Toussaint louverture, leader of the haitian revolution

During his life, Louverture first fought and allied with Spanish forces against Saint-Domingue Royalists , then joined with Republican France , becoming Governor-General-for-life of Saint-Domingue , and lastly fought against Bonaparte 's republican troops. Toussaint Louverture was born as a slave in the French colony of Saint-Domingue , now known as Haiti.

He was a devout Catholic , and was manumitted as an affranchi ex-slave before the French Revolution , identifying as a Creole for the greater part of his life. Louverture gradually established control over the whole island and used his political and military influence to gain dominance over his rivals. Throughout his years in power, he worked to balance the economy and security of Saint-Domingue.

Why was toussaint l'ouverture important

Worried about the economy, which had stalled, he restored the plantation system using paid labor; negotiated trade agreements with the United Kingdom and the United States and maintained a large and well-trained army. In , he was invited to a parley by French Divisional General Jean-Baptiste Brunet , but was arrested upon his arrival.

He was deported to France and jailed at the Fort de Joux. He died in Although Louverture died before the final and most violent stage of the Haitian Revolution, his achievements set the grounds for the Haitian army's final victory. Suffering massive losses in multiple battles at the hands of the British and Haitian armies and losing thousands of men to yellow fever , the French capitulated and withdrew permanently from Saint-Domingue the very same year.