Clammer, Paul — Black Crown: Henry Christophe, the Haitian Revolution and the Caribbean's Forgotten Kingdom (2022) Source Information

Clammer, Paul — Black Crown: Henry Christophe, the Haitian Revolution and the Caribbean's Forgotten Kingdom (2022) Source Information Author: Paul Clammer Full Title: Black Crown: Henry Christophe, the Haitian Revolution and the Caribbean's Forgotten Kingdom Publisher: Hurst Publishers, London Year: 2022 Type: Secondary Source — Biography/Narrative History Location in Vault: 01-research/sources/secondary sources/clammer-black-crown.epub Overview Clammer's biography of Henry Christophe is the first comprehensive English-language account of his life in decades. Written by a travel writer who first encountered Christophe's legacy while visiting Sans Souci and the Citadelle, the book draws on extensive archival research including sources in Haiti, the UK, France, and the US. Key strengths for fiction: Rich narrative detail of daily life and military campaigns Extensive coverage of Christophe's kingdom (1807-1820) New research on Marie-Louise Christophe and the royal family Detailed accounts of the Sans Souci palace and Citadelle construction First-person accounts from visitors and contemporaries Christophe's Origins The Grenada Theory Clammer accepts the prevailing view that Christophe was born in Grenada: Born enslaved, likely around 1767 Sold to a ship captain who brought him to Saint-Domingue Worked as a domestic servant/waiter at the Hôtel de la Couronne in Cap Français Possibly served at the Siege of Savannah (1779) with free colored volunteers Physical Description From British naval officer (1814/1818): "The king is in his person what in England you would call a fine portly looking man, about 5 feet 10 inches… he is quite black" The Hotel Years Worked at the Hôtel de la Couronne in Cap Français Learned to understand English from American and British guests Gained organizational skills that would serve him as a military commander Met important figures who would shape Saint-Domingue's future The Revolution (1791-1804) Christophe's Rise Key positions: Captain in the colonial guard/maréchaussée (before 1793) Officer under Toussaint Louverture Commander of the North (1797-1801) General of Division under Dessalines The Burning of Cap Français (February 1802) When Leclerc's invasion fleet arrived: Christophe's letter to Leclerc (2 February 1802): "If you have the force of which you boast, I shall offer you all the resistance that befits a general: and should the fate of arms be favourable to you, you will not enter the town of the Cape until it has been reduced to ashes; and even upon these ashes I shall continue to fight you." The burning: Christophe ordered the systematic destruction of the city Popular tradition holds he set fire to his own house first Officer Barrada was later scapegoated for the fire The city was "reduced to charred bricks and beams" Christophe's Surrender (April 1802) The capitulation at Haut-du-Cap (26 April 1802): Christophe formally submitted to Leclerc Retained his rank and 1,200 soldiers under his command 2,0 armed cultivators returned to plantations Leclerc absolved him of responsibility for burning the city The Bear on Ice Metaphor When General Allix tried to keep Christophe loyal (October 1802): "Christophe compared himself to a bear who had its claws strapped to sieves to help it walk on a frozen pond.