Faustin Soulouque

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Portrait of Faustin Soulouque
1782-1867

Faustin-Élie Soulouque (1782? - August 6, 1867) was a career officer and general in the Haitian army. He was made President of Haiti on March 1, 1847. On April 18, 1852 he was crowned Emperor of Haiti under the name of Faustin I. He was forced to abdicate by revolutionaries on January 15, 1859.

Early Years & Military Career

Born in Petit-Goâve in 1782 as Faustin-Élie Soulouque, he was one of two sons born to Marie-Catherine Soulouque. He was freed by his owner Felicite Sonthonax on August 29, 1793. As a free citizen he enlisted in the black revolutionary army and fought as a private during the Haitian War of Independence between 1803-1804. During the conflict Soulouque became a respected soldier and as a consequence in 1806 he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Army of Haiti and made Aide de Camp to General Lamarre. In 1810 he was appointed to the Horse Guards under President Petion. During the next four decades he continued to serve in the Haitian Military, rising to the rank of Colonel under President Guerier, until finally promoted to the highest command in the Haitian Army, attaining the rank of Lieutenant General and Supreme Commander of the Presidential Guards under then President Jean-Baptiste Riché.

President of Haiti

In 1847 President Riché died. During his tenure he had acted as a figure head for the Boyerist ruling class, who immediately began to look for a replacement. Their attention quickly focused on Faustin Soulouque, whom the majority considered him to be a somewhat dull and ignorant man. At the age of 65 he seemed to be a malleable candidate and was subsequently enticed to accept the role offered him, taking the Presidential Oath of Office on March 2, 1847.

The Empire

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Faustin I
Emperor of Haiti 1849-1859
The Illustrated London News, February 16, 1856

At first Faustin seemed to fill the role of puppet well. He retained the cabinet level ministers of the former president, and continued the programs of his predecessor. Within a short time however, he overthrew his backers and made himself absolute ruler of the state. Supported by a gang of highly loyal militia known as "zinglins", Soulouque continued to consolidate his power over the government, a process which culminated in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies proclaiming him Emperor of Haiti on August 26, 1849. In December of 1849 Faustin married his long time companion Adélina Leveque. On April 18, 1852 at the capital Port-au-Prince, both emperor and empress were crowned in an immense and lavish ceremony, in emulation of the coronation of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. During his subsequent reign, Faustin attempted to create a strong centralized government, which while retaining a profoundly Haitian character, borrowed heavily from European traditions, especially those of the First French Empire. One of his first acts after being declared emperor was to established a Haitian nobility. By September, 1850, Faustin had granted Letters Patent creating 4 Princes of the Empire, 59 Dukes, 2 Marquis, 99 Counts, 215 Barons, and scores of Hereditary Chevaliers and lesser nobles. In order that he might reward loyalty to his regime as well as add to the prestige of the Haitian Monarchy, on September 21, 1849 he established the Military Order of St Faustin and the Civil Order of the Haitian Legion of Honor. Later, in 1856 he created the Orders of St. Mary Magdalene and the Order of St. Anne. That same year he founded the Imperial Academy of Arts.

Faustin's foreign policy was centered on preventing foreign intrusion into Haitian politics and sovereignty. The independence of the Dominican Republic (then called Santo Domingo) from Haiti was, in his view, a direct threat to that security. Faustin launched successive invasions into Dominican territory, in 1849, 1850, 1855 and 1856. Each with the objective of seizing the eastern half of the island and annexing it to Haiti. However, all of the attempts ended in defeat for the Haitian Army.

During his reign, Faustin also found himself in direct confrontation with the United States over Navassa Island which the U.S. had seized on the somewhat dubious grounds that guano had been discovered there. Faustin dispatched warships to the island in response to the incursion, but withdrew them after the U.S. guaranteed Haiti a portion of the revenues from the mining operations.

Exile in Jamaica & Death

In 1858 a revolution began, led by General Fabre Geffrard, Duc de Tabara. In December of that year, Geffrard defeated the Imperial Army and seized control of most of the country. As a result the emperor abdicated his throne on January 15, 1859. Refused aid by the French Legation, Faustin was taken into exile aboard a British warship on January 22, 1859. Soon afterwards, the emperor and his family arrived in Kingston, Jamaica where they remained for several years. Allowed to return to Haiti, Faustin died at Petit-Goâve on August 6, 1867 and was buried at Fort Soulouque. Many years later, his name had an American soldier, Faustin Wirkus, to be proclaimed king of the Haitian island of La Gonave, under the name Faustin II.

The Imperial Family

Faustin's marriage to Empress Adélina produced one daughter, Princess Célita Soulouque, who had no issue. The emperor also adopted Adelina's daughter, Olive, in 1850. She was granted the title of Princess with the style Her Serene Highness. She married Jean Philippe Lubin, Count of Petion-Ville, and had issue.

The emperor had one brother Prince Jean-Joseph Soulouque, who in turn had eleven sons and daughters. Jean-Joseph's eldest son, Prince Mainville-Joseph Soulouque, was created Prince Imperial of Haiti and heir apparent upon the succession of his uncle to the throne, he later married Marie d'Albert.