kingdom · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
Second Empire of Haiti
Origins
In 1847 the Haitian senate chose Faustin Soulouque, an elderly and supposedly pliable general, as president. He soon turned on the mixed-race elite who had promoted him, killing opponents in Port-au-Prince in 1848. On 26 August 1849 he had himself proclaimed emperor as Faustin I, and he was crowned with great ceremony in 1852.
Rule and society
Faustin created a court and nobility of princes, dukes and barons, ruled through the army and a feared militia, and tolerated Vodou more openly than his predecessors. The state monopolised coffee purchases, and the economy suffered. He invaded the First Dominican Republic in 1849 and again in 1855 to 1856, but was defeated at Las Carreras, Santomé and Sabana Larga, which cost him prestige.
Decline and legacy
In December 1858 General Fabre Geffrard rose in revolt, and Faustin abdicated in January 1859 and went into exile. Geffrard restored the presidency, founding the modern Republic of Haiti.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Second Empire of Haiti. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-empire-of-haiti
- MLA
- “Second Empire of Haiti.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-empire-of-haiti. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Second Empire of Haiti.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-empire-of-haiti.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Second Empire of Haiti’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-empire-of-haiti (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻