1. George Biassou was an early leader of the 1791 slave rising in Saint-Domingue that began the Haitian Revolution.
23 Facts About Georges Biassou
1. 2.
Georges Biassou withdrew from Santo Domingo in 1795 and moved with his family to Florida, which was then part of the Spanish colony of Cuba.
3.
Georges Biassou began to build alliances there when his brother-in-law married a fugitive from South Carolina.
4.
Georges Biassou was born in 1741 on the island of Hispaniola, as a slave on a sugar plantation in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, modern day Haiti.
5.
Georges Biassou was an early leader of the 1791 slave revolt in Saint-Domingue, in which he and his fellow leaders, Jean-Francois Papillon and Jeannot Bullet, killed the plantation owners to whom they were enslaved.
6.
France abolished slavery throughout its empire in 1794, however Georges Biassou remained loyal to Spain.
7.
Georges Biassou attended the Vodou ceremony at Bois-Caiman where Vodou priest Dutty Boukman declared that Georges Biassou, Jean-Francois Papillon and Jeannot Bullet would lead the insurrection.
8.
Georges Biassou commanded approximately 40,000 slaves to burn plantations and murder the "great whites".
9.
Georges Biassou ultimately received Spanish citizenship, gold medals, and letters of recognition and confidence from the Spanish Government.
10.
Spain subsequently disbanded the Black Auxiliaries, meaning that its members, including Georges Biassou, were to leave Hispaniola.
11.
Georges Biassou changed his name to "Jorge" and was hereafter a free Spanish general.
12.
Georges Biassou wore gold-trimmed clothing and carried both a silver sabre and an ivory dagger.
13.
Georges Biassou bought a plantation, farmed by slaves of his own.
14.
Georges Biassou continued to serve Spain in his final years, defending Florida against attacks of the Seminole Indians.
15.
Georges Biassou had achieved 10 years of freedom before he died at age 60 on 14 July 1801, during a drunk brawl.
16.
Georges Biassou was honoured with a Catholic mass and was buried at the Tolomato Cemetery.
17.
Georges Biassou was commemorated as a Spanish officer and an honourable veteran, and was recognised with a Guard of Honour at his Funeral.
18.
Georges Biassou's impact surpassed the domestic threshold and influenced world politics permanently.
19.
Georges Biassou visited Biassou's home, fort and cemetery, and placed a wreath in front of the chapel in Tolomato Cemetery in honour of Biassou.
20.
Georges Biassou's life has been thoroughly studied by scholars and historians, such as Jane Landers.
21.
Georges Biassou's work provides most of what is known about Georges Biassou.
22.
Georges Biassou has written several books on the topic of black society and culture, a few of which are titled:.
23.
Georges Biassou is figured as a character in Madison Smartt Bell's 1995 novel, All Souls Rising, the first book in his Haitian Revolutionary trilogy series.