Did you know that Haiti was a former Empire and Kingdom?
The First Empire: 1804-1806 - Jacques 1
Saint-Domingue won its independence from France on January 1, 1804. Immediately after, the new country's leader and General Jean Jacque Dessalines changed its name back to what the native Taino people of the island called it Ayiti but now spelled Hayti. Dessalines created the first Black Empire on the North American continent and proclaimed himself Emperor Jacques 1 on September 22, 1804. The Emperor's coronation took place in October later that year, and he drafted the first constitution since independence in May 1805. Below are some highlights from the constitution of 1805:
- Slavery is forever abolished
- The national colors shall be black and red
- The crown is elective and not hereditary
- The country is split into six military divisions
- Within each military division, a public school shall be established to educate the youth
- The state does not provide for the maintenance of any religious institution or any minister
- White people (with the exception of Germans and Poles) are banned from owning land
- National festival for celebrating independence, the birth of the Emperor and empress
The Kingdom of Hayti: 1811-1820- Henry 1
On March 28, 1811, Haiti's northern president Henry Christophe established Haiti's kingdom and proclaimed himself King -Henry 1. Following the assassination of Jacques 1, Haiti's first emperor, the country was split in two with Christophe controlling the northern part. The kingdom of Haiti thrived for nine years. Below is a short-list of some accomplishments that occurred during the king's lifetime:
- Several schools were built, notably the schools of music, art, and science
- The king had a royal library consisting of at least 25,000 books
- English teachers were brought from England to train Haitian teachers; a pro-English curriculum was instituted
- A nobility was created to include dukes, counts, duchesses, barons, princes, and princesses
- The kingdom had its currency, coat of arms, and printing press
- In addition to constructing Citadelle Laferriere and Palais San Souci, six chateaux and palaces were also built
- The queen had several fancy royal parties at Palais San Souci
- Code Henry- a collection of laws were written and distributed
- Christophe renamed Cap-Francais as Cap-Henry which is present-day Cap-Haitian
- Christophe had planned to purchase the Spanish side of Hispaniola, the modern-day Dominican Republic from Spain through England
The Second Empire: 1849-1859- Faustin 1
Faustin -Elle Soulougue was born in 1782 in Pettit Goave to a slave mother. He became free as part of the 1793 emancipation degree. He fought along with revolutionary leaders and later joined the Haitian army. He quickly rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General. In 1847 after the death of then-President Richie, who was largely a puppet for the Boyerist
ruling family, Soulogue was chosen and expected to continue to do the elite class's bedding. Soulougue played the part for some time, but he ultimately wanted absolute power, and he re-establish the monarch forming the second Haitian Empire from 1849-1859. There were several notable things that Faustin 1 did worth mentioning during his decade reign.
- He formed his private militia and called them zinglins
- He was ruthless and killed anyone who opposed him, and he especially hated the mullatoes
- He invited Black Americans from Louisiana to emigrate to Haiti, many of them did, but a large number returned to Louisiana years later
- His coronation in 1852 was modeled after Napoleon's coronation; he greatly admired French and European culture
- He maintained an entourage of voudou priestess as part of his staff
- He drafted the constitution of 1849 and made the monarch hereditary
- He created a nobility consisting of Princes, Dukes, Earls, Lady Knight, and Barons to name a few
- He tried several times unsuccessfully to invade the Dominican Republic who had won its independence from Haiti in 1844
Soulouque was eventually ousted in 1859 and fled to nearby Jamaica, where he is believed to have died. Still, Haitian historian Jacques Nicolas Leger made the case that Soulouque returned to Haiti and died in Pettit Goave.
Honorable mention: 1926-1929, The Foreign King of La Gonave- Faustin II
In 1915, during the first US occupation of Haiti Faustin E. Wirkus enlisted in the US Marine Corps. He was soon promoted as a lieutenant in the Garde D’Haiti squad in La Gonave. Wirkus was known for his gentle side and kindness. According to his book The White Kings of La Gonave, he rescued a young lady in distress who turned out to be Queen Timemenne. La Gonave is a small island that’s part of Haiti and the natives welcomed him. It helped that he shared his first name with Emperor Faustin Soulougue. In a bizarre twist of events, he was proclaimed as Faustin II in a voudou ceremony. He and Queen Timemenne ruled for three years until he was deployed back to the US.
DID YOU KNOW: The Haitian constitution of 1805 states that white people cannot own land in Haiti. During the first US occupation of Haiti in 1915, us officials forced Haiti to amend the constitution and allowing white people to now own land in Haiti.
References:
History of Haiti, Ch 1 by Jacques Leger
A Continent of Islands by Mark Kurlansky