WI: British Haiti

Rush Tarquin

Gone Fishin'
What if Britain took control of Haiti from France during the Napoleonic Wars (let's say 1800ish, perhaps 1803 if there's no problems with that) and decided to keep it? How would they deal with the slave revolt? What would happen to Santo Domingo? How would this change British politics and economic interests after the war and how does that change subsequent history? What would be the butterflies for the Caribbean? If the British successfully suppress the revolt and deny Haitian independence, what changes would there be to world history without the example of a successful slave revolt? Does slavery get a longer lease on life?
 
Coming as soon as that would off the heels of the ARW, I'd imagine they'd be pretty quick to give it up as a bad job. It's not like they'd get more utility out of colonizing the place than just trading with it, and if they're still fighting Napoleon when the insurrections start, then the Peninsular Campaign would still take a higher priority.
 
I think they'd want to keep it, if it was taken prior to its independence. It's a profitable colony. But I think with the slave revolts, possession of it would hasten the abolition of slavery, not prolong it.
 
The British tried to invade OTL, and lost.

This. General Yellow Fever would fight just as hard against the British as against the French - Jamaica, which is right next door to Haiti, was a deathtrap for British soldiers at the time.

What they might be able to do is form an alliance with one of the Haitian warlords and help him take over, effectively establishing a British protectorate. Maybe, if it looked like Napoleon's attempt to retake the colony might be successful, then Britain might back a rival warlord in order to deny Haiti to France. Of course this wouldn't really be a British Haiti - although, if the warlord in question was Henri-Christophe (who was a native English speaker born in Grenada), British patronage might result in English coming into use as a court language, and then influence could spread from there.
 
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