British general who negotiated the withdrawal from Saint-Domingue with Toussaint Louverture, later governor of Ceylon and Malta
A son of the 7th Earl of Lauderdale, he entered the army as a captain in 1778, became colonel and brigadier-general in 1798 and sat in Parliament for Haddington. Landing in Saint-Domingue in 1797 under orders to capture the colony, he saw his troops dying in droves of yellow fever and on his own judgment, not the War Ministry's, negotiated a total evacuation with Toussaint Louverture. By the secret agreement of 31 August 1798 Britain undertook not to attack Saint-Domingue or interfere in its affairs and Louverture made the same promise regarding Jamaica; the Maitland Convention of 1799 opened Le Cap and Port-Républicain to Anglo-American shipping. He was governor of Ceylon from 1805 to 1811 and of Malta from 1813 until his death, ruling so autocratically that he was called "King Tom".
Also known as: Sir Thomas Maitland · King Tom
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1778Captain in the 78th Regiment of Foot
- 1790–1796MP for Haddington
- 1797–1799Commanded in Saint-Domingue; withdrawal agreements with Toussaint
- 1805–1811Governor of Ceylon
- 1813–1824Governor of Malta
- 1815–1823Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands