History of Haiti

Saint-Domingue, 1626–1804 Draft, not yet reviewed

Saint-Domingue was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti. The economy of Saint-Domingue became focused on slave-based agricultural plantations. In 1791, Africans, who had been forced into bondage, and some Creoles took part in a Vodou ceremony at Bois Caïman and planned the Haitian Revolution. The last French troops withdrew from the western portion of the island in late 1803, and the colony later declared its independence as Haiti, derived from the Taíno name for the island, the following year.

Seat of power: Cap-Haïtien

First Empire of Haiti, 1804–1806 Draft, not yet reviewed

The First Empire of Haiti, officially known as the Empire of Haiti, was an elective monarchy in North America. Haiti was controlled by France before declaring independence on 1 January 1804. The Governor-General of Haiti, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, created the empire on 22 September 1804. Jacques I was assassinated on 17 October 1806, and two members of his administration, Alexandre Pétion and Henri Christophe, then assumed power.

Seat of power: Port-au-Prince

Rulers

• Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Emperor of Haiti, 1804–1806

State of Haiti, 1806–1811 Draft, not yet reviewed

The State of Haiti was the name of the state in northern Haiti. It was created following a failed coup by Henri Christophe against the Haitian Senate in the wake of the assassination of Emperor Jacques I and the overthrow of the First Empire of Haiti. It was ruled by Christophe as President of the State of Haiti. On 28 March 1811 President Henri was proclaimed King Henri I, thereby dissolving the State of Haiti and creating the Kingdom of Haiti.

Seat of power: Milot

Kingdom of Haiti, 1811–1820 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Kingdom of Haiti was the state established by Henri Christophe on 28 March 1811 when he proclaimed himself King Henri I after having previously ruled as president of the State of Haiti, in the northern part of the country. During his reign, Henri built six castles, eight palaces (including the Sans-Souci Palace), the Royal Chapel of Milot, and the Citadelle Laferrière, built to protect the Kingdom from possible French invasions. After suffering a stroke and with support for his rule waning, Henri I committed suicide on 8 October 1820. Following Christophe's death, Boyer moved to unify the country under the southern republic, bringing an end to the Kingdom of Haiti and restoring political unity to the state later that year.

Seat of power: Cap-Haïtien

Haiti, 1820 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country in the Caribbean on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica and south of The Bahamas. Under pressure, Boyer agreed to a treaty by which France formally recognized the independence of the state in exchange for a payment of 150 million francs. From 1915 to 1934 Haiti was occupied by United States Marines, and the United States had intervened after the murder of President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam. By late 2023, gangs and armed groups controlled an estimated 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Seat of power: Port-au-Prince

Rulers

• Jean-Pierre Boyer, President of Haiti, 1818–1843
• Fabre Geffrard, President of Haiti, 1859–1867
• Nissage Saget, President of Haiti, 1869–1874
• Lysius Salomon, President of Haiti, 1879–1888
• Florvil Hyppolite, President of Haiti, 1889–1896
• Tirésias Simon Sam, President of Haiti, 1896–1902
• Pierre Nord Alexis, President of Haiti, 1902–1908
• Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave, President of Haiti, 1915–1922
• Louis Borno, President of Haiti, 1922–1930
• Stenio Vincent, President of Haiti, 1930–1941
• Élie Lescot, President of Haiti, 1941–1946
• Paul Magloire, President of Haiti, 1950–1956
• François Duvalier, President of Haiti, 1957–1971
• Jean-Claude Duvalier, President of Haiti, 1971–1986
• Transitional Presidential Council, Head of state, 2024 to today