Tue 30 Jul, 6 – 7pm
‘A black kingdom may take the place of the white one’: Henry Christophe I and The Kingdom of Hayti (1811-1820)
A talk by Lecture by Marlene L. Daut, Associate Professor, University of Virginia.
On 1 January 1804, an army led by formerly enslaved Africans in the French colony of Saint-Domingue declared themselves independent and free of slavery forever. The leader of these revolutionaries, General Jean Jacques-Dessalines, had succeeded in defeating Napoléon Bonaparte’s famous army, the largest expedition to ever set sail from France. But in October 1806, Dessalines, who had declared himself to be the Emperor of the newly renamed Haiti, was assassinated by political rivals. Following this, the country would be divided into two separate states. General Henry Christophe established himself as president of the northern part of Haiti, while General Alexandre Pétion governed a completely separate republic in the southern and eventually the southwestern parts of Haiti. However, in March 1811, President Henry Christophe surprised everyone when he named himself King Henry I. Haiti’s first and only kingdom subsequently attracted the attention of the world.
As part of Manchester Histories 2019, this talk will explore how the leader of a modern black kingdom, 4,000 miles away from England, fought for and helped establish freedom for the Haitian people, in the same era of revolutionary upheaval and state violence that led to the Peterloo Massacre.
Your information
Manchester Histories is a registered charity (1151944). Your details will remain confidential and not disclosed to third parties. We will only use your data for the purpose for which it was collected. We are obliged by our funders to share aggregate data with them and will only share demographic and statistical data not personal or sensitive data. Read our Privacy Policy here: manchesterhistories.co.uk/privacy-policy. If you have any questions about this privacy policy please contact our Chief Executive at: Mansfield Cooper Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL or email info@manchesterhistories.co.uk.
About Peterloo 2019
Peterloo 2019 is a project that is led by Manchester Histories and supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Working with key cultural organisations and communities across Greater Manchester it is delivering a programme of activity that combines public events, learning opportunities and creative exploration.
More Manchester Listings MORE
Akon: The Superfan Tour UK & Europe 2024
Grammy Award-winning artist AKON is back in the UK with ‘The Superfan Tour’. Expect all the fan…
Craig Charles Funk + Soul House Party: Heather Small, The Real Thing + Loose Ends
Craig Charles‘s legendary Funk & Soul Party is coming back to our venue, on the 4th of May…
Dionne Warwick – Don’t Make Me Over
Meet the real Dionne Warwick, the artist behind timeless hits such as What the World Needs Now, Say…
The Eric Andre Show Live
We can hardly wait to welcome comedian, actor, and creator, Eric Andre to our venue on the 23rd of May,…
Shalamar
One of the most successful soul acts of all time, Shalamar’s Greatest Hits Tour is sure to be…
Emmanuel Sonubi: CV
Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Emmanuel Sonubi presents a whistle stop tour through the jobs that have led him to become…
Romesh Ranganathan
After a sell-out tour in 2022, Romesh is back with a brand new show examining the human condition….
Jazz Jamaica All Stars
Jazz Jamaica All Stars featuring Brindsley Forde (Aswad) and Carroll Thompson (Hopelessly in Love) dig into the vaults…