7 interesting facts about Napoleon Bonaparte

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Reinstituted slavery in France

An 18th-century British illustration of the inner workings of a slave ship. | Wikimedia Commons

One of the lesser-known deeds of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was his decision to reinstitute slavery in France in 1802, reversing the abolitionist policy of the French Revolution.

Napoleon's decision significantly impacted France's Caribbean holdings, sparking violence and upheaval in Saint-Domingue, which became known as Haiti after gaining independence.

"When they hear of Napoleon, most people think of the great empire, France's many victories during the wars of that era. There is this glory about Napoleon which has eclipsed everything else he did," Dominique Taffin, director of the Foundation for the Remembrance of Slavery, in an interview with DW.

"Napoleon's defeat in Saint-Domingue is a little-known story. He lost the prized colony, sold Louisiana to the US and turned the page on the colonial project."

France would not permanently abolish slavery until 1848.