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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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61
Article 61 Civil Law
Family Law
The domicile of the husband is necessarily that of the wife.
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The domicile of the husband is necessarily that of the wife.

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62
Article 62 Civil Law
Family Law
The domicile of an unemancipated minor is by law established at the home of his father and mother, or guardian, and that of an interdicted...
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The domicile of an unemancipated minor is by law established at the home of his father and mother, or guardian, and that of an interdicted adult at the home of his curator, for all matters concerning the administration of property.

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63
Article 63 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Marriage Law
The consent of both parties constitutes the validity of marriage.
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The consent of both parties constitutes the validity of marriage.

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64
Article 64 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Marriage Law
A man already married may not form a new bond until the first is dissolved.
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A man already married may not form a new bond until the first is dissolved.

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65
Article 65 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Marriage Law
Age dispensations granted by His Grace the Archbishop may alone authorize a marriage contracted by a man before the full age of eighteen, and by...
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Age dispensations granted by His Grace the Archbishop may alone authorize a marriage contracted by a man before the full age of eighteen, and by a woman before the full age of fifteen.

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66
Article 66 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Family Law
The consent of father and mother is indispensable for marriage, for a son who has not reached the full age of twenty-one, and for a...
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The consent of father and mother is indispensable for marriage, for a son who has not reached the full age of twenty-one, and for a daughter who has not reached the full age of eighteen. If the father and mother differ in opinion, the father's shall prevail.

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67
Article 67 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Family Law
Upon reaching the ages determined by the preceding article, children, before contracting marriage, are required to solicit, by a respectful and formal act, the approval...
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Upon reaching the ages determined by the preceding article, children, before contracting marriage, are required to solicit, by a respectful and formal act, the approval of their father and mother.

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68
Article 68 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Family Law
From the majority fixed by Article 66 until the age of twenty-five for the son, and twenty-one for the daughter, the respectful act that has...
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From the majority fixed by Article 66 until the age of twenty-five for the son, and twenty-one for the daughter, the respectful act that has not received the parents' assent shall be renewed after one month; and fifteen days later, the marriage celebration may proceed.

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69
Article 69 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Civil Procedure
The required respectful act shall be drafted by two notaries, or by one notary and two witnesses, who shall mention the response given to them,...
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The required respectful act shall be drafted by two notaries, or by one notary and two witnesses, who shall mention the response given to them, and shall leave with the father and mother a certified copy.

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70
Article 70 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Criminal Law
Any lieutenant judge who has violated these provisions shall, at the diligence of the appropriate authority and of the king's prosecutor of the seneschalsy, be...
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Any lieutenant judge who has violated these provisions shall, at the diligence of the appropriate authority and of the king's prosecutor of the seneschalsy, be sentenced to a fine of fifty gourdes, to be paid into the octroi fund, and additionally to detention not exceeding six months.

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71
Article 71 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Criminal Law
Detention of one month and the aforementioned fine shall be the penalty applicable to the lieutenant judge who celebrated a marriage not preceded by the...
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Detention of one month and the aforementioned fine shall be the penalty applicable to the lieutenant judge who celebrated a marriage not preceded by the respectful acts in all the cases just prescribed.

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72
Article 72 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Family Law
Recognized natural children are subject to the same obligations as those prescribed for legitimate children.
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Recognized natural children are subject to the same obligations as those prescribed for legitimate children.

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73
Article 73 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Family Law
Sons before the age of twenty-one, and daughters before that of eighteen, in case of death of their father and mother, or if the latter...
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Sons before the age of twenty-one, and daughters before that of eighteen, in case of death of their father and mother, or if the latter are unable to express their will, may not contract marriage without authorization from the family council, or that of the friends of their father and mother; but the latter may refuse their consent only for reasonable cause.

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74
Article 74 Civil Law · Des Qualités et Conditions requises pour contracter Mariage
Marriage Law
Marriage is forbidden between brother and sister, uncle and niece, aunt and nephew.
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Marriage is forbidden between brother and sister, uncle and niece, aunt and nephew.

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75
Article 75 Civil Law · Des Formalités relatives à la Célébration du Mariage
Marriage Law
The preliminary formalities of marriage required by Chapter III of Title III shall be fulfilled by the lieutenant judge of the domicile of one of...
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The preliminary formalities of marriage required by Chapter III of Title III shall be fulfilled by the lieutenant judge of the domicile of one of the two parties.

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76
Article 76 Civil Law · Des Formalités relatives à la Célébration du Mariage
Marriage Law
The nuptial blessing is an indispensable necessity for marriage; all dispensations from publication may only be granted by His Grace the Archbishop.
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The nuptial blessing is an indispensable necessity for marriage; all dispensations from publication may only be granted by His Grace the Archbishop.

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77
Article 77 Civil Law · Des Formalités relatives à la Célébration du Mariage
Marriage Law
In case of a marriage contracted in a foreign country between Haytians, the marriage celebration act shall be transcribed in the public register of the...
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In case of a marriage contracted in a foreign country between Haytians, the marriage celebration act shall be transcribed in the public register of the lieutenant judge of the place of disembarkation, one month after the return to the kingdom of the Haytian who contracted it.

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78
Article 78 Civil Law · Des Oppositions au Mariage
Marriage Law
The person already bound by marriage to one of the parties who would contract a second marriage, in contempt of an existing first marriage, has...
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The person already bound by marriage to one of the parties who would contract a second marriage, in contempt of an existing first marriage, has the right to form opposition.

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79
Article 79 Civil Law · Des Oppositions au Mariage
Family Law
This right belongs equally to the father, in the absence of the father, to the mother toward their children, even if they have reached, for...
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This right belongs equally to the father, in the absence of the father, to the mother toward their children, even if they have reached, for boys, the age of twenty-one, and for girls, the age of eighteen.

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80
Article 80 Civil Law · Des Oppositions au Mariage
Family Law
This right also belongs to the family council: 1st, when its consent was not obtained in the case provided by Article 73; 2nd, when the...
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This right also belongs to the family council: 1st, when its consent was not obtained in the case provided by Article 73; 2nd, when the opposition is based on the state of insanity of the future spouse; in this case, the opposition shall only be admitted on condition of requesting interdiction and having it ruled upon by the seneschalsy.