Christophe, Henri, << krees TAWF, ahn REE >> (1767-1820), was a black leader in northern Haiti in the early 1800’s. He is one of Haiti’s national heroes.
Christophe was born on Oct. 6, 1767, in slavery on Grenada or St. Christopher (now called St. Kitts), two islands in the Caribbean Sea. He learned to speak French, English, and Haitian Creole. In 1779, he and hundreds of other Haitians fought on the side of the Americans in the American Revolution. Christophe later became a general in the French army in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). He served under Generals Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines.
Christophe fought in the Haitian Revolution, which led to the creation of the independent country of Haiti in 1804. He was named Haiti’s president in 1806. But another general, Alexandre Petion, challenged his authority. As a result, Christophe became president of northern Haiti, and Petion became president of the south. In 1811, Christophe proclaimed himself king of northern Haiti.
Christophe was a strong and intelligent leader. He became known as a great builder of forts and palaces. However, laws passed by Christophe’s government forced Haitian workers to continue laboring on plantations. The workers had hoped to work on their own private plots instead. They rebelled in 1820. Ill and unable to fight, Christophe shot and killed himself on Oct. 8, 1820.
