On 20 March 1796, General Jean Villatte and allied forces arrested French governor Étienne Laveaux at Cap-Français. The episode reflected competition among revolutionary commanders and the fragile authority of French officials. It is sometimes reduced to a racial contest, but political rivalry, military command, and the unequal colonial order all shaped the crisis. Toussaint’s intervention to free Laveaux soon strengthened his own standing.
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👉 Villatte’s coup arrests French governor Laveaux at Cap-Français
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20 Maart 1796
On 20 March 1796, General Jean Villatte and allied forces arrested French governor Étienne Laveaux at Cap-Français. The episode reflected competition among revolutionary commanders and the fragile...
Nine days after Villatte’s coup, Toussaint’s forces freed Laveaux. Laveaux appointed Toussaint lieutenant-general to the government of Saint-Domingue. The appointment joined revolutionary military...
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