Philippe François Rouxel, viscount de Blanchelande (21 February 1735 – 15 April 1793) was a

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Saint-Domingue from 1790 to 1792. He was born on 21 February 1735 in

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

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 ...

, and subsequently joined the French army, rising to the rank of ''

Maréchal de camp ''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848. The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général'') ...

'' by 1781. In that year, Blanchelande led a French expeditionary force which captured Tobago from the

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 ...

. He was subsequently made governor of the island, serving from 1781 to 1784. Blanchelande subsequently succeeded Antoine de Thomassin de Peynier as governor of

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1803. The name derives from the Spanish main city on the isl ...

at the end of 1790. In 1791, during 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 ...

, Rouxel led French troops against rebel slaves led by

Dutty Boukman Dutty Boukman (or Boukman Dutty; died 7 November 1791) was a leader of the Haitian Revolution. Born to a Muslim family in Senegambia (present-day Senegal and Gambia), he was initially enslaved in Jamaica. He eventually ended up in Haiti, where h ...

. In 1792, he was replaced as governor by Adrien-Nicolas Piédefer, marquis de La Salle, who would himself be replaced by François-Thomas Galbaud du Fort after June 1793. Convicted of counter-revolutionary actions and

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

, Blanchelande was condemned to the

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

by the

Revolutionary Tribunal The Revolutionary Tribunal (; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. In October 1793, it became one of the most powerful engines of ...

on 11 April 1793 and executed on 15 April.

Notes

External links

* The Louverture Project
Philibert François Rouxel de Blanchelande
- Article from Haitian history wiki. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rouxel De Blanchelande 1735 births 1793 deaths Governors of Trinidad and Tobago Governors of Saint-Domingue French generals French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War People of the Haitian Revolution French people executed by guillotine during the French Revolution Military personnel from Dijon Executed military leaders People executed for treason against France