The Haitian Revolution (French: Révolution haïtienne[ʁevɔlysjɔ̃ ajisjɛ̃n]; Haitian Creole: Revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against Frenchcolonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt began on 22 August 1791,[3] and ended in 1804 with the former colony's independence. It involved blacks, mulattoes, French, Spanish, and British participants—with the ex-slave Toussaint Louverture emerging as Haiti's most charismatic hero. The revolution was the only slave uprising that led to the founding of a state which was both free from slavery, and ruled by non-whites and former captives.[4] It is now widely seen as a defining moment in the history of the Atlantic World.[5][6]