Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Ulrick Jean-Pierre

Widely considered one of Haiti’s founding fathers, Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines played a pivotal role in the Haitian Revolution and became the country’s first ruler under the 1805 constitution. Dessalines started his formidable military career as an officer in the French army, but later switched allegiances and fought against France. He served as First Lieutenant to Toussaint Louverture, whose portrait appears behind you. Dessalines led many successful battles, including those at Crète-à-Pierrot in March 1802 and the Battle of Vertières in November 1803, which eventually resulted in Haiti’s independence. Often posthumously vilified and criticized as a cruel ruler, Dessalines was ultimately responsible for defeating the French, expelling them from Saint-Domingue, and renaming the new, free nation of Haiti.