What Counts as Furniture — Movable Property
Ce qui compte comme meuble — Les biens meubles
Sa Ki Konte Kòm Mèb — Byen Mèb
Lesson Content
Articles 263–275 — Movable Property and the Relationship of Property to People
Chapter II: Movable Property (Articles 263–271)
Article 263: Property is movable by its nature or by determination of law.
Article 264: Bodies that can be transported from one place to another are movable by nature.
Article 265: Movable by determination of law: obligations and actions concerning debts or movable effects. Shares or interests in commercial and industrial companies are movable with respect to each partner during the company's existence. Perpetual and life annuities — whether owed by the Kingdom or by private persons — are also movable.
Article 266: Livestock, ferries, ships, and generally all factories not fixed to and not forming part of a building are movable. The seizure of some of these objects may be subject to special procedures determined by the Law on Civil Procedure.
Article 267: Materials from a demolished house, and materials accumulated to build another, are movable until they are used in construction.
Article 268: The word meubles used alone in law does NOT include: cash, jewels, active debts, books, medals, instruments of arts and trades, body linen, horses, carriages, arms, crops, grains, or anything that is the object of commerce.
Article 269: Meubles meublans (furnishing furniture) means only furniture for the use and decoration of rooms: tapestries, beds, chairs, mirrors, clocks, tables, porcelain, and similar objects.
Articles 270–271: The expressions biens meubles, mobilier, or effets mobiliers encompass everything considered movable. The sale of a furnished house includes only the furnishing furniture; cash, debts, and other rights whose titles may be deposited in the house are excluded.
Chapter III: The Relationship of Property to Those Who Possess It (Articles 272–275)
Article 272: Private individuals have free disposition of their property, subject to established laws.
Article 273: Property belonging to the King's domain is governed by particular laws. Fiefs granted to dignitaries of the Kingdom may only be alienated under the terms of the King's edicts of April 5 and May 3, 1811.
Article 274: The King's domain includes all portions of public territory not susceptible to private ownership: roads, streets, rivers, seashores, and the maritime zone extending one hundred paces; ports, roadsteads, gates, walls, ditches, and ramparts of fortified places.
Article 275: All vacant and ownerless property, and property of persons who die without heirs or whose successions are abandoned, belongs to the King.
Why This Matters
Article 273's reference to fiefs reveals Henry Christophe's feudal system — a deliberate choice to create a landed aristocracy of Black nobles. The King controlled the most valuable resource in a post-slavery society: land. And Article 275 ensured that no property could exist in a legal vacuum — everything without an owner reverted to the Crown.
Articles 263–275 — Biens meubles et rapport des biens aux personnes
Chapitre II : Les biens meubles (Articles 263–271)
Article 263 : Les biens sont meubles par leur nature ou par la détermination de la loi.
Article 264 : Les corps qui peuvent se transporter d'un lieu à un autre sont meubles par nature.
Article 265 : Meubles par détermination de la loi : les obligations et actions ayant pour objet des sommes exigibles ou des effets mobiliers. Les actions dans les compagnies de commerce sont réputées meubles. Les rentes perpétuelles et viagères sont aussi des meubles.
Article 266 : Les bestiaux, bacs, navires et toutes usines non fixées sont meubles.
Article 268 : Le mot « meubles » seul ne comprend PAS : l'argent comptant, les pierreries, les dettes actives, les livres, les instruments des arts et métiers, le linge de corps, les chevaux, équipages, armes, denrées et grains.
Article 269 : « Meubles meublans » ne comprend que les meubles destinés à l'usage et à la décoration des appartements.
Chapitre III : Rapport des biens aux possesseurs (Articles 272–275)
Article 272 : Les particuliers ont la libre disposition de leurs biens.
Article 273 : Les biens du domaine du roi sont régis par des lois particulières. Les fiefs accordés aux dignitaires ne peuvent être aliénés qu'aux termes des édits du roi.
Article 274 : Le domaine du roi comprend : les chemins, routes, rues, fleuves, rivières, rivages, ports, rades, et les fortifications. La zone maritime s'étend à cent pas.
Article 275 : Tous les biens vacans et sans maître, et ceux des personnes décédées sans héritiers, appartiennent au roi.
Atik 263–275 — Byen Mèb ak Rapò Byen ak Moun
Chapit II : Byen Mèb (Atik 263–271)
Atik 263 : Byen yo mèb pa nati yo oswa pa detèminasyon lalwa.
Atik 264 : Kò ki ka transpòte soti yon kote ale yon lòt se mèb pa nati.
Atik 265 : Mèb pa detèminasyon lalwa : obligasyon ak aksyon ki konsène dèt oswa efè mobliye. Aksyon nan konpayi komès se mèb. Rant pèpetyèl ak vyajè se mèb tou.
Atik 266 : Bèt, bak, bato, ak tout izin ki pa fiks se mèb.
Atik 268 : Mo « mèb » pou kont li PA enkli : lajan likid, bijou, dèt aktif, liv, enstriman metye, lenn kò, cheval, ekipaj, zam, danre ak grenn.
Atik 269 : « Mèb mèblan » vle di sèlman mèb pou itilizasyon ak dekorasyon chanm yo.
Chapit III : Rapò Byen ak Posesè yo (Atik 272–275)
Atik 272 : Patikilye yo gen lib dispozisyon byen yo.
Atik 273 : Byen domèn wa a gouvène pa lwa patikilye. Fyèf ki akòde bay dignitè wayòm nan pa ka alyen sof dapre tèm edi wa a.
Atik 274 : Domèn wa a enkli : chemen, wout, ri, rivyè, rivaj, pò, ak fòtifikasyon. Zòn maritim nan etann a san pa.
Atik 275 : Tout byen vakan e san mèt, ak byen moun ki mouri san eritye, pou wa a.