Also known as: Death of Dessalines, Coup of Pont-Rouge
Last updated: April 26, 2026
Emperor Jacques I (Jean-Jacques Dessalines) was ambushed and killed on October 17, 1806 at Pont-Rouge, on the road from Port-au-Prince. The conspiracy was led by Alexandre Pétion and Henri Christophe, who opposed Dessalines's increasingly authoritarian rule and his land policies. His death triggered the permanent division of Haiti into two states: Christophe's northern kingdom and Pétion's southern republic.
Pétion was a key organizer of the coup.
Christophe was complicit in the plot.
Dessalines was the victim of the assassination.
Pont-Rouge is the site name for the assassination of Dessalines
If you use rasin.ai data or findings in your research, please cite us:
Chicago
"Assassination of Dessalines." 1806. Rasin.ai, 2026. https://rasin.ai/connections/events/assassination-of-dessalines. Accessed 2026-05-05.