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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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21
Article 21 Civil Law · Dispositions générales
Civil Administration
The lieutenant judge is responsible for any alterations that may occur to the registers; he may however exercise his recourse, if applicable, against the authors...
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The lieutenant judge is responsible for any alterations that may occur to the registers; he may however exercise his recourse, if applicable, against the authors of said alterations.

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Article 22 Civil Law · Dispositions générales
Civil Administration
Extracts of acts may be delivered both by the lieutenant judge and by the clerk of the seneschalsy.
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Extracts of acts may be delivered both by the lieutenant judge and by the clerk of the seneschalsy.

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23
Article 23 Civil Law · Dispositions générales
Civil Administration
The signature of the lieutenant judge and that of the clerk are authenticated by the seneschal of the jurisdiction, and that of the seneschal, by...
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The signature of the lieutenant judge and that of the clerk are authenticated by the seneschal of the jurisdiction, and that of the seneschal, by the attorney general.

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24
Article 24 Civil Law · Dispositions générales
Judicial Procedure
Extracts of acts bearing the aforementioned formalities shall constitute proof in court until challenged as forgery.
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Extracts of acts bearing the aforementioned formalities shall constitute proof in court until challenged as forgery.

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25
Article 25 Civil Law · Dispositions générales
Civil Administration
The king's prosecutor is required to verify the condition of the registers at the time of their deposit at the clerk's office; he shall draft...
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The king's prosecutor is required to verify the condition of the registers at the time of their deposit at the clerk's office; he shall draft a summary report of this operation, and shall report any violations or offenses committed by the lieutenant judges, and shall seek against them the penalties hereinafter prescribed.

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26
Article 26 Civil Law · Dispositions générales
Criminal Law
Any forgery, any alteration in civil status records, any violation of the provisions of this law shall be punished by a fine of two hundred...
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Any forgery, any alteration in civil status records, any violation of the provisions of this law shall be punished by a fine of two hundred gourdes, to be paid into the octroi fund, without prejudice to damages and interest owed to the parties, if applicable, and to the penalties prescribed by penal laws.

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Article 27 Civil Law · Dispositions générales
Judicial Procedure
The interested parties shall have the right to appeal the judgment of the seneschalsy that ruled on matters relating to civil status.
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The interested parties shall have the right to appeal the judgment of the seneschalsy that ruled on matters relating to civil status.

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28
Article 28 Civil Law · Des Actes de Naissance
Civil Administration
Birth declarations, for towns and boroughs, shall be made within ten days of delivery; for the plains, within fifteen days, and for the mountains, within...
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Birth declarations, for towns and boroughs, shall be made within ten days of delivery; for the plains, within fifteen days, and for the mountains, within the entire month. The child shall be presented to the civil status officer of the locality, who shall deliver an extract to be presented to the priest at the child's baptism.

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Article 29 Civil Law · Des Actes de Naissance
Civil Administration
The owners, tenants, managers, or heads of any establishment or manufactory are required, under their individual responsibility, to ensure the execution of the preceding article.
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The owners, tenants, managers, or heads of any establishment or manufactory are required, under their individual responsibility, to ensure the execution of the preceding article.

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30
Article 30 Civil Law · Des Actes de Naissance
Family Law
The declaration of the child's birth shall be made by the father; in the absence of the father, by health officers, midwives, or other persons...
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The declaration of the child's birth shall be made by the father; in the absence of the father, by health officers, midwives, or other persons who attended the delivery, or by the head of the household, in cases where the mother delivered outside her own domicile.

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31
Article 31 Civil Law · Des Actes de Naissance
Civil Administration
In the birth record, shall be rigorously stated the day, the hour, and the place of birth, the sex and given name of the child,...
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In the birth record, shall be rigorously stated the day, the hour, and the place of birth, the sex and given name of the child, the given names, surnames, professions, and domiciles of the father and mother, and of the witnesses; it being the responsibility of the lieutenant judge to verify the sex.

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Article 32 Civil Law · Des Actes de Naissance
Family Law
If the mother is not married, the act may not name the father, unless he is present and unmarried, and signs the declaration; this declaration...
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If the mother is not married, the act may not name the father, unless he is present and unmarried, and signs the declaration; this declaration may be made by a holder of power of attorney; but not by simple letter, and a copy shall be annexed to the register.

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33
Article 33 Civil Law · Des Actes de Naissance
Family Law
Even if the father, in the child's birth record, did not declare recognition, he may at any time do so by a separate act before...
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Even if the father, in the child's birth record, did not declare recognition, he may at any time do so by a separate act before the lieutenant judge of the child's birthplace or of the father's domicile. If the recognition is made before the lieutenant judge of the father's domicile, a copy shall be sent to the lieutenant judge of the child's birthplace; this magistrate, on the day of receipt, must transcribe it into the registers, to one of which the declaration shall remain annexed. Whether the act was drafted by the lieutenant judge of the child's birthplace or of the father's domicile, mention of said act shall be made in the margin of the birth record; the parties may request that this mention be made on the registers in the repositories specified in Article 15 of Chapter One.

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Article 34 Civil Law · Des Actes de Naissance
Family Law
The act of recognition of a child not yet born is received by the lieutenant judge of the domicile of the person declaring himself the...
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The act of recognition of a child not yet born is received by the lieutenant judge of the domicile of the person declaring himself the father. If this recognition is subsequently acknowledged by the mother, the declaration of this acknowledgment signed by the mother, by two witnesses, and by the lieutenant judge, is inscribed in the margin of the act of paternity recognition.

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35
Article 35 Civil Law · Des Actes de Naissance
Child Welfare
Whoever finds an exposed newborn child is required to deliver it to the lieutenant judge of the place where it was found; the latter shall...
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Whoever finds an exposed newborn child is required to deliver it to the lieutenant judge of the place where it was found; the latter shall draft, in the birth registers, a record of the child's delivery, its apparent age, its sex, the name he gives it, and shall send the child with a copy of the report to the king's prosecutor, who shall gather information on the child's origin and entrust it to the care of the director of the foundling hospital.

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Article 36 Civil Law · Des Actes de Naissance
Civil Administration
If a child is born during a sea voyage, the birth record shall be drawn up within twenty-four hours of the vessel's arrival at the...
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If a child is born during a sea voyage, the birth record shall be drawn up within twenty-four hours of the vessel's arrival at the port where it calls, upon the declaration that the captain is required to make in the presence of two witnesses taken from among the ship's officers, and of the father, if present, before the lieutenant judge, who shall give a copy to the said captain, and shall send one to the lieutenant judge of the place where the mother has her domicile, to be inscribed in the registers.

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Article 37 Civil Law · Des Actes de Mariage
Marriage Law
A marriage may only be validly celebrated in the parish where one of the two spouses has domicile. This domicile, with respect to marriage, is...
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A marriage may only be validly celebrated in the parish where one of the two spouses has domicile. This domicile, with respect to marriage, is acquired by six months of continuous residence in the same parish.

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Article 38 Civil Law · Des Actes de Mariage
Marriage Law
The domicile of a minor is that of his father, or of his mother if the father is deceased, or of his guardian if he...
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The domicile of a minor is that of his father, or of his mother if the father is deceased, or of his guardian if he has neither father nor mother. The marriage of a minor may nevertheless be celebrated in the parish where he has acquired domicile by six months of continuous residence, provided that he observes the other conditions and formalities prescribed for the marriages of minors.

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Article 39 Civil Law · Des Actes de Mariage
Marriage Law
Persons wishing to marry shall present themselves before the lieutenant judge of the parish of one of the parties, who shall inscribe, in a special...
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Persons wishing to marry shall present themselves before the lieutenant judge of the parish of one of the parties, who shall inscribe, in a special register kept for this purpose, the given names, surnames, professions, and domiciles of the future spouses, whether they are of age or minors, and the given names, surnames, professions, and domiciles of their fathers and mothers; a copy shall be delivered to the parties, to be presented to the parish priest, who shall make three publications at parish masses. The parties shall bring back to the lieutenant judge a certificate from the priest of the publication of the three banns, unless a dispensation for the last two was granted by His Grace the Archbishop.

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Article 40 Civil Law · Des Actes de Mariage
Marriage Law
If the marriage is not celebrated within the year from the date of the third publication, the celebration may not proceed until new publications have...
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If the marriage is not celebrated within the year from the date of the third publication, the celebration may not proceed until new publications have been made in the forms prescribed by the preceding article.