LOUVERTURE IN CAPTIVITY

The famed leader spent the final months of his life imprisoned

In 1801, Louverture issued a new constitution that proclaimed him as Governor-general of Saintdomingue for life. This angered Napoleon, who sent an army led by his brother-in-law, General Charles Emmanuel Leclerc, to invade Saintdomingue and restore French control in January 1802, despite Louverture’s insistence that he remained loyal to France.

Fighting broke out between Louverture’s men and the French, with both sides experiencing heavy losses. To bring an end to hostilities, Louverture negotiated amnesty for himself and his generals, acknowledged Leclerc’s authority, then retired to his own plantation in May. However, shortly afterwards, Louverture was invited to a parley, where he was arrested and deported to France.

Imprisoned and interrogated repeatedly at the Fort de Joux, Louverture wrote a memoir defending his actions and denouncing his treatment by the French. He died just under a year later in April 1803 after months of ill health, with his death possibly caused by malnutrition and pneumonia.

Although Louverture did not live to see the success of the revolution he had spearheaded, he is still remembered and celebrated in Haiti and around the world today.