Waterstones Black Crown
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Price: £25.00
Brand: Waterstones
Description: The epic story of a man born into Caribbean slavery, who defeated Napoleon's armies and crowned himself a free black king. How did a man born enslaved on a plantation triumph over Napoleon's invading troops and become king of the first free black nation in the Americas? This is the forgotten, remarkable story of Henry Christophe. Christophe fought as a child soldier in the American War of Independence, before serving in the Haitian Revolution as one of Toussaint Louverture's top generals. Following Haitian independence, Christophe crowned himself King Henry I. His attempts to build a modern black state won the support of leading British abolitionists | ??but his ambition helped to plunge his country into civil war. Christophe saw himself as an Enlightenment ruler, and his kingdom produced great literary works, epic fortresses and opulent palaces. He was a proud anti-imperialist and fought off French plots against him. Yet the Haitian people chafed under his authoritarian rule. Today, all that remains is Christophe's mountaintop Citadelle, Haiti's sole World Heritage site | ??a monument to a revolutionary black monarchy, in a world of empire and slavery. Waterstones Black Crown - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: Waterstones
Product ID: 9781787387799
Delivery cost: 0.00
ISBN: 9781787387799
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Author: Postroom Guy
Rating: 5
Review: Everyone interested in this part of the world, or in the fight against slavery (and who wouldn't be?) knows the story of Toussaint Louverture, the great black leader of the Haitian Revolution. Fewer may be aware of the equally incredible tale of Henry Christophe, the man who helped Louverture to power, defended the island against Napoleon's troops and then anointed himself King Henry I. Black Crown tells that story. It's a brilliant account, impeccably researched, of a truly contradictory figure in Carribean history. On one hand Henry Christophe was celebrated by leading British abolitionists of the day such as Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce; on the other his autocratic tendencies led him not only to expropriate the land Haitian peasants had fought for during the Revolution, but also (like some megolomaniac pharaoh) order the building by forced labour of the Citadelle, the largest fortress in the Americas and to this day still Haiti's only UNESCO World Heritage site. Eventually, in 1811, the Haitian army turned against him and Christophe shot himself in the heart, though not before being briefed by a physician, presumably to ensure the shot wouldn't fail. This last detail puts me in mind of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his fictional recreation of Simon Bolivar, the leader of South American independence, which is a fitting tribute to the compelling narrative qualities of Black Crown. Paul Clammer has produced simultaneously a valuable contribution to Carribean studies and black history, and a page turner of a book.
Author: Postroom Guy
Rating: 5
Review: Everyone interested in this part of the world, or in the fight against slavery (and who wouldn't be?) knows the story of Toussaint Louverture, the great black leader of the Haitian Revolution. Fewer may be aware of the equally incredible tale of Henry Christophe, the man who helped Louverture to power, defended the island against Napoleon's troops and then anointed himself King Henry I. Black Crown tells that story. It's a brilliant account, impeccably researched, of a truly contradictory figure in Carribean history. On one hand Henry Christophe was celebrated by leading British abolitionists of the day such as Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce; on the other his autocratic tendencies led him not only to expropriate the land Haitian peasants had fought for during the Revolution, but also (like some megolomaniac pharaoh) order the building by forced labour of the Citadelle, the largest fortress in the Americas and to this day still Haiti's only UNESCO World Heritage site. Eventually, in 1811, the Haitian army turned against him and Christophe shot himself in the heart, though not before being briefed by a physician, presumably to ensure the shot wouldn't fail. This last detail puts me in mind of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his fictional recreation of Simon Bolivar, the leader of South American independence, which is a fitting tribute to the compelling narrative qualities of Black Crown. Paul Clammer has produced simultaneously a valuable contribution to Carribean studies and black history, and a page turner of a book.
