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How did Toussaint Louverture die in Fort-de-Joux?
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Toussaint Louverture
A formerly enslaved person who became the leading figure of the Haitian Revolution, Toussaint Louverture helped lay the foundation for Haiti's independence.
Toussaint Louverture died in April 1803 while imprisoned at Fort-de-Joux, a cold and remote fortress located in the French Jura Mountains.12
Following his surrender in May 1802, Louverture was betrayed after being invited to a parley under false pretenses by a French general. Acting under orders from Napoleon Bonaparte, French authorities seized him and deported him to France. During his confinement at the fortress, he was subjected to repeated interrogations before his death. His imprisonment and death were part of a broader effort by Napoleon to reassert French colonial control and potentially restore slavery in Saint-Domingue, a move that ultimately failed as the Haitian Revolution continued toward independence.12