Dessalines, Jean-Jacques

(1758–1806) initially served as an officer in the French Army, but became a commander in the revolt against France and subsequently the leader of the Haitian Revolution. He defeated the French army in 1803 and declared Haiti an independent nation in 1804. This officially ended the only slave rebellion in world history that successfully resulted in establishing an independent nation. Dessalines was chosen by a council of generals to assume the office of Governor-General. He ordered the 1804 Haiti massacre of the white Haitian minority, resulting in the deaths of between 3,000 and 5,000 people. In 1804, he proclaimed himself Emperor Jacques I of Haiti and ruled in that capacity until being assassinated in 1806. Dessalines is regarded as a founding father of Haiti.