How did a man born enslaved on a plantation triumph over Napoleons invading troops and become king of the first free black nation in the Americas? This is the forgotten, remarkable story of Henry Christophe.Christophe fought as a child soldier in the American War of Independence, before serving in the Haitian Revolution as one of Toussaint Louvertures top generals. Following Haitian independence, Christophe crowned himself King Henry I. His attempts to build a modern black state won the support of leading British abolitionistsbut his ambition helped to plunge his country into civil war.Christophe saw himself as an Enlightenment ruler, and his kingdom produced great literary works, epic fortresses and opulent palaces. He was a proud anti-imperialist and fought off French plots against him. Yet the Haitian people chafed under his authoritarian rule. Today, all that remains is Christophes mountaintop Citadelle, Haitis sole World Heritage sitea monument to a revolutionary black monarchy, in a world of empire and slavery.

Autorentext

Paul Clammer is a freelance writer and the author of more than forty guidebooks for Lonely Planet, along with Bradt Travel Guides' Haiti, the only English-language guidebook to the country. He has been a regular traveller to Haiti since 2007, including a year living in Port-au-Prince.

Titel
Black Crown
Untertitel
Henry Christophe, the Haitian Revolution and the Caribbean's Forgotten Kingdom
EAN
9781787389977
Format
E-Book (epub)
Veröffentlichung
19.01.2023
Digitaler Kopierschutz
Wasserzeichen
Anzahl Seiten
392