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Code Henry

The first comprehensive legal code of the Kingdom of Haiti, promulgated by King Henry Christophe on February 20, 1812 — a sovereign act of juridical self-determination just eight years after the world's only successful slave revolution produced an independent nation. This digital edition presents the complete Code in 3,004 articles spanning 8 laws and 67 titres — from the Loi Civile's 1,535 articles on personhood, marriage, property, and succession, to the Loi sur la Procédure Criminelle's 421 articles on investigation, confrontation, and royal clemency. Every article has been hand-extracted from 19th-century OCR, corrected, translated into English, and annotated with plain-language life lessons and scholarly notes. Browse in French, English, or Kreyòl Ayisyen. 3,004 articles · 8 laws · 3 languages · 213 years restored

3,004 articles in the Code Henry

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438
Article 438 Law on Civil Procedure · Du Bénéfice de Cession
Civil Procedure
After the debtor has been admitted to the benefit of cession, he shall be required to reiterate his cession in person, not through an attorney,...
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After the debtor has been admitted to the benefit of cession, he shall be required to reiterate his cession in person, not through an attorney, at the hearing of the admiralty court of his domicile, his creditors having been summoned.

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439
Article 439 Law on Civil Procedure · Du Bénéfice de Cession
Civil Procedure
If the debtor is detained, the judgment admitting him to the benefit of cession shall order that he be brought before the admiralty court, with...
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If the debtor is detained, the judgment admitting him to the benefit of cession shall order that he be brought before the admiralty court, with the required and customary precautions, for the purpose of making the declaration prescribed by the preceding article.

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440
Article 440 Law on Civil Procedure · Du Bénéfice de Cession
Civil Procedure
An extract of the judgment containing the debtor's names, first names, profession, and residence shall be posted on the designated board in the courtrooms of...
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An extract of the judgment containing the debtor's names, first names, profession, and residence shall be posted on the designated board in the courtrooms of the admiralty court and the seneschal court of his domicile.

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441
Article 441 Law on Civil Procedure · Du Bénéfice de Cession
Civil Procedure
Creditors may, by virtue of the judgment admitting the benefit of cession, have the debtor's movable and immovable property sold, proceeding in the forms prescribed...
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Creditors may, by virtue of the judgment admitting the benefit of cession, have the debtor's movable and immovable property sold, proceeding in the forms prescribed for heirs under benefit of inventory.

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442
Article 442 Law on Civil Procedure · Du Bénéfice de Cession
Civil Procedure
The following may not be admitted to the benefit of cession: foreigners, those who commit fraud involving immovable property, fraudulent bankrupts, persons convicted of theft...
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The following may not be admitted to the benefit of cession: foreigners, those who commit fraud involving immovable property, fraudulent bankrupts, persons convicted of theft or fraud, and accountants, tutors, administrators, and custodians.

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443
Article 443 Law on Civil Procedure · Du Bénéfice de Cession
Civil Procedure
The provisions of this chapter do not prejudice commercial customs in any way, which are not altered.
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The provisions of this chapter do not prejudice commercial customs in any way, which are not altered.

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444
Article 444 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
After death, if there are grounds to affix seals, they shall be affixed, in towns, by the seneschals, and in the countryside, by the parish...
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After death, if there are grounds to affix seals, they shall be affixed, in towns, by the seneschals, and in the countryside, by the parish lieutenant judges.

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445
Article 445 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
The seneschals and lieutenant judges shall use a specific seal, the impression of which is deposited at the seneschal court clerk's office.
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The seneschals and lieutenant judges shall use a specific seal, the impression of which is deposited at the seneschal court clerk's office.

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446
Article 446 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
The affixing of seals may be requested by: 1. Claimants to the community or succession; 2. Creditors holding enforceable titles, or authorized by the seneschal...
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The affixing of seals may be requested by: 1. Claimants to the community or succession; 2. Creditors holding enforceable titles, or authorized by the seneschal or parish lieutenant judge; 3. Persons who lived with the deceased, and his domestics, if the spouse or heirs, or any of them, are absent.

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447
Article 447 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
The affixing of seals may be requested by claimants and emancipated minor creditors, without the assistance of their curator; if the minors are not emancipated...
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The affixing of seals may be requested by claimants and emancipated minor creditors, without the assistance of their curator; if the minors are not emancipated and the tutor is absent or they have none, the affixing may be requested by one of their relatives.

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448
Article 448 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
The affixing of seals is done at the initiative of the king's prosecutor, and even ex officio by the seneschals and parish lieutenant judges, in...
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The affixing of seals is done at the initiative of the king's prosecutor, and even ex officio by the seneschals and parish lieutenant judges, in the following cases: 1. If the minor has no tutor; 2. If the spouse, or the heirs or any of them, are absent; 3. If the deceased was a public custodian; but in that case seals shall only be affixed over and on the objects comprising the deposit.

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449
Article 449 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
The judge must establish in his report whether the affixing of seals was done before or after burial, the time when he was requested to...
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The judge must establish in his report whether the affixing of seals was done before or after burial, the time when he was requested to affix them, and the causes of any delay in the request or affixing.

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450
Article 450 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
The seal affixation report contains: 1. The date by year, month, day, and hour; 2. The names, profession, and residence of the requester, and his...
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The seal affixation report contains: 1. The date by year, month, day, and hour; 2. The names, profession, and residence of the requester, and his election of domicile; in the absence of a requester, it shall state the seals were affixed ex officio or at the prosecutor's requisition; 3. The appearances and statements of the parties; 4. The designation of the premises, desks, chests, and wardrobes whose openings are sealed; 5. If there are effects not placed under seal, their summary description; 6. At closure, the oath of those living in the premises that nothing was diverted directly or indirectly; 7. The appointment of a custodian ex officio, if none was presented or the proposed one lacked the required qualifications.

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451
Article 451 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
Until the seals are lifted, the keys to the locks on which they were placed remain in the hands of the clerk of the court...
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Until the seals are lifted, the keys to the locks on which they were placed remain in the hands of the clerk of the court that affixed them, and this is noted in the report. Without a reasoned requisition or order, neither the judge nor the clerk may enter the house where the seals were affixed until they are lifted.

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452
Article 452 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
If the interested parties believe a will exists, they shall request the judge to search for it before affixing the seals; if sealed packets or...
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If the interested parties believe a will exists, they shall request the judge to search for it before affixing the seals; if sealed packets or an open will are found, the judge shall note their condition, external form, and inscription if any, and initial the envelope with the parties if they can; if a parish lieutenant judge, he shall indicate the day and hour when he will present the sealed packets or open will to the district seneschal; if the seneschal is affixing, he shall indicate the day for reading or opening; all is noted in the report, signed by the parties, or their refusal noted.

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453
Article 453 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
If the inscription or other written evidence indicates that the sealed packets belong to third parties, the seneschal shall order those third parties summoned within...
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If the inscription or other written evidence indicates that the sealed packets belong to third parties, the seneschal shall order those third parties summoned within the deadline he fixes, and on the designated day, in their presence or absence, the packets shall be opened; if they are unrelated to the succession, they shall be immediately returned to their owners without disclosing the contents, or the judge shall reseal them for return when requested.

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454
Article 454 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
If there are obstacles to the affixing of seals, whether because the doors are closed, or due to difficulties raised before or during the sealing,...
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If there are obstacles to the affixing of seals, whether because the doors are closed, or due to difficulties raised before or during the sealing, the parish lieutenant judges shall rule provisionally, and refer the matter to the district seneschal.

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455
Article 455 Law on Civil Procedure · De l'Apposition des Scellés après Décès
Civil Procedure
If there are no effects at the deceased's domicile, the judge shall so declare in his report, making a summary description of those necessary for...
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If there are no effects at the deceased's domicile, the judge shall so declare in his report, making a summary description of those necessary for the persons remaining in the house, if any, provided they cannot be placed under seal.

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456
Article 456 Law on Civil Procedure · Des Oppositions aux Scellés
Civil Procedure
Opposition to the seals may be made either through the affixation report or by writ served on the clerk.
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Opposition to the seals may be made either through the affixation report or by writ served on the clerk.

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457
Article 457 Law on Civil Procedure · Des Oppositions aux Scellés
Civil Procedure
The writ of opposition, besides the ordinary formalities, shall contain, under penalty of nullity, an election of domicile in the commune and a precise statement...
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The writ of opposition, besides the ordinary formalities, shall contain, under penalty of nullity, an election of domicile in the commune and a precise statement of the cause of the opposition.