Marie-Louise Coidavid

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

Early life

Marie-Louise was born into a free black family; her father was the owner of Hotel de la Couronne in Cap-Haïtien. 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. 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 (1804–1820).

At her spouse's new position in 1798, she moved to the Sans-Souci Palace. 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. Her new status gave her ceremonial tasks to perform, ladies-in-waiting, 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. However, as her son became of age before the death of his father, this was never to materialize. In October 1822, she took up residence in Hastings, 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 was detrimental to Améthyste's health, and eventually they decided to leave.