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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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2
Article 2 Commercial Law · Des Commerçans
Commercial Law
For a woman to be recognized as a public merchant, her husband must have expressly consented; the authorization posted at the courtroom of the seneschal...
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For a woman to be recognized as a public merchant, her husband must have expressly consented; the authorization posted at the courtroom of the seneschal court and admiralty of the husband's domicile.

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3
Article 3 Commercial Law · Des Commerçans
Commercial Law
If she is recognized as a public merchant, she may contract without her husband's authorization, who in that case is and becomes jointly liable for...
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If she is recognized as a public merchant, she may contract without her husband's authorization, who in that case is and becomes jointly liable for her commercial acts.

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4
Article 4 Commercial Law · Des Commerçans
Commercial Law
No merchant may send his goods into the streets to be sold there.
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No merchant may send his goods into the streets to be sold there.

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5
Article 5 Commercial Law · Des Commerçans
Commercial Law
Every merchant shall be required to sign the duplicate of the invoice presented by the wholesaler, and if he or she cannot sign, he or...
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Every merchant shall be required to sign the duplicate of the invoice presented by the wholesaler, and if he or she cannot sign, he or she shall request the signature of a trusted person.

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6
Article 6 Commercial Law · Des Commerçans
Commercial Law
All foreign merchant consignees may sell only wholesale; in this regard, the Decree of His Majesty dated June 19, 1811 shall be followed.
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All foreign merchant consignees may sell only wholesale; in this regard, the Decree of His Majesty dated June 19, 1811 shall be followed.

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7
Article 7 Commercial Law · Des Commerçans
Commercial Law
No foreigner other than established foreign merchants may sell; foreign supercargoes and captains must therefore consign their goods either to established foreign merchants or to...
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No foreigner other than established foreign merchants may sell; foreign supercargoes and captains must therefore consign their goods either to established foreign merchants or to established and domiciled Haitians.

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8
Article 8 Commercial Law · Des Commerçans
Commercial Law
Every consignee shall be jointly liable for fraud committed on vessels and cargoes consigned to him; and if found guilty of complicity in fraud, he...
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Every consignee shall be jointly liable for fraud committed on vessels and cargoes consigned to him; and if found guilty of complicity in fraud, he shall be struck from the list of consignees. He shall be jointly liable for all duties to the government, as well as all business transactions relating to the consigned goods.

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Article 9 Commercial Law · Des Commerçans
Commercial Law
The law, always general in its measures, requires that the wholesale merchant may sell only wholesale.
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The law, always general in its measures, requires that the wholesale merchant may sell only wholesale.

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10
Article 10 Commercial Law · Des Commerçans
Commercial Law
The retail merchant sells only by the piece and by the ell; this must be established by a declaration made at the admiralty clerk's office.
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The retail merchant sells only by the piece and by the ell; this must be established by a declaration made at the admiralty clerk's office.

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Article 11 Commercial Law · Des Commerçans
Commercial Law
Imprisonment for debt shall apply when commercial obligations are not fulfilled.
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Imprisonment for debt shall apply when commercial obligations are not fulfilled.

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12
Article 12 Commercial Law · Des Livres de Commerce
Commercial Law
Every merchant must keep a daily journal recording his receivables and payables, commercial operations, and all transactions whatsoever. Household expenses must also be recorded. The...
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Every merchant must keep a daily journal recording his receivables and payables, commercial operations, and all transactions whatsoever. Household expenses must also be recorded. The wholesale merchant must keep double-entry bookkeeping, because repeated and forced balances are essential in large affairs. The retail merchant need only keep a journal and a current accounts book.

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13
Article 13 Commercial Law · Des Livres de Commerce
Commercial Law
All books shall be kept without blanks, gaps, or marginal transfers.
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All books shall be kept without blanks, gaps, or marginal transfers.

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Article 14 Commercial Law · Des Livres de Commerce
Commercial Law
All commercial books shall be inspected, numbered, and initialed by the admiralty judge once per year. If they do not bear this indispensable formality, no...
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All commercial books shall be inspected, numbered, and initialed by the admiralty judge once per year. If they do not bear this indispensable formality, no credibility shall be given to them in court.

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15
Article 15 Commercial Law · Des Livres de Commerce
Commercial Law
All commercial books shall be kept in the language of the kingdom, and in gourdes and cents.
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All commercial books shall be kept in the language of the kingdom, and in gourdes and cents.

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16
Article 16 Commercial Law · Des Livres de Commerce
Commercial Law
Foreign merchants are and remain subject to the same obligations as Haitian merchants, as decided in the General Principles of the Civil Law, art. 10,...
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Foreign merchants are and remain subject to the same obligations as Haitian merchants, as decided in the General Principles of the Civil Law, art. 10, and shall likewise keep their books in the language of the kingdom.

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17
Article 17 Commercial Law · Des Livres de Commerce
Commercial Law
Only books regularly kept and conforming to the formalities prescribed in articles 13, 14, and 15 shall be credited in court.
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Only books regularly kept and conforming to the formalities prescribed in articles 13, 14, and 15 shall be credited in court.

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Article 18 Commercial Law · Des Livres de Commerce
Commercial Law
But their production in court may only be required in cases provided by law; and when fraud may be suspected, it may be required particularly...
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But their production in court may only be required in cases provided by law; and when fraud may be suspected, it may be required particularly in cases of succession and bankruptcy.

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Article 19 Commercial Law · Des Livres de Commerce
Commercial Law
In case of dispute by merchants regarding the production of their books, they may be compelled by a court-ordered compulsory order.
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In case of dispute by merchants regarding the production of their books, they may be compelled by a court-ordered compulsory order.

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Article 20 Commercial Law · Des Livres de Commerce
Commercial Law
Every merchant and trader shall be required, within three months of the publication of these laws, to make new books bearing all the formalities prescribed...
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Every merchant and trader shall be required, within three months of the publication of these laws, to make new books bearing all the formalities prescribed by law.

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Article 21 Commercial Law · Des Livres de Commerce
Commercial Law
Every retail merchant shall be required to use only ells tipped with iron at both ends, marked with measurements and calibrated, under penalty of prosecution;...
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Every retail merchant shall be required to use only ells tipped with iron at both ends, marked with measurements and calibrated, under penalty of prosecution; the same applies to weights used in commerce.