A brilliant strategist and unwavering abolitionist, Toussaint Louverture combined military genius with a relentless pursuit of freedom.  Born into slavery on the Bréda plantation in Haiti, he rose from captivity to command armies, earning the name Louverture (meaning “the opening”) for his unmatched skill in battle.

Though initially aligned with Spain, he shifted allegiance to France in 1794, securing emancipation for the enslaved. In 1801, defying Napoleon’s wishes, he invaded Santo Domingo to eradicate slavery and drafted Haiti’s first constitution, proclaiming universal equality.

Captured by the French and exiled to Fort-de-Joux, he died in 1803, but his revolution triumphed. Within months, Haiti became the first free Black republic, cementing Louverture’s legacy as one of history’s greatest liberators.