The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe
About this ebook
Born to an enslaved mother in Grenada, Henry Christophe first fought to overthrow the British in North America, before joining the Black freedom fighters of Saint-Domingue in their quest to gain independence from France. But, at one point, Christophe turned his back on the revolutionaries to side with Napoleon's forces—only to later fight against them, afterward becoming Haiti's first and only king.
In this remarkable account, Marlene L. Daut shows how Christophe became by turns revolutionary, traitor and monarch. Why did he turn his back on Toussaint Louverture? Was Christophe involved in the assassination of Haiti’s first ruler, Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines? And how did Christophe ultimately become king?
The First and Last King of Haiti is the ultimate story of power and ambition in the age of revolutions—and shows how one extraordinary life shaped the course of nations.
About the author
Marlene L. Daut is Professor of French and African Diaspora Studies at Yale University, and the author of several books including Awakening the Ashes: An Intellectual History of the Haitian Revolution. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker and the Los Angeles Review of Books.