Pompée Valentin Vastey, historian of the Kingdom of Haiti, died 206 years ago

From the Ministry of Finance to the court of Henri Christophe

Born in 1781 in the colony of Saint-Domingue, he worked in 1804, under Jean-Jacques Dessalines, as head of the office of the Minister of Finance, André Vernet. After the assassination of Dessalines in 1806, he remained with Vernet, then followed him into the service of Henri Christophe starting in 1807. When Christophe proclaimed himself king on March 26, 1811, Vastey became secretary of the commission tasked with preparing the Code Henry.

The pen in the service of the monarchy

In 1814, he was appointed private secretary to the king and tutor to the Royal Prince Jacques-Victor Henri, and received the title of baron. That same year, he published Le Système colonial dévoilé, his major work, which listed the crimes of the former colonists. He also attacked the republic of the South led by Pétion, with Le Cri de la conscience and Le Cri de la patrie in 1815. On August 20, 1819, he became a knight of the Royal and Military Order of Saint-Henri, field marshal and chancellor, and published his last book, Essai sur les causes de la révolution et des guerres civiles en Haïti.

The fall of the kingdom

In October 1820, an insurrection spread through the kingdom and the Sans Souci Palace was attacked. After the death of the king, the crowd arrested Vastey along with the 2 royal princes and other notables, who were executed a few days later.