Queen Marie Louise Coidavid (1778 – 11 March 1851) was the Queen of Haiti from 1811 to 1820 as the spouse of

Henri Christophe Henri Christophe (; 6 October 1767 – 8 October 1820) was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution and the only monarch of the Kingdom of Haiti. Born in the British West Indies, British Caribbean, Christophe was possibly of Senegambian descent ...

Early life

Marie-Louise was born into a free black family; her father was the owner of Hotel de la Couronne in

Cap-Haïtien Cap-Haïtien (; ; "Haitian Cape") is a List of communes of Haiti, commune of about 400,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Departments of Haiti, department of Nord (Haitian department), Nord. Previously named ''Cap‑Fran� ...

. Henri Christophe was a slave purchased by her father. Supposedly, he earned enough money in tips from his duties at the hotel that he was able to purchase his freedom before the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

. They married in Cap-Haïtien in 1793, having had a relationship with him from the year prior. They had four children: François Ferdinand (1794–1805), Françoise-Améthyste (d. 1831), Athénaïre (d. 1839) and

Jacques-Victor Henry Jacques-Victor Henry, Prince Royal of Haiti (3 March 1804 – 18 October 1820) was the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Haiti. He was the youngest child of Henri Christophe, then a general in the Haitian Army, by his wife Marie- ...

(1804–1820). At her spouse's new position in 1798, she moved to the

Sans-Souci Palace The Palace of Sans-Souci, or Sans-Souci Palace ( ), was the principal royal residence of Henry I, King of Haiti, better known as Henri Christophe. It is located in the town of Milot, approximately northeast of the Citadelle Laferrière ...

. During the French invasion, she and her children lived underground until 1803.

Queen

In 1811, Marie-Louise was given the title of queen upon the creation of the

Kingdom of Haiti The Kingdom of Haiti, or Kingdom of Hayti (; ), was the state established by Henri Christophe on 28 March 1811 when he proclaimed himself King Henri I after having previously ruled as president of the State of Haiti, in the northern part of the ...

. Her new status gave her ceremonial tasks to perform,

ladies-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...

, a secretary and her own court. She took her position seriously, and stated that the title "given to her by the nation" also gave her responsibilities and duties to perform. She served as the hostess of the ceremonial royal court life performed at the Sans-Souci Palace. She did not involve herself in the affairs of state. She was given the position of Regent should her son succeed her spouse while still being a minor.Louis Marceau, ''María Luisa de Haití, 1778-1851'', Buenos Aires: Editorial Raigal, 1953, pp. 2–18. However, as her son became of age before the death of his father, this was never to materialize. After the death of the King in 1820, she remained with her daughters Améthyste and Athénaïre at the palace until they were escorted from it by his followers together with his corpse; after their departure, the palace was attacked and plundered. Marie-Louise and her daughters were given the property Lambert outside Cap. She was visited by president Jean Pierre Boyer, who offered her his protection; he denied the

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

s of

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

she gave him, stating that he was the leader of poor people. They were allowed to settle in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...

. Marie-Louise was described as calm and resigned, but her daughters, especially Athénaïre, were described as vengeful.

Exile

The Queen was in exile for 30 years. In August 1821, Marie-Louise left Haiti with her daughters under the protection of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and travelled to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. There were rumours that she was searching for the money, three million, deposited by her spouse in Europe. Whatever the case, she did live the rest of her life without economic difficulties. In England, they lived in Blackheath, where they were welcomed by prominent abolitionists, and then moved to 49

Weymouth Street Weymouth Street lies in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster and connects Marylebone High Street with Great Portland Street. The area was developed in the late 18th century by Henrietta Cavendish Holles and her husband Edward Har ...

, London, where she lived between 1821 and 1824. In October 1822, she took up residence in

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

, East Sussex, at what is now 5 Exmouth Place with her daughters, who, like many wealthy and aristocratic Londoners, wanted to escape the smog and bustle of central London. In 2022, blue plaques honouring the Queen's time in England were erected and celebrated. The English climate and pollution during the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

was detrimental to Améthyste's health, and eventually they decided to leave. Cartello 2

In 1824, Marie-Louise and her daughters moved in

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

in the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

(now

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

), where they lived for the rest of their lives, Améthyste dying shortly after their arrival and Athénaïre in 1839. They lived discreetly for the most part, but were occasionally bothered by fortune hunters and throne claimers who wanted their fortune. Shortly before her death, Marie-Louise wrote to Haiti for permission to return. She never did, however, before she died in Italy on 11 March 1851. She is buried in the church of San Donnino. A historical marker was installed in front of the church on 23 April 2023, to commemorate the Queen, her daughters and her sister.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20100211132154/http://www.haitiwebs.com/archive/index.php/t-44102.html * Miriam Franchina
"Marie-Louise of Haiti in Pisa"
''Age of Revolutions'', 7 August 2023. {{DEFAULTSORT:Coidavid, Marie-Louise 1778 births 1851 deaths 19th-century Haitian people Christophe family Haitian exiles Haitian Roman Catholics People from Nord-Est (department) People of the Haitian Revolution Royal consorts of Haiti Women in the Haitian Revolution

Early life

Queen

Exile

See also

References

External links