Person

Jean-Jacques Dessalines

1758–1806 · 18th century

Jean-Jacques Dessalines was a leader of the Haitian Revolution. After the defeat of the French expedition, he declared the independence of Haiti in 1804 and became its first ruler. The loss of Saint-Domingue was a major blow to the French Empire.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Image: Louis Rigaud · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

French EmpireImpactRepublic of Haiti (1806-1849)Foundation

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Saint-DomingueFrench Santo DomingoFirst Empire of Haiti

Great speeches

Toussaint Louverture at Camp Turel29 August 1793

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Jean-Jacques Dessalines. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jean-jacques-dessalines
MLA
“Jean-Jacques Dessalines.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jean-jacques-dessalines. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Jean-Jacques Dessalines.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jean-jacques-dessalines.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Jean-Jacques Dessalines’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jean-jacques-dessalines (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻