Jean-François Papillon facts for kids

Jean-François Papillon (who died in the early 1800s) was a very important leader in the Haitian Revolution. This was a big fight against slavery and French rule in what is now Haiti. He helped start the uprising of enslaved people and later worked with Spain against the French.

Jean-François was born in Africa. Sadly, he was enslaved and brought to a French colony called Saint-Domingue. This place later became the country of Haiti. He worked on a plantation owned by someone named Papillon. He managed to escape from the plantation and became a maroon, which meant he was a free person living outside the plantations. So, when the revolution began in August 1791, he already knew what freedom felt like.

Becoming a Leader

After the first leader of the enslaved rebels, Dutty Boukman, died, Jean-François Papillon became the main commander. He took charge over other important Black generals like Georges Biassou, Jeannot Bullet, and Toussaint Bréda (who later became famous as Toussaint Louverture).

By late 1791, Jean-François and Biassou put their disagreements aside. They worked together to stop Jeannot, who was very violent. Jeannot not only attacked the French but also killed any Black soldiers who disagreed with him. Because of this, Biassou and Jean-François arrested Jeannot and executed him in November 1791.

Many people thought Jean-François and his men were fighting for complete freedom for everyone. However, their main goal was to gain power for themselves. Jean-François told some American agents that he wasn't fighting for "General Liberty," which he thought was just an idea. He wanted to be a powerful leader.

Working with Spain

Spain supported the Haitian Revolution from the start. They gave the rebels food and weapons. Spain hoped this chaos would let them send troops to Saint-Domingue and take it back. This land had once belonged to Spain but was taken by France in a peace treaty in 1697.

In October 1791, General Toussaint Bréda admitted he was talking to the Spanish. They had promised to provide supplies. Spain kept these contacts secret because they were officially neutral in the French Revolution. The revolution in Saint-Domingue was seen as a smaller part of that bigger conflict.

Spain's attitude changed in January 1793. This was when the French government executed their king, Louis XVI of France. After this, Spain felt it no longer needed to be neutral towards France. Both countries declared war on each other in March 1793. Because of this, King Charles IV told his officials in the Spanish part of Hispaniola (now the Dominican Republic) to officially work with the Black generals of Saint-Domingue and get them to join the Spanish army.

A priest named José Vázquez helped with these talks. On May 6, 1793, Jean-François swore loyalty to the Spanish King for himself and his soldiers. He confirmed this oath in a letter a few days later. However, the rebel leaders made it clear they supported the Spanish King not as their true ruler, but as a way to get revenge for the French King, who was the Spanish King's cousin.

Victories and Challenges with Spain

Jean-François and his allies became special "black auxiliary troops" for King Carlos IV. They were not considered part of the regular Spanish army because of their skin color. Their alliance with Spain was very important. It helped the Spanish army make big gains in Hispaniola against the French. They captured important places like Gonaïves, Gros-Morne, Plaisance, Acul, Limbé, Port-Margot, Borgne, Petit-Saint-Louis, and Terre-Neuve.

However, there was always a lot of tension between Jean-François and Biassou. This led to a fight between their groups in September 1793. The French took advantage of this conflict among the Black auxiliaries and recaptured a fort that Jean-François's troops had recently taken. This event made the Spanish government realize they needed to stop the fighting within the Black army. A Spanish officer named Matías de Armona helped them meet in Dondon and reach an agreement by late November 1793.

In the following weeks, the Black auxiliaries won many more battles for Spain. They especially helped conquer Port Margot in early 1794. For their success, the Spanish King gave them several golden and silver medals.

The Bayajá Incident

The reputation of the Black auxiliaries started to decline in July 1794, after a terrible event called the massacre of Bayajá. This place had been a French town (Fort Dauphin) until the Spanish captured it in January 1794. At that time, the people of the town asked the Spanish not to let Jean-François's troops enter. They were afraid because many residents used to own some of Jean-François's soldiers as slaves. Also, one of the officers who surrendered the city to Spain was a mixed-race man named Candy, who had once worked for Jean-François but then joined the French.

Despite these concerns, on July 7, 1794, Jean-François and his troops entered Bayajá. They attacked and killed many French residents. Sadly, many Spanish soldiers also died in the event. The Spanish soldiers stationed there did not try to stop the killing. Other countries criticized Spain for this, even accusing them of secretly supporting the massacre.

After this, the Spanish realized that the Black auxiliaries could be dangerous. They stopped letting them take part in any other major military campaigns. This was to prevent such violent events from happening again.

Moving On: Basel and the Auxiliaries' Journey

The Spanish government became aware of the "wildness" of the Black auxiliaries. Also, the Spanish part of Hispaniola was given to France in the Peace Treaty of Basel. These two things convinced Spain to get rid of Jean-François and his troops. The main reason for their alliance – Spain's plan to conquer the western part of Hispaniola – had failed.

First, Jean-François and his main helpers were taken to Havana, Cuba. But the governor of Cuba, Luis de las Casas, was very worried. He feared their presence would cause a huge uprising among enslaved people on the island. So, he pressured the Spanish government to remove them from Cuba.

In March 1796, they arrived in the Spanish city of Cádiz. There, they were kept almost like prisoners. Their situation in Cádiz was very difficult. The generals lost their military ranks and their right to any money after retirement. Jean-François also had to use his few resources to help his family and his companions.

In 1813, the Spanish government decided to move them out of Cádiz. Sadly, Jean-François never saw the end of the problems for his troops. He had already died in the early 1800s, perhaps in 1805. The Spanish government completely forgot about him. They "rewarded" him for his loyal service by denying any official connection to him or any other former slave general.

See also

In Spanish: Jean-François Papillón para niños