Also known as: August 1791 Insurrection, Northern Plain Uprising, 1791 Slave Revolt
Last updated: April 26, 2026
On the night of August 21-22, 1791, enslaved workers across Saint-Domingue's Northern Plain launched coordinated attacks on plantations, killing overseers and owners, burning cane fields, and destroying the infrastructure of the plantation system. Led initially by Boukman Dutty and followed by Jean-François Papillon, Georges Biassou, and others, the uprising began the largest and most successful slave revolt in world history. Within days the densely settled northern plain was devastated, initiating a thirteen-year revolutionary war that ended with Haitian independence and the permanent abolition of slavery.
1791-uprising — the wider uprising whose opening phase Biaise participated in
1791-uprising — uprising context
1791-uprising - One of five principal leaders
August 1791 Uprising
August 1791 Uprising
One of the five founding commanders of the August 1791 uprising that launched the Haitian Revolution.
One of the five principal leaders of the uprising; along with Biassou, one of the two who survived to become the senior commanders of the northern insurgency.
One of five principal leaders of the August 1791 uprising; captured Dondon on September 10, giving the insurgents access to Spanish supply lines.
Among the first spontaneous commanders of the August 1791 uprising; commanded the rebel encampment at the Cardinaux plantation from at least October 1791, recorded in colonial sources as 'très mauvais sujet.'
Failed to respond adequately to warnings of the uprising; sent only six men when 100 were requested
Her ceremony at Bois Caïman directly launched the August 1791 uprising that began the Haitian Revolution
Led the Cul-de-Sac plain insurgency in 1792, commanding ten to fifteen thousand followers in the West Province uprising parallel to the Northern revolution.
Was still linked to insurgent organizing as late as September 1, 1791, trying to incite Le Cap's enslaved workers — demonstrating underground continuity from the Ogé world to the August uprising.
The Platons revolt was the South Province's autonomous response to the same revolutionary moment that produced the August 1791 uprising in the North
The Bois Caïman ceremony eight days earlier consecrated and coordinated the uprising
His death came three months after the uprising he helped launch
The assembly finalized the plans for the August 22, 1791 uprising
The revolt's defeat and gruesome executions radicalized the colony in the months before August 1791
August 1791 Uprising
August 1791 Uprising
August 1791 Uprising
August 1791 Uprising
August 1791 Uprising
August 1791 Uprising
1791-uprising - The night the plain burned
August 1791 Uprising
The uprising transformed Saint-Domingue permanently
1791-uprising - The fire begins
August 1791 Uprising
1791-uprising - The revolt whose mobilization drew on ritual soundscapes and communication networks
August 1791 Uprising
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"August 1791 Uprising." 1791. Rasin.ai, 2026. https://rasin.ai/connections/events/august-1791-uprising. Accessed 2026-05-05.