Henri Christophe

Henri Christophe (Grenade, 1767 - Cape-Haitian, 1820) is president then king of Haiti.

The currency of Henry Christophe 1st, king d' Haïti: God, my Cause and my Sword

Born Slave in Grenade (then a British colony ), Christophe is brought to Saint-Domingue and works in a restaurant of hotel with Cape-French. He obtains his freedom, and it is affirmed that he engages in the free regiment of Saint-Dominguois of color which fights with the Bataille of Savannah during the Guerre of American independence.

Christophe is distinguished during the revolt from 1791; he becomes an officer under All Saints' day Louverture and finally reached the row of general in 1802. It joint with the revolt of the armed forces saint-dominguoises, carried out by Jean-Jacques Dessalines, in 1802, which completes the independence of Haiti on January 1st 1804.

In 1806 Christophe belongs to the Coup d'etat against Dessalines (which proclaimed the Emperor Jacques Ier). Elected official president d' Haïti, it breaks with the principal partner within this conspiracy, the republican mulatto Alexandre Pétion. Pétion establishes a rival government with Port-Republican.

Christophe controls the northern left current République of Haiti, initially like chair of “the State of Haiti”, then as king Henri Ist It builds during his reign several large palace and systems of fortification, including 6 castles and 8 palates. The most important monuments that it made set up remain the Citadelle the Tool bag and the palate Without Souci. It is combined to the British, of which there remains a confirmed admiror, and creates a nobility of the members of her army and other collaborators. Among these new aristocrats are 4 princes, 8 dukes, 22 counts, 37 barons and 14 knights.

In spite of his efforts to promote education and to codify the laws (the “Henri Code”), Henri is a not very popular monarch; moreover, its kingdom is constantly in conflict with the republican south. Towards the end of its reign, the public opinion decisively turns against him because of the “agrarian militarism” which it promotes in order to develop the economy of the island.

Attacked by the insurrectionists, Henri committed suicide in 1820 by drawing a silver ball in the heart, during a mass in a church which it had made build. His/her adolescent son was hung by the insurrectionists, his wife and his/her daughters exiled themselves in Italy.

Aimé Césaire made of him the hero of a play: the Tragedy of the king Christophe in 1963.

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