HENRY I OF HAITI
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(Redirected from Henri I of Haiti)
'Henri Christophe' (October 6, 1767 – October 8, 1820) was a career officer and general in the Haïtian Army. He became President of the State of Haiti on February 17, 1807. He was proclaimed King of Haïti on March 26, 1811. He committed suicide on October 8, 1820.
Born in Grenada The Armorial of Haiti, , Clive, Cheesman, The College of Arms, , , Christophe was brought to Saint Domingue as a slave. He worked in a hotel restaurant, and it is said that he obtained his freedom. In 1779 he may have served with the French Forces in the American Revolution in the Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue, a regiment composed of Gens de Couleur at the Siege of Savannah as a drummer boy. A monument is being built to honor this force in Savannah, Georgia.
Christophe distinguished himself in the Haïtian Revolution of 1791, eventually rising to the rank of general in 1802. In 1806 he participated in the coup d'etat against Jean-Jacques Dessalines and seized control of northern Haïti. His chief rival was his co-conspirator, Alexandre Pétion, who championed a republican form of government and controlled the south of the country.
In 1807 Henri became President of "the state of Haïti" ''président et généralissime des forces de terre et de mer de l'État d'Haïti'' (Cheesman, page 3) , with Pétion becoming President of the "republic of Haïti" in the south. In 1811 Henri made the northern state of Haïti a kingdom, and proclaimed himself King. An edict of 1 April 1811 gives his full title as
Henry, by the grace of God and the Constitutional Law of the state, King of Haiti, Sovereign of Tortuga, Gonave and other adjacent Islands, Destroyer of Tyranny, Regenerator and Benefactor of the Haitian Nation, Creator of her Moral, Political and Martial Institutions, First Crowned Monarch of the New World, Defender of the Faith, Founder of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Henry).
His only surviving son, Jacques-Victor Henry, was made heir apparent with the title Prince Royal of Haiti. Even in documents written in French the king's name was usually spelled in English.
Christophe built for himself 6 châteaux, 8 palaces and the massive Citadelle Laferrière, still considered one of the wonders of the age. Nine years later, at the end of his monarchy the original 87 nobles had grown to number 134 (Cheesman page 10) .
One of his first acts as king was to erect an Haïtian Peerage, of creating 4 princes, 7 dukes, 22 counts, 40 barons and 14 ''chevaliers''. He also founded a College of Arms to provide armorial bearings to the newly ennobled.
Despite his efforts to promote education and establish a legal system, the ''Code Henri'', King Henri was an unpopular autocratic monarch, whose realm was in a constant state of conflict with the south. Toward the end of his reign, public sentiment was sharply against what was perceived to be his feudal policies, intended to develop the country. Ill and infirm, although only fifty three, King Henri decided to shoot himself with a silver bullet rather than face the possibility of a coup. He was buried within the Citadelle Laferriere.
Henri Christophe was the subject of ''La Tragédie du Roi Christophe'', a 1963 play written by Martinican writer Aimé Césaire. He is also featured prominently in the novel El Reino del Este Mundo (The Kingdom Of This World) by Alejo Carpentier.
Pierre Nord Alexis, President of Haiti from 1902-1908, was his grandson.
The Boy Scouts Troupe Henri Christophe, associated with College Notre Dame Du Perpetuel Secours in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, is named after him.
★ Haitian American Historical Society Savannah Monument Project
★ Marvin T. Jones & Associates, Citadele Laferrierre story and photo gallery
★ Institut de la Maison Imperiale d'Haiti
Portrait as King Henry I.
'Henri Christophe' (October 6, 1767 – October 8, 1820) was a career officer and general in the Haïtian Army. He became President of the State of Haiti on February 17, 1807. He was proclaimed King of Haïti on March 26, 1811. He committed suicide on October 8, 1820.
Born in Grenada The Armorial of Haiti, , Clive, Cheesman, The College of Arms, , , Christophe was brought to Saint Domingue as a slave. He worked in a hotel restaurant, and it is said that he obtained his freedom. In 1779 he may have served with the French Forces in the American Revolution in the Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue, a regiment composed of Gens de Couleur at the Siege of Savannah as a drummer boy. A monument is being built to honor this force in Savannah, Georgia.
Christophe distinguished himself in the Haïtian Revolution of 1791, eventually rising to the rank of general in 1802. In 1806 he participated in the coup d'etat against Jean-Jacques Dessalines and seized control of northern Haïti. His chief rival was his co-conspirator, Alexandre Pétion, who championed a republican form of government and controlled the south of the country.
In 1807 Henri became President of "the state of Haïti" ''président et généralissime des forces de terre et de mer de l'État d'Haïti'' (Cheesman, page 3) , with Pétion becoming President of the "republic of Haïti" in the south. In 1811 Henri made the northern state of Haïti a kingdom, and proclaimed himself King. An edict of 1 April 1811 gives his full title as
Henry, par la grâce de Dieu et la Loi constitutionelle de l'État Roi d'Haïti, Souverain des Îles de la Tortue, Gonâve, et autres îles adjacentes, Destructeur de la tyrannie, Régénérateur et bienfaiteur de la nation haïtienne, Créateur de ses institutiones morales, politiques et guerrières, Premier monarque couronné du Nouveau-Monde, Défenseur de la foi, Fondateur de l'ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Henry(Cheesman, page 18)
Henry, by the grace of God and the Constitutional Law of the state, King of Haiti, Sovereign of Tortuga, Gonave and other adjacent Islands, Destroyer of Tyranny, Regenerator and Benefactor of the Haitian Nation, Creator of her Moral, Political and Martial Institutions, First Crowned Monarch of the New World, Defender of the Faith, Founder of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Henry).
His only surviving son, Jacques-Victor Henry, was made heir apparent with the title Prince Royal of Haiti. Even in documents written in French the king's name was usually spelled in English.
Christophe built for himself 6 châteaux, 8 palaces and the massive Citadelle Laferrière, still considered one of the wonders of the age. Nine years later, at the end of his monarchy the original 87 nobles had grown to number 134 (Cheesman page 10) .
| Contents |
| Nobility and Heraldry |
| End of Reign |
| References |
| External links |
Nobility and Heraldry
One of his first acts as king was to erect an Haïtian Peerage, of creating 4 princes, 7 dukes, 22 counts, 40 barons and 14 ''chevaliers''. He also founded a College of Arms to provide armorial bearings to the newly ennobled.
End of Reign
Despite his efforts to promote education and establish a legal system, the ''Code Henri'', King Henri was an unpopular autocratic monarch, whose realm was in a constant state of conflict with the south. Toward the end of his reign, public sentiment was sharply against what was perceived to be his feudal policies, intended to develop the country. Ill and infirm, although only fifty three, King Henri decided to shoot himself with a silver bullet rather than face the possibility of a coup. He was buried within the Citadelle Laferriere.
Henri Christophe was the subject of ''La Tragédie du Roi Christophe'', a 1963 play written by Martinican writer Aimé Césaire. He is also featured prominently in the novel El Reino del Este Mundo (The Kingdom Of This World) by Alejo Carpentier.
Pierre Nord Alexis, President of Haiti from 1902-1908, was his grandson.
The Boy Scouts Troupe Henri Christophe, associated with College Notre Dame Du Perpetuel Secours in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, is named after him.
References
External links
★ Haitian American Historical Society Savannah Monument Project
★ Marvin T. Jones & Associates, Citadele Laferrierre story and photo gallery
★ Institut de la Maison Imperiale d'Haiti
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