail cell, he died in 1803. Though L’Ouverture died before the final stage of the revolution, his achievements set the grounds for the black army's absolute victory. Suffering massive losses in battles at the hands of the Haitian army and battling yellow fever, the French were forced to withdraw from Saint-Domingue. The Haitian Revolution continued under L’Ouverture's lieutenant, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who declared independence on 1 January 1804, thereby establishing the sovereign state of Haiti.
Left Portrait: Public Domain, Right Portrait base: iStock photo. Created using Photoshop.
