François-Ferdinand Henri Christophe (1794 October 7, 1805) was the eldest son and first child of Field General
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 ...
, 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.
Early life
He was born in 1794 in
Cap-Français (''Le Cap''),
Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1803. The name derives from the Spanish main city on the isl ...
, 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!"
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
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, 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. 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. 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.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Christophe, Francois-Ferdinand Henri
1794 births
1805 deaths
People from Cap-Haïtien
19th-century Haitian people
Haitian princes
Christophe family
Royalty and nobility who died as children
Haitian people of Grenadian descent