The Batsch affair was an 1872 diplomatic incident between

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and an example of

gunboat diplomacy Gunboat diplomacy is the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of naval power, implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare should terms not be agreeable to the superior force. The term originated in ...

. During the

Franco-Prussian war The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, the Haitians openly showed their sympathy for France, which displeased Germany. After Germany prevailed in the war, Captain , of the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

, arrived at

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...

on June 11, 1872, under the pretext of demanding the payment of £3,000 on behalf of two subjects of the German Empire. Without warning Batsch took possession of the two Haitian

men-of-war In Royal Navy jargon, a man-of-war (also man-o'-war, or simply man) was a powerful warship or frigate of the 16th to the 19th century, that was frequently used in Europe. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually rese ...

, which, not expecting such an aggression, were lying at anchor in the harbor and unable to make the slightest resistance. Indignant at this attack, the Haitian people—in the words of poet

Oswald Durand Oswald Durand (September17, 1840April22, 1906) was a Haitian poet and politician, said to be "to Haiti what William Shakespeare, Shakespeare is to England, and Dante Alighieri, Dante to Italy."P. Schutt-Ainé, ''Haiti: A Basic Reference Book'', 9 ...

—"threw the money to the Germans as one would cast a bone to a dog." Batsch took the amount, gave back the two men-of-war, and left Port-au-Prince. But Germany's actions caused long-lived resentment.

References

{{reflist Diplomatic incidents Germany–Haiti relations Franco-Prussian War 1870s in Haiti 1872 in military history 1872 in Germany

See also

References