Henri Christophe (1767–1820) was a pivotal figure in the Haitian Revolution and later became the only monarch of the Kingdom of Haiti. Born into slavery, likely on the island of Grenada, he rose through the ranks during the revolution, eventually becoming a general under Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines. After Dessalines' assassination in 1806, Christophe assumed control over northern Haiti, first as president and then, in 1811, proclaiming himself King Henry