Charles Rivière-Hérard also known as Charles Hérard aîné (16 February 1789 – 31 August 1850) was an officer in the Haitian Army under
Alexandre Pétion during his struggles against Henri Christophe. He was declared
President of Haiti on 4 April 1843. He was forced from office by revolutionaries on 3 May 1844.
Early life
Charles Rivière-Hérard was born in
Port-Salut
Port-Salut is a coastal commune in the Sud department of Haiti.
Port-Salut is a popular destination for local Haitians, as well as tourists, due to the surrounding beaches.
Port-Salut is the hometown of Haiti's former president, Jean-Bertr ...
on 16 February 1789. Little about his early life is generally known, except that he fought with the revolutionaries against the French, and that he was an officer commanding a battalion of black troops, probably later in his military career.
Presidency
Hérard was chief among the conspirators who ousted President
Jean-Pierre Boyer
Jean-Pierre Boyer (15 February 1776 – 9 July 1850) was one of the leaders of the Haitian Revolution, and President of Haiti from 1818 to 1843. He reunited the north and south of the country into the Republic of Haiti in 1820 and also annexed ...
during the 1843 Revolution. On 30 December of that same year, a Provisional Parliament of Haiti enacted a new
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
, apparently without Hérard's approval. Soon afterward, General Hérard, who had the loyalty of the army, seized control of the government and declared himself President of Haiti.
Dominican War of Independence
Soon after Hérard's rise to power, the eastern half of Haiti, which at that time was
Santo Domingo
, total_type = Total
, population_density_km2 = auto
, timezone = AST (UTC −4)
, area_code_type = Area codes
, area_code = 809, 829, 849
, postal_code_type = Postal codes
, postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional)
, websi ...
, staged a revolt. On 27 February 1844, rebels occupied the capital city of Santo Domingo and the following day declared the independence of the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
from Haiti. Hérard responded almost immediately. In March 1844, the Dominican Republic was invaded through its eastern and northern frontiers by two Haitian army corps of more than 10,000 men; that of the west commanded by Hérard arrived at
Azua, where was posted the advance guard of the Dominicans under General
Pedro Santana
Pedro Santana y Familias, 1st Marquess of Las Carreras (June 29, 1801June 14, 1864) was a Dominican military commander and royalist politician who served as the president of the junta that had established the First Dominican Republic, a pr ...
, consisting of about 3,000 men with 3 cannons. The fire was opened, and the battle begun, on 19 March, when the Dominicans gained the victory, repelling their enemy with the loss of only 2 killed and 3 wounded, while more than 1,000 Haitians remained dead on the field.
After this decisive victory, the Dominicans withdrew their headquarters to the River Ocoa, and the valleys of
Baní, where their cavalry and
lancers could operate; and in this way they restrained the march of the aggressors, who could not advance beyond Azua; and having then attempted to open a way through the passes of the Maniel, they were in every re-encounter driven back with loss.
[
The other Haitian army in the north, commanded by General Pierrot, appeared on 30 March near the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, where the Haitians were also repulsed. Musket and cannon fire accounted for 600 Haitian dead; the Dominicans suffered only 1 wounded.][ This army abandoned the field of battle on the following day, and during its retreat was incessantly harassed and pursued experiencing in this way additional losses.][ The Haitian army at Azua, having failed in all its attempts to penetrate through the mountain passes, and suffering constant losses, likewise retreated to Port-au-Prince; committing before its departure the infamous act of burning the houses at Azua.][ In retaliation, Dominican gunboats bombarded Haitian coastal cities.]
Facing increasing opposition in the government and a rapidly deteriorating political situation within the country, on 30 March 1844 Hérard dissolved the new Constitution and the Parliament.
Overthrow
During Hérard's invasion of the Dominican Republic, an armed revolt began in the Haitian countryside. By the end of March 1844, a rebel army composed of peasants and farmers began to muster near the city of Les Cayes
Les Cayes ( , ), often referred to as Aux Cayes (; ht, Okay), is a commune and seaport in the Les Cayes Arrondissement, in the Sud department of Haiti, with a population of 71,236. Due to its isolation from the political turmoil of the capita ...
on the southwest peninsula. The rebels, known as ''piquets'', were armed with long pikes (from which they derived their name). Gathering under the command of a General Jean-Jacques Acaau Jean-Jacques is a French name, equivalent to "John James" in English. Since the second half of 18th century, Jean Jacques Rousseau was widely known as Jean Jacques. Notable people bearing this name include:
Given name
* Jean-Jacques Annaud (born 1 ...
, they formed what became known as "L’Armée Souffrante" or the Army of the Sufferers. In April of that year, they met and defeated a government army, although soon after this, their advance on the Haitian capital was checked at the town of Aquin.
This however, did not provide a respite for Hérard. While General Acaau was marching against Port-au-Prince in the south, an armed revolt had begun in the North, fueled by Hérard's opponents in the government. Faced with this crisis, Hérard relinquished the Presidency on 3 May 1844. He went into exile on 2 June 1844, resettling in Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, where he died on 31 August 1850.
References
External links
Image of Charles Rivière-Hérard
in the open access Digital Library of the Caribbean
The Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) is an international digital library operated collaboratively by the contributing partners.
Partners
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Riviere-Herard, Charles
People of the Haitian Revolution
Presidents of Haiti
1789 births
1850 deaths
Haitian exiles
Haitian emigrants to Jamaica
People from Port-au-Prince
People from Sud (department)