Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines – The heroic actions of the first Empress of Haiti

Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines was the first Empress of Haiti. She was the wife of Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines of Haiti. She was also the first recorded nurse in Haitian history.^[1] Empress Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines was known for her charitable acts.^[2] During Haiti’s turbulent times, she managed to save countless lives. It is no wonder why her story continues to inspire many Haitians today.

In 1758, Empress Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines was born in Léogâne. She was born into a free black family.^[3] Her father was Guillaume Bonheur. Her mother was Marie-Elizabeth Saint Lobelot. She studied under her maternal aunt, Elise Lobelot, who was a governess and housekeeper under the religious order of Saint Domingue.^[4] She eventually married Pierre Lunic, a French cartwright who worked for the religious order of Saint-Jean de Dieu in Port au Prince.^[5] In 1795, Marie-Claire was widowed at the age of thirty-seven.^[6]

During the siege of Jacmel in 1800, Marie-Claire worked tirelessly for the wounded and the starving.^[7] She managed to convince Jean-Jacques Dessalines, her longtime lover and a member of the besieging parties, to open some of the roads of Jacmel in order to receive aid.^[8] She then gathered women and children and led a procession carrying medicine, food, and clothes back into the city.^[9] Then, she arranged for food to be cooked on the streets.^[10]

On 2 April 1800, Marie-Claire married Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Jean-Jacques Dessalines was described as a carefree man who loved dancing.^[11] Marie-Claire was described to be “merciful, natural, elegant, and cordial.” ^[12] Marie-Claire’s first act in her marriage was to legitimise the children she had with Jean-Jacques Dessalines before their marriage.^[13] They were Marie-Françoise, Celestine, Jeanne, Serine, Albert, Jacques, and Louis.^[14] She also adopted Jean-Jacques Dessalines’s four illegitimate children.^[15] The couple settled in Marchand, which was Haiti’s first black capital.^[16] She shielded the children from violence by eliminating weapons in their home.^[17]

Through the months of January to April of 1804, Marie-Claire worked tirelessly to rescue prisoners and save many of them from battle wounds.^[18] In the meantime, her husband killed five thousand white people in order to get the French and the Germans off the island.^[19] On 1 January 1804, Jean-Jacques Dessalines ordered Marie-Claire to cook a freedom soup to honour the liberation of the former slaves.^[20] In 1804, Haiti was made into a monarchy known as the First Empire of Haiti.^[21] Jean-Jacques Dessalines became Emperor, and Marie-Claire was Empress.^[22] On 8 October 1804, Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Empress Marie-Claire were crowned at the Church of Champ de Mars.^[23] On 12 August 1805, Empress Marie-Claire acquired a feast day that coincided with St. Clare of Assisi.^[24] Marie-Claire would be the Empress of Haiti for two years.

On 17 October 1806, Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines was assassinated. Empress Marie-Claire was given the title of Princess Dowager. However, all her lands were confiscated, leaving her penniless.^[25] Marie-Claire struggled to raise her five surviving children, who were between the ages of seven and seventeen, by herself.^[26] During the mass murder of 1809, Princess Marie-Claire hid a French botanist named Michel Etienne Descourtilz under her bed.^[27] Princess Marie-Claire also saved the orphaned sisters, Hortense and Augustine Saint-Javier, who were the last white people living on the island.^[28] Princess Marie-Claire provided passports for the girls.^[29] On 20 August 1809, Princess Marie-Claire sent the girls on a ship from Cap Francais to New York, where their relatives awaited them.^[30]

Princess Marie-Claire settled in Saint-Marc, a seaside town on Western Haiti.^[31] She constantly struggled with poverty.^[32] In 1849, Emperor Faustin I of Haiti offered to increase Princess Marie-Claire’s pension as a sign of respect that she was once an empress.^[33] However, Princess Marie-Claire refused Emperor Faustin I’s money.^[34] Therefore, Princess Marie-Claire continued to live in poverty until her death.^[35] On 8 August 1858, while living with her granddaughter, Princess Marie-Claire died at the Ville de l’Indepence in Gonaïves.

Empress Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines has been known for her acts of benevolence.^[36] In honour of her legacy, Dr Bayyniah Bello established the Foundation Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.^[37] The foundation provided both educational and social support to the victims of the earthquake.^[38] There are also many public schools that are named in her honour.^[39] Because of her charitable acts, Empress Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines will continue to be a role model and cultural symbol for many people in Haiti.

Sources:

Hall, M. R., Vilsaint, F. (2021). Historical Dictionary of Haiti. NY: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Louis, F. (December 15, 2015 ). “1. Marie Claire Heureuse Bonheur, infirmière (1758-1858) [1. Marie Claire Happy Happiness, nurse (1758-1858)]”. scienceetbiencommun.pressbooks.pub. Retrieved on 6 February 2023 from https://scienceetbiencommun.pressbooks.pub/haitiennes/chapter/marie-claire-heureuse-bonheur-infirmiere-1758-1858/.

Snodgrass, M. E. (2019). Caribbean Women and Their Art: An Encyclopedia. NY: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.