Sanité Bélair

Suzanne Bélair, called Sanité Bélair, (1781 – 5 October 1805), was a Haitian Freedom fighter and revolutionary, lieutenant in the army of Toussaint Louverture.

Born an affranchi in Verrettes, she married Brigade commander and later General Charles Bélair in 1796. She was an active participant in the Haitian Revolution, became a sergeant and later a lieutenant during the conflict with French troops of the Saint-Domingue expedition.

Capture and execution

Chased by Faustin Répussard's column of the French army, the Belairs took refuge in the Artibonite department. Répussard launched a surprise attack on Corail-Mirrault, and captured Sanité Bélair. Her husband turned himself over as well to avoid being separated from her. Both sentenced to death, her spouse was to be executed by fire squad and she by decapitation because of her sex. She watched Bélair's execution, where he calmly asked her to die bravely, and went to her own execution as calm as he, refusing to wear a blindfold.

Legacy

2004 Haitian banknote featuring Bélair

Sanité Bélair is considered as one of the heroes of the Haitian Revolution. In 2004, she was featured on the 10 gourd banknote of the Haitian gourde for the "Bicentennial of Haiti" Commemorative series. She was the only woman depicted in the series, and the second woman ever (after Catherine Flon) to be depicted on a Haitian banknote.

Further reading

• Jomini, Antoine-Henri. (1842). Histoire critique et militaire des guerres de la Révolution. Brussels.

External links

• Mémoire de Femmes: Sannite Belair - (in French)

Image

• Charles And Sanite Belair - Painting by British artist, Kimathi Donkor[1], (2002).