Kingdom of Haiti
The Kingdom of Haiti (French: Royaume d'Haïti, Haitian Creole: Wayòm an Ayiti) was the state established by Henri Christophe on 28 March 1811 when he was self-proclaimed as King Henri I after having previously ruled as president of the State of Haiti, in the northern part of the country. This was Haiti's second attempt at monarchical rule, as Jean-Jacques Dessalines had previously ruled over the First Empire of Haiti as Emperor Jacques I from 1804 until his assassination in 1806.
Kingdom of Haiti Royaume d'Haïti Wayòm an Ayiti | |||||||||
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1811–1820 | |||||||||
Motto: Ex cineribus nascitur (Latin) "Reborn from the ashes" | |||||||||
The Kingdom of Haiti in the northwest of Hispaniola | |||||||||
Capital | Cap-Henri | ||||||||
Common languages | French, Haitian Creole | ||||||||
Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
King | |||||||||
• 1811–1820 | Henri I | ||||||||
• 1820 | Henri II (not proclaimed) | ||||||||
Legislature | Parliament | ||||||||
• Upper Chamber | Senate | ||||||||
• Lower Chamber | Chamber of Deputies | ||||||||
Historical era | 19th century | ||||||||
• Proclamation of Henri Christophe as King Henri I | 28 March 1811 | ||||||||
• Death of King Henri I | 8 October 1820 | ||||||||
Currency | Haitian livre, Haitian gourde (as of 1813) | ||||||||
ISO 3166 code | HT | ||||||||
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Today part of |
During his reign, Henri built six castles, eight palaces (including the Sans-Souci Palace) and the Citadelle Laferrière fortress, built to protect the Kingdom from possible French invasions. He created a noble class and appointed four princes, eight dukes, 22 counts, 37 barons and 14 chevaliers.
After suffering a stroke and with support for his rule waning, Henri I committed suicide on 8 October 1820. He was buried at the Citadelle Laferrière. His 16 year old son and heir, the Jacques-Victor Henry, Prince Royal of Haiti, was assassinated 10 days later at the Sans-Souci Palace by rebels.
Following the assassination of Emperor Jacques I, the country was split. Parallel with the government of Christophe in the north, Alexandre Pétion, a free person of color, ruled over the south of the country as President of the Republic of Haiti until his death in 1818. He was succeeded by Jean-Pierre Boyer, who reunited the two parts of the nation after the deaths of Henri I and his son in 1820.