Toussaint Louverture

~1743–1803 · Haitian (Saint-Domingue) · Haitian Revolution

Known for: Led the only successful slave revolution in history, defeating French, Spanish, and British armies

Toussaint Louverture was born enslaved in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) and became the leader of the only successful slave revolution in history. He was self-educated, reading Caesar and Epictetus, and applied his knowledge to defeat the French, Spanish, and British armies that tried to maintain slavery on the island.

He played colonial powers against each other with diplomatic brilliance, building an army that defeated Napoleon's forces. He was captured through French treachery and died in a cold prison in the Jura mountains, prophesying: 'In overthrowing me, you have cut down the trunk of the tree of black liberty. It will spring back.' It did—Haiti became the first free Black republic.

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