Like Macbeth, King Henry met his tragic end when a civil war broke out and the aristocracy turned against him. Understanding the nation King Henry tried to create requires recognition that the world he lived in was one where Haiti’s freedom was constantly under threat. “Here lie the remains of King Henry Christophe, the Civilizer, who died October 8, 1820,” reads the gravestone placed there in 1848. At the same time, understanding the nation King Henry tried to create requires recognition that the world he lived in was one where Haiti’s freedom was constantly under threat. __________________________________Adapted from The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe by Marlene L. Daut.