Agreement
French Recognition of Haitian Independence, 1825
King Charles X of France issued a Royal Ordinance on 17 April 1825 granting Haiti "full independence" of its government in exchange for a 150-million-franc indemnity to former French colonists, backed by a French naval squadron.
What happened
On 17 April 1825, King Charles X of France issued a Royal Ordinance stating that "the present inhabitants of the French part of Saint-Domingue shall pay ... in five annual instalments, the first one due on 31 December 1825, the sum of one hundred and fifty millions of francs, in order to compensate the former colonists who may claim an indemnity," and that "under these conditions we grant, by the present Ordinance, to the present inhabitants of the French part of Saint-Domingue the full independence of their Government."[1] The ordinance was delivered by the diplomat Baron de Mackau accompanied by a French naval squadron; Haitian President Jean-Pierre Boyer accepted its terms.[1] The indemnity was reduced to 90 million francs in 1838, and related payments continued until 1947.[2]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: On 17 April 1825, King Charles X of France issued a Royal Ordinance stating that the inhabitants of the former French colony "shall pay ... in five annual instalments, the first one due on 31 December 1825, the sum of one hundred and fifty millions of francs, in order to compensate the former colonists who may claim an indemnity," and that "under these conditions we grant, by the present Ordinance, to the present inhabitants of the French part of Saint-Domingue the full independence of their Government." The ordinance was delivered by the diplomat Baron de Mackau accompanied by a French naval squadron, and accepted by Haitian President Jean-Pierre Boyer.
- Wikipedia contributors, Haitian independence debt (Wikipedia) link, article text quoting the ordinance. Source record Consulted via a secondary reproduction of the ordinance's text, not the original French document.
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2.
Claim: The 150-million-franc indemnity imposed by the 1825 Royal Ordinance was reduced to 90 million francs in 1838; payments related to the indemnity continued until 1947.
- Wikipedia contributors, Haitian independence debt (Wikipedia) link, Reduction and later payments sections. Source record