L’Homme prédit

On April 5, 1796, Governor Étienne Laveaux publicly referred to Toussaint Louverture as “L’Homme prédit” (“The Predicted Man”), marking a significant moment when he recognized Louverture as the fulfillment of a prophecy about a liberator of enslaved people.

Context and Background:

• The event occurred on April 5, 1796 (or April 1, 1796, on other sources reporting of the ceremony date). So Governor Étienne Laveaux organized a grand public ceremony in the main square of Cap Français. The ceremony was held to honor Toussaint Louverture and publicly thank him for his actions during a recent crisis: an attempted coup against Laveaux by a group of mixed-race officers led by General Jean Villatte. Toussaint’s Black troops intervened, confronted the rebels, and secured Laveaux’s release from jail.

Key Moments:

• During this ceremony, Laveaux elevated Toussaint to the position of his deputy. In his address, Laveaux referred to Toussaint as “L’Homme prédit,” meaning “the Predicted Man.” Laveaux specified that this predicted man was “predicted and foreseen by Father Raynal,” referring to the philosopher Guillaume Raynal.
• Raynal is known for a passage in his writings that warned of an impending slave revolt and asked, “Where is he, this great man… this new Spartacus?”—in reference to the ancient slave who led a famous rebellion against Rome.

Significance:

• By calling Toussaint “L’Homme prédit” by Raynal, Laveaux was publicly hailing Toussaint as “the Black Spartacus, the leader announced by the philosopher Raynal to avenge the crimes perpetrated against his race.” He was presenting Toussaint as the destined figure who would lead enslaved people to freedom and vengeance.
• Many of the sources I consulted say this was the first time Toussaint was publicly likened to Spartacus. For Toussaint, this was a major political milestone, transforming him from a figure viewed with suspicion by Laveaux just two years earlier into someone publicly recognized as the “savior of legitimate authority” and elevated to a powerful position.
• Toussaint himself, exhilarated by the events, responded to the crowd at the ceremony by stating, “After God, Laveaux!”
• This ceremony solidified the strong bond and reliance between Laveaux and Toussaint at that time.
• Toussaint later embraced this comparison and even purchased busts of Raynal to place in his residences.