republic · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean

State of Haiti

1806 CE – 1811 CE · capital Cap-Haïtien

Henri Christophe's northern Haitian state, a military republic in name that he turned into a kingdom in 1811.

Origins

After the killing of Jacques I in October 1806, the constituent assembly at Port-au-Prince adopted a constitution that left the presidency weak. Henri Christophe, the senior general in the north, refused to accept it, marched on the capital and was repulsed. In February 1807 he set up his own State of Haiti, with its capital at Cap-Haïtien and himself as president for life.

Rule and society

Christophe governed through his army, enforcing plantation labour to restore sugar and coffee exports, which made the north richer than Pétion's republic in the south. Military discipline extended to farm workers, who were bound to estates and paid a share of crops. The state fought an inconclusive civil war with the Republic of Haiti along the Artibonite and traded with Britain and the United States.

Decline and legacy

In March 1811 a council of state proclaimed Christophe King Henri I, and the State of Haiti became the Kingdom of Haiti, which lasted until his death in 1820.

Lineage

First Empire of Haiti 1804 CE – 1806 CEState of HaitiKingdom of Haiti 1811 CE – 1820 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). State of Haiti. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-haiti
MLA
“State of Haiti.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-haiti. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “State of Haiti.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-haiti.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State of Haiti’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-haiti (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻