François-Ferdinand Henri Christophe (1794 – October 7, 1805) was the eldest son and first child of Field General Henri Christophe, future King of Haiti, and his wife, Marie-Louise Coidavid. Because he was both born and died before his father's ascension as King, in 1811, he was never Prince Royal of Haiti, nor was he ever heir apparent to the throne.
He was born in 1794 in Cap-Français (Le Cap), Saint-Domingue, now known as Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, as the first child and eldest son of Henri Christophe, a Field General and former slave, and Marie-Louise Coidavid, the daughter of a black hotel owner. Although not yet royalty, Christophe had big plans for his son and wanted him to follow in his footsteps. In a conversation with a friend, Christophe once proudly said of his infant son: "Never have I seen a finer baby than my little Francois-Ferdinand. He is strong and strapping, like me. He recognized me. He caught hold of my finger and smiled. He is the image of me!"[1]
Education and death
When he was the appropriate age, Christophe started making plans for François-Ferdinand's education. He wanted his son to be a military man, like he was. As a young boy, François-Ferdinand was sent by his father to France, more specifically to Paris, where Christophe hoped that his son would receive a sturdy, military education. Instead, the Parisians, freshly defeated by the Haitian armies led by Christophe, in numerous battles, took François-Ferdinand out of school and made him a hostage. Christophe, learning of this situation, demanded explanations.[citation needed] The French promised that his son would receive a liberal education; instead, they placed François-Ferdinand in an orphans' asylum in Paris. On October 7, 1805, the 11-year-old boy died at the Orphans' Hospital of Paris. Both the circumstances of his death and his burial place are unknown.[citation needed] Even after Christophe became King Henri I of Haiti, he remained heartbroken because of his son's death. His official historian, forced to make constant references to the boy's lonely death in France, referred to François-Ferdinand with the title of prince, though he was never entitled to use it during his lifetime.[2]
Graeme, Bruce (1947). Drums of Destiny (1st ed.). California: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
February 16, 2023
françois, ferdinand, christophe, françois, ferdinand, henri, christophe, 1794, october, 1805, eldest, first, child, field, general, henri, christophe, future, king, haiti, wife, marie, louise, coidavid, because, both, born, died, before, father, ascension, kin. Francois Ferdinand Henri Christophe 1794 October 7 1805 was the eldest son and first child of Field General Henri Christophe future King of Haiti and his wife Marie Louise Coidavid Because he was both born and died before his father s ascension as King in 1811 he was never Prince Royal of Haiti nor was he ever heir apparent to the throne Francois Ferdinand ChristopheBorn1794Cap Francais Saint DomingueDied7 October 1805 1805 10 07 aged 10 11 FranceNamesFrancois Ferdinand Henri ChristopheFatherHenri I of HaitiMotherMarie Louise CoidavidReligionRoman Catholic Contents 1 Early life 2 Education and death 3 References 3 1 BibliographyEarly life EditHe was born in 1794 in Cap Francais Le Cap Saint Domingue now known as Cap Haitien Haiti as the first child and eldest son of Henri Christophe a Field General and former slave and Marie Louise Coidavid the daughter of a black hotel owner Although not yet royalty Christophe had big plans for his son and wanted him to follow in his footsteps In a conversation with a friend Christophe once proudly said of his infant son Never have I seen a finer baby than my little Francois Ferdinand He is strong and strapping like me He recognized me He caught hold of my finger and smiled He is the image of me 1 Education and death EditWhen he was the appropriate age Christophe started making plans for Francois Ferdinand s education He wanted his son to be a military man like he was As a young boy Francois Ferdinand was sent by his father to France more specifically to Paris where Christophe hoped that his son would receive a sturdy military education Instead the Parisians freshly defeated by the Haitian armies led by Christophe in numerous battles took Francois Ferdinand out of school and made him a hostage Christophe learning of this situation demanded explanations citation needed The French promised that his son would receive a liberal education instead they placed Francois Ferdinand in an orphans asylum in Paris On October 7 1805 the 11 year old boy died at the Orphans Hospital of Paris Both the circumstances of his death and his burial place are unknown citation needed Even after Christophe became King Henri I of Haiti he remained heartbroken because of his son s death His official historian forced to make constant references to the boy s lonely death in France referred to Francois Ferdinand with the title of prince though he was never entitled to use it during his lifetime 2 References Edit Graeme 1947 p 268 Girard 2011 p 215 Bibliography Edit Girard Philippe R 2011 The Slaves who Defeated Napoleon illustrated ed Alabama University of Alabama Press ISBN 978 0 8173 1732 4 Graeme Bruce 1947 Drums of Destiny 1st ed California G P Putnam s Sons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Francois Ferdinand Christophe amp oldid 1116663005, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
