Toussaint L'Ouverture is known as a revolutionary leader in the Haitian Revolution, which took place from 1791 to 1804. L'Ouverture, originally enslaved, emerged as a brilliant military strategist and leader, guiding enslaved people in their fight for freedom against French colonial rule. He successfully negotiated a degree of autonomy for Saint-Domingue and implemented social and economic reforms. However, his ambitions for independence ultimately led to his capture by French forces in 1802. Despite his imprisonment and death in 1803, L'Ouverture's efforts laid the groundwork for Haiti to become the first independent black republic in 1804.