Marie-Louise Coidavid
| Marie Louise | |
|---|---|
| Queen Consort of Haiti | |
| Reign | 26 March 1811 – 8 October 1820 |
| Born |
8 May 1778 Bredou, Ouanaminthe, Saint-Domingue |
| Died | 14 March 1851 (aged 72) Pisa, Italy |
| Burial | Convent of the Capuchins, Pisa |
| Spouse | Henri I of Haiti |
| Issue |
François-Ferdinand Christophe Princess Françoise-Améthyste Princess Anne-Athénaïre Jacques-Victor Henry, Prince Royal |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Marie Louise Coidavid, (1778–1851), was the Queen of the Kingdom of Haiti 1811-20 as the spouse of Henri I of Haiti.
Marie-Louise was born into a free black family; her father was the owner of a hotel, Hotel de la Couronne. She married Henri Christophe in Cap-Français in 1793, having had a relationship with him from the year prior. They had four children: François Ferdinand (born 1794), Françoise-Améthyste (d. 1831), Athénaïs (d. 1838) and Victor-Henri.
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.
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.
After the death of her spouse in 1820, she remained with her daughters at the palace until they were escorted from it by the followers of her spouse together with his corpse; after their departure, the palace was attacked and plundered. Marie-Louise and her daughters were given the property Lambert outside Cap. She was visited by president Jean Pierre Boyer, who offered her his protection; he denied the spurs of gold she gave him, stating that he was the leader of poor people. They were allowed to settle in Port-au-Prince. Marie-Louise was described as calm and resigned, but her daughters, especially Athenais, were described as vengeful.
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