Short Synopsis
Based on voluminous primary-source research, conducted in archives across the world and in multiple languages, Toussaint Louverture is the definitive biography of one of the most influential men in history.

Full Synopsis
Toussaint Louverture's life was one of hardship, triumph, and contradiction. He was born a slave on Saint-Domingue yet earned his freedom and established himself as a small-scale planter. He even purchased slaves of his own.

Philippe Girard shows how Louverture transformed himself from lowly freedman into revolutionary hero as the mastermind of the bloody slave revolt of 1791. By 1801, Louverture was governor of the colony where he had once been a slave. But his lifelong quest to be accepted as a member of the colonial elite ended in despair: he spent the last year of his life in a French prison cell. His example nevertheless inspired anticolonial and black nationalist movements well into the twentieth century.

Based on voluminous primary-source research, conducted in archives across the world and in multiple languages, Toussaint Louverture is the definitive biography of one of the most influential men in history.

"A compelling look at an extraordinary historical figure." ---Library Journal

"A groundbreaking biography that underscores the difficulties of leading slaves to freedom and avoiding violent extremes." ---Kirkus

"Grounded in an impressive array of archival sources, Girard’s remarkable portrait of Louverture is a delight to read. Fascinating and persuasive.” ---Douglas R. Egerton, author of Death or Liberty

"The book is superb . . . New facts turn up by the spadeful in his book. Old falsities crumble into dust." ---New York Times

"[A] lucid, deeply researched biography . . . Readers will appreciate this nuanced portrait of a great man who even now has not received the credit he is due." ---Library Journal Audio Review