Also known as: British invasion of Saint-Domingue, British war in Saint-Domingue
Last updated: April 26, 2026
Beginning in 1793, Britain seized major ports and zones of Saint-Domingue in alliance with internal counter-revolutionary forces, including the Saint-Marc coalition and white planters in Jérémie and the Mole. The occupation lasted until 1798 and depended on local anti-emancipation alliances rather than purely external force. Rather than defeating revolutionary emancipation, the occupation intensified and militarized it, serving as one of the main schools of military consolidation for figures such as André Rigaud and the broader coalition that survived into the post-1794 phase.
Became famous under the English occupation; served as a talented Black commander on the British side in the mid-1790s.
Accepted British payment and served as brigadier general under British authority after defecting in 1793.
The Saint-Marc coalition he helped organize was part of the broader realignment that drew Artibonite free-colored leaders toward the British occupation as an alternative to republican abolition.
Led the defense of Fort Bizoton during the British attack on Port-au-Prince in June 1794; resisted both British military assault and earlier British recruitment attempts.
The British occupation was the military context in which the 1794 abolition decree was proclaimed
The British invasion intensified the pressure that produced the North Province emancipation
The Saint-Marc coalition's counter-revolutionary turn helped open Saint-Marc to British entry
British forces in Saint-Domingue were partly drawn from Jamaica.
The British entered Port-au-Prince in 1794
The British occupation took place across Saint-Domingue
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"British Occupation of Saint-Domingue." 1793. Rasin.ai, 2026. https://rasin.ai/connections/events/british-occupation-of-saint-domingue. Accessed 2026-05-05.