Charles X's ordinance recognizing Haiti and the indemnity

Background. Charles X, King of France from 1824, had earlier led the ultra-royalists, a radical monarchist faction affirming absolute monarchy by divine right and opposing constitutional monarchy and the Charter of 1814's guarantees. In April 1825, his government approved legislation indemnifying nobles for biens nationaux losses. That same year, France demanded Haiti pay 150 million francs for lost property, including slaves, in exchange for diplomatic recognition, twenty-one years after Haiti's 1804 declaration of independence.

Diplomatic Context. Haiti sought recognition from Britain and the United States but faced refusals. Britain refused recognition despite recognizing other American nations in 1823. The US refused recognition due to Southern slaveowner opposition. Haiti offered to waive import duties for French products in 1823, which France rejected. By 1824, negotiations stalled over control of foreign relations.

Execution and Acceptance. French warships arrived at Port-au-Prince in July 1825 to deliver the demand. President Jean-Pierre Boyer, who had prepared for defensive war in 1824, signed the indemnity treaty on 11 July 1825. The Haitian senate also signed the agreement. The indemnity was based on the Code Noir, valuing enslaved laborers as property.