Antoine Richepanse

Antoine Richepanse (also: Antoine Richepance) (March 25, 1770 Metz, France -September 3, 1802 Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe) Richepanse re-established slavery in the French colony of Guadeloupe, located in the Caribbean. The resistance in Guadeloupe, led by the mulatto Louis Delgrès and the maroon Joseph Ignace (1769 - 1802) fell to Richepanse in 1802. Richepance, who had arrived in the colony with about 7,000 soldiers was able to gain control of the island within a short time. Slavery was re-established on the evening of May 28,1802. Richepanse's troops had killed 10,000 men and women, roughly ten percent of the total population .

Saint-Domingue and Richepanse

The news of Richepanse's advance in Guadeloupe installed great fear in Saint-Domingue, where General Leclerc had been sent to accomplish the same goals of rolling back advancements in the abolition of slavery. Revolutionary leaders such as Jean-Jacques Dessalines followed the events in Guadeloupe and it strengthened the resolve to fight for Haitian independence.

Richepanse and contemporary France

Efforts have been made to address the terrible legacy of Richepanse. In Paris a street has been renamed from Rue Richepanse to Rue du Chevalier-de-Saint-George (a mulatto musician and anti-royalist) and in Guadeloupe a fort that had been Fort Richepance was renamed in honor of Louis Delgrès, his Caribbean enemy.

See also

• Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc - The French General sent by Napoléon to Saint-Dominque with the same goals as Richepanse.

References

• Antoine Richepanse. (2006). Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre. [Accessed at 14:57, June 23, 2006] [[1].