Euphémie Daguilh (died in

Les Cayes Les Cayes ( , ), often referred to as Aux Cayes (; ), is a commune and seaport in the Les Cayes Arrondissement, in the Sud department of Haiti, with a population of 71,236. Due to its isolation from the political turmoil of the capital, Port-a ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

, 1834), was a Haitian composer and choreographer, royal mistress of emperor

Jean-Jacques Dessalines Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Haitian Creole: ''Jan-Jak Desalin''; ; 20 September 1758 – 17 October 1806) was the first Haitian Emperor, leader of the Haitian Revolution, and the first ruler of an independent First Empire of Haiti, Haiti under th ...

and famed for her fearless care of the wounded during the campaign of 1805. Haitian legal historian

Mirlande Manigat Mirlande Manigat (born Mirlande Hyppolite in Miragoâne, on November 3, 1940) is a Haitian constitutional law professor and candidate in 2010-11 Haitian general election. She is the widow of former president Leslie Manigat and briefly served as Fir ...

refers to her as Euphémie Daguile. She is believed to have been Dessalines' most influential mistress.

Life

Daguilh met Dessalines in Les Cayes during his campaign in Southern Haiti, where she nursed him during his sickness. She followed Dessalines during his campaign against

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

and made her name respected when tending to the wounded soldiers during gunfight.

Thomas Madiou Thomas Madiou (Port-au-Prince, April 30 1815-''ibidem'', May 25, 1884) was a Haitian historian. His work ''Histoire d'Haïti'' (English: ''History of Haiti'') is the first complete history of Haiti from 1492 to 1846 (Madiou's present). It is consi ...

has referred to her as a heroine. Euphémie Daguilh composed several songs which became popular in Haiti. Her relationship with Dessalines was public and a letter paper was printed with the text: "The Friend of Jacques, His Majesty Emperor of Haiti", and she was granted an allowance. Daguilh hosted a salon with the task to spy on the military of Southern Haiti. While Dessalines was still alive, her monthly expenses paid by the state were about 1000 gourdes. Upon complaints to Dessalines by Balthazar Inginac, Director of state properties for the West of Haiti, her allowance was reduced to 800

piastres The piastre or piaster () is any of a number of units of currency. The term originates from the Italian for "thin metal plate". The name was applied to Spanish and Hispanic American pieces of eight, or pesos, by Venetian traders in the Lev ...

. When Dessalines was deposed, a mob broke in her house with the intent to lynch her, but she managed to calm them by serving them dessert and singing her songs to them. She later married one of the prominent members of the Haitian military, Lacoude Bellefleur aka Bellefleur Laconde of whom she had had children before her liaison with Dessalines.

References

* http://jasminenarcisse.com/memoire/02_independance/04_euphemie.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Daguilh, Euphemie People from Les Cayes 18th-century births 1834 deaths 19th-century Haitian people Royal mistresses Haitian women choreographers Haitian dancers 19th-century Haitian women