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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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70
Article 70 Law Concerning Agriculture
Transparency
The lieutenant judge shall receive, as his fee, one-half of one percent on the distributions of the quarter allocated to the agricultural workers, and may...
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The lieutenant judge shall receive, as his fee, one-half of one percent on the distributions of the quarter allocated to the agricultural workers, and may never, under any pretext, collect more.

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71
Article 71 Law Concerning Agriculture
Accountability
The King's lieutenants, parish commanders, police officers, and lieutenant judges are jointly and severally liable for the slightest abuses that may occur in the distribution...
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The King's lieutenants, parish commanders, police officers, and lieutenant judges are jointly and severally liable for the slightest abuses that may occur in the distribution of the agricultural workers' quarter.

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72
Article 72 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Travaux publics
Public Works
The works and corvées established by law have as their purpose public utility.
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The works and corvées established by law have as their purpose public utility.

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73
Article 73 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Travaux publics
Public Works
There shall be, in the course of the year, throughout the entire kingdom, two major general repairs of the royal roads.
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There shall be, in the course of the year, throughout the entire kingdom, two major general repairs of the royal roads.

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74
Article 74 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Travaux publics
Public Works
The roadwork shall be carried out, as far as possible, during the slack seasons of the year, without harming the planting of provisions, the milling...
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The roadwork shall be carried out, as far as possible, during the slack seasons of the year, without harming the planting of provisions, the milling seasons, or the harvests.

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75
Article 75 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Travaux publics
Public Works
When the time for road repairs has come, the division commanding general shall order the King's lieutenants commanding the parishes to determine the labor that...
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When the time for road repairs has come, the division commanding general shall order the King's lieutenants commanding the parishes to determine the labor that all plantations and ranches, without distinction, must provide, according to what has been judged necessary for the execution of public works.

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76
Article 76 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Travaux publics
Public Works
When it is necessary to carry out works on dikes, rivers, and waterways, the same precautions shall be taken to determine the number of laborers...
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When it is necessary to carry out works on dikes, rivers, and waterways, the same precautions shall be taken to determine the number of laborers to be employed.

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77
Article 77 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Travaux publics
Accountability
It is expressly forbidden for the King's lieutenants of the parishes to make any requisition, whether of agricultural workers, materials, carts, or animals, without an...
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It is expressly forbidden for the King's lieutenants of the parishes to make any requisition, whether of agricultural workers, materials, carts, or animals, without an order issued by the superior authority, under their personal responsibility.

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78
Article 78 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Travaux publics
Public Works
In the event that river overflows and rains cause collapses or degrade the roads, the King's lieutenants of the parishes, if the damage is significant,...
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In the event that river overflows and rains cause collapses or degrade the roads, the King's lieutenants of the parishes, if the damage is significant, shall notify the district commanding general who shall go to the site and order requisitions distributed equitably among the surrounding plantations; if the damage is not considerable, the King's lieutenants shall wisely provide for it by having it repaired by the work crews of the nearest plantations.

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79
Article 79 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Travaux publics
Public Works
All small owners and tenant farmers who cultivate portions of land on the plantations are required to contribute their share of public works, to send...
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All small owners and tenant farmers who cultivate portions of land on the plantations are required to contribute their share of public works, to send their contingent according to the tax; if they have no agricultural workers, they shall go themselves or arrange for their replacement by whatever means are in their power.

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80
Article 80 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Travaux publics
Agriculture
No secondary authority may suspend or disrupt the cultivation work during weedings, milling seasons, harvests, and provision plantings, except in extraordinary cases or by virtue...
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No secondary authority may suspend or disrupt the cultivation work during weedings, milling seasons, harvests, and provision plantings, except in extraordinary cases or by virtue of a superior order.

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81
Article 81 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Services fonciers
Public Works
The works on communication roads from plantation to plantation, from where their boundaries begin to where they meet the royal roads, shall be done like...
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The works on communication roads from plantation to plantation, from where their boundaries begin to where they meet the royal roads, shall be done like the King's works; the inhabitants shall contribute the labor required to build them, as prescribed by Articles 75 and 78.

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82
Article 82 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Services fonciers
Public Works
The authorities assigned to carry out road works shall take care to build only those recognized by custom and time as the exit roads from...
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The authorities assigned to carry out road works shall take care to build only those recognized by custom and time as the exit roads from plantations, without taking into account paths and trails opened for the convenience of a single plantation.

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83
Article 83 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Services fonciers
Land Management
Plantations are entitled to only one exit road; it is expressly forbidden to make cross-paths through the provision grounds and gardens; inhabitants are authorized to...
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Plantations are entitled to only one exit road; it is expressly forbidden to make cross-paths through the provision grounds and gardens; inhabitants are authorized to close and barricade such paths, which are harmful to the cultivation of their plantations.

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84
Article 84 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Services fonciers
Land Management
The owners and tenant farmers of plantations are required to surround themselves with living hedges, or fences of stakes or poles. The hedges shall be...
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The owners and tenant farmers of plantations are required to surround themselves with living hedges, or fences of stakes or poles.

The hedges shall be weeded and trimmed at least three times per year, particularly those facing the main roads.

The fences, to be recognized as good and solid, shall be made of roots, five feet in height, or of upright stakes planted eighteen inches apart, five feet in height, and fastened with five poles.

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85
Article 85 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Services fonciers
Land Management
The maintenance of hedges, fences, and ditches, whether shared or not, shall be carried out by the responsible party, as regulated by Title XIII of...
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The maintenance of hedges, fences, and ditches, whether shared or not, shall be carried out by the responsible party, as regulated by Title XIII of the Civil Law.

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86
Article 86 Law Concerning Agriculture · Des Services fonciers
Land Management
The owners or tenant farmers are required to repair and maintain the irrigation canals and those that carry water to the plantation facilities. All interested...
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The owners or tenant farmers are required to repair and maintain the irrigation canals and those that carry water to the plantation facilities. All interested parties are obligated to contribute to these repairs; and in case of dispute among them, the judges shall comply with the law and local regulations, always reconciling the interest of the agricultural worker with the maintenance of the right of property.

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87
Article 87 Law Concerning Agriculture
Livestock
It is expressly forbidden to use violence against animals useful to agriculture, such as oxen, horses, mules, and other beasts of burden; anyone found guilty...
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It is expressly forbidden to use violence against animals useful to agriculture, such as oxen, horses, mules, and other beasts of burden; anyone found guilty of having maimed or killed a useful animal shall be punished according to Article 127 of Title VII, unless he killed or maimed it in self-defense.

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88
Article 88 Law Concerning Agriculture
Livestock
The stray animal pounds shall be maintained in the parishes by the lieutenant judges, and in the cities by the seneschal courts.
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The stray animal pounds shall be maintained in the parishes by the lieutenant judges, and in the cities by the seneschal courts.

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89
Article 89 Law Concerning Agriculture
Livestock
The impound fees are fixed as follows: two escalins per day per head of animal for the cities, and one escalin per day per head...
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The impound fees are fixed as follows: two escalins per day per head of animal for the cities, and one escalin per day per head for the countryside.