Alexandre Sabès Pétion (; 2 April 1770 – 29 March 1818) was the first president of the
Republic of Haiti from 1807 until his death in 1818. One of Haiti's founding fathers, Pétion belonged to the revolutionary quartet that also includes
Toussaint Louverture,
Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and his later rival
Henri Christophe. Regarded as an excellent artilleryman in his early adulthood,
Pétion would distinguish himself as an esteemed military commander with experience leading both
French and Haitian troops. The 1802 coalition formed by him and Dessalines against French forces led by
Charles Leclerc would prove to be a watershed moment in the decade-long conflict, eventually culminating in the decisive Haitian victory at the
Battle of Vertières in 1803.
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Early life
Pétion was born "Anne Alexandre Sabès" in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...
to Pascal Sabès, a wealthy French father and Ursula, a free mulatto
( , ) is a Race (human categorization), racial classification that refers to people of mixed Sub-Saharan African, African and Ethnic groups in Europe, European ancestry only. When speaking or writing about a singular woman in English, the ...
woman, which made him a '' quadroon'' (a quarter African ancestry). Like other '' gens de couleur libres'' (free people of color) with wealthy fathers, Pétion was sent to France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in 1788 to be educated and study at the Military Academy in Paris.[Fenton, Louise, Pétion, Alexander Sabès (1770-1818) in Rodriguez, Junius P., ed. Encyclopedia of slave resistance and rebellion. Vol. 2. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007. p374-375]
In Saint-Domingue, as in other French colonies such as Louisiane, the free people of color constituted a third caste between the whites and enslaved Africans. While restricted in political rights, many received social capital from their fathers and became educated and wealthy landowners, resented by the ''petits blancs'', who were mostly minor tradesmen. Following the French Revolution, the ''gens de couleur'' led a rebellion to gain the voting and political rights which they believed were due them as French citizens; this was before the 1791 slave rebellion. At that time, most free people of color did not support freedom or political rights for slaves.
Haitian Revolution
Pétion returned to Saint-Domingue as a young man to take part in the Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...
, participating in skirmishes with British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
forces in Saint-Domingue. There had long been racial and class tensions between the '' gens de couleur'' and enslaved and free blacks in Saint-Domingue, where the enslaved black population outnumbered the white and ''gens de couleur'' by ten to one. During the years of warfare against French planters (commonly referred to as ''grands blancs''), racial tensions in Saint-Domingue were exacerbated in competition for power and political alliances.
When tensions arose between full blacks and mulattoes, Pétion frequently supported the mulatto faction. He allied with André Rigaud and Jean-Pierre Boyer against Toussaint Louverture in the War of the South, which began in June 1799. By November, Rigaud's forces were pushed back to the strategic southern port of Jacmel by Louverture's army; the defence was commanded by Pétion. The town fell in March 1800 and the conflict was effectively over. Pétion, along with Boyer and other mulatto officers who had fought for Rigaud, went into exile in France alongside Rigaud himself.
In February 1802, General Charles Leclerc arrived with a large fleet transporting 32,000 French troops to retake Saint-Domingue from Louverture's control. Petion, Boyer, and Rigaud returned with him in the hope of securing power in the colony.
Following the deportation of Toussaint Louverture to France and continued resistance to the French takeover, Pétion joined the rebels in October 1802. This followed a secret conference at Arcahaie, where Pétion supported Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the general who had captured Jacmel. The rebels took the capital of Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...
on 17 October 1803. Dessalines proclaimed independence on 1 January 1804, naming the nation Haiti. On 6 October 1804, Dessalines declared himself ruler for life and was crowned Emperor of Haiti as Jacques I.
Post-revolution
Disaffected members of Emperor Dessalines's administration, including Pétion and Henri Christophe, began a conspiracy to overthrow Dessalines. Following the assassination
Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives.
Assassinations are orde ...
of Dessalines on 17 October 1806, Pétion championed the ideals of democracy and clashed with Henri Christophe who wanted absolute rule. Christophe was elected president, but he did not believe the position had sufficient power, as Pétion kept powers for himself. Christophe went to the north with his followers and established an autocracy, declaring the State of Haiti. The loyalties of the country divided between them, and the tensions between the blacks and mulattoes of the North and South, respectively, were reignited.
Pétion was elected President in 1807 of the southern Republic of Haiti. After the inconclusive struggle dragged on until 1810, a peace treaty was agreed to, and the country was split in two. In 1811, Christophe made himself king of the northern Kingdom of Haiti.
On 2 June 1816, Pétion modified the terms of the presidency in the constitution, making himself president for life. Initially a supporter of democracy, Pétion found the constraints imposed on him by the senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
onerous and suspended the legislature in 1818.
Pétion seized commercial plantations from the rich gentry. He had the land redistributed to his supporters and the peasantry, earning him the nickname ''Papa Bon-Cœur'' ("good-hearted father"). The land seizures and changes in agriculture reduced the production of commodities for the export economy. Most of the population became full subsistence farmers, and exports and state revenue declined sharply, making survival difficult for the new state.
Believing in the importance of education, Pétion started the Lycée Pétion in Port-au-Prince. Petion's virtues and ideals of freedom and democracy for the world (and especially slaves) were strong, and he often showed support for the oppressed. He gave sanctuary to the independence leader Simón BolÃvar
Simón José Antonio de la SantÃsima Trinidad BolÃvar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...
in 1815 and provided him with material and infantry support. This vital aid played a defining role in Bolivar's success in liberating the countries of what would make up Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), also known as Greater Colombia and officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish language, Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central ...
. Petion was reported to be influenced by his (and his successor's) lover, Marie-Madeleine Lachenais, who acted as his political adviser.
Pétion named General Boyer as his successor as president of the Republic of Haiti; he took control in 1818 following the death of Pétion from yellow fever. After Henri Christophe of the Kingdom of Haiti and his son died in 1820, Boyer reunited the nation under his rule.
References
External links
Works by Pétion
at the Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petion, Alexandre
1770 births
1818 deaths
19th-century Haitian politicians
Deaths from yellow fever
Free people of color
Haitian generals
Haitian independence activists
Haitian people of French descent
Haitian revolutionaries
Infectious disease deaths in Haiti
Mulatto Haitians
People from Port-au-Prince
People from Saint-Domingue
People of the Haitian Revolution
Presidents for life
Presidents of Haiti