Empire and Kingdom of Haiti
Houses of Dessalines - Christophe
Soulouque and Salnave
The First Empire of Haiti -1804 - 1806
The First Empire of Haiti (French: Empire d'Haïti; Haitian
Creole: Anpi an Ayiti) was an elective
monarchy
in North America. Haiti was controlled by France before declaring independence on
January 1, 1804. The Governor-General of Haiti, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, created the
empire on
September 22, 1804. Proclaiming
himself Emperor Jacques I, he held his coronation ceremony on
October 6. The constitution of May 20, 1805, set out the way the empire was to be governed, with
the country split into six military divisions. The general of each division corresponded directly
with the emperor or the general in chief appointed by the emperor. The constitution also set out the
succession to the throne, with the crown being elective and the reigning emperor having the power to
appoint his successor. The constitution also
banned white people, with the exception of naturalised
Germans and Poles, from owning property inside the empire.
Emperor Jacques I of Haiti - 1804–1806
Jacques I was assassinated on October 17, 1806.
Two members of his administration, Alexandre
Pétion and Henri Christophe, then assumed 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. Some 43
years later, on August 26, 1849, President Faustin Soulouque re-established an Empire in Haiti that
lasted until January 15, 1859.
The Kingdom of Haiti - 1811 - 1820
King Henry I of Haïti - 1811-1820
