Solitude
Solitude
1772 — 1802
France
Esclave née vers 1772 en Guadeloupe d'une mère africaine déportée, Solitude rejoignit les insurgés mulâtres lors de la résistance armée contre le rétablissement de l'esclavage décrété par Bonaparte en 1802. Enceinte, elle combattit jusqu'à sa capture et fut pendue le lendemain de son accouchement, le 29 novembre 1802. Son histoire, transmise par la tradition orale créole et antillaise, en fait une figure emblématique de la résistance à l'oppression coloniale.
Key Facts
- Née vers 1772 en Guadeloupe, fille d'une esclave africaine ; son père serait un Blanc selon la tradition orale
- L'abolition de l'esclavage par la Convention en 1794 lui accorda brièvement la liberté
- En 1802, Bonaparte rétablit l'esclavage dans les colonies françaises par la loi du 20 mai 1802
- Solitude rejoignit le camp des insurgés dirigés par Louis Delgrès et combattit à Baimbridge (Guadeloupe)
- Enceinte au moment de sa capture, elle fut exécutée par pendaison le 29 novembre 1802, au lendemain de l'accouchement de son enfant
Works & Achievements
A major collective and political act of resistance in which Solitude played an active role. This uprising represents one of the first organized refusals of Bonaparte's reinstatement of slavery in the French Antilles.
This novel, rooted in Creole oral tradition and historical research, brought Solitude's story to the world. It helped establish her name in international collective memory and earned its author worldwide literary recognition.
A work by Guadeloupean sculptor Josué Dorel, unveiled during the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the final abolition of slavery. It depicts a pregnant Solitude standing tall and proud, and has become a place of remembrance and pilgrimage.
In 2021, during national commemorations, Solitude was recognized as a figure of the French Republic, honored in official ceremonies — reflecting the growing place of Caribbean resistance fighters in France's national memory.
Anecdotes
Solitude was born around 1772 to an African mother who was raped aboard the slave ship transporting her to Guadeloupe. This founding act of violence deeply shaped her identity: neither fully African nor recognized by colonial society, she grew up in the in-between world of Caribbean slavery.
When Bonaparte restored slavery through the law of May 20, 1802, Solitude refused to return to servitude. She joined the insurgents rallying around Louis Delgrès in the highlands of Basse-Terre, taking up arms despite being heavily pregnant. Her courage left a lasting impression on those who witnessed it.
After Louis Delgrès's heroic death at Matouba on May 28, 1802, the remaining resistance fighters continued the struggle in the hills of Guadeloupe. Solitude was among those who held out for months before being captured by the troops of General Richepance, tasked with pacifying the island.
Taken prisoner while on the verge of giving birth, the colonial authorities waited for her child to be born before carrying out her execution — so as not to lose this 'property,' since the newborn was itself considered the master's possession. She was hanged on November 29, 1802, the day after her child was born.
Solitude's story, passed down through generations by Creole oral tradition, was brought to a wider audience in 1972 through the novel by Guadeloupean writer André Schwarz-Bart. In 1999, a statue was erected in her honor in Pointe-à-Pitre, making her a national figure and a universal symbol of resistance against oppression.
Primary Sources
It is in the finest days of a century forever celebrated for the triumph of enlightenment and philosophy, that a class of unfortunate men [...] sees broken the iron scepter under which it has groaned for two centuries.
The last rebels have been arrested in the hills. The ringleaders were tried and executed in accordance with the orders of the First Consul. Order has been restored across the entire colony.
It was said that she was pregnant and carried her belly like a shield. She would say that a child born free is worth more than a whole life spent in chains.
In the colonies returned to France pursuant to the Treaty of Amiens, slavery shall be maintained in accordance with the laws and regulations predating 1789.
Key Places
The heart of the 1802 insurrection, the town of Basse-Terre and its surroundings were the site of fierce fighting between the insurgents led by Delgrès and Solitude and the French forces of General Richepance.
The site of the ultimate sacrifice of Louis Delgrès and 300 insurgents on May 28, 1802: rather than surrender, they blew up the powder magazine. This landmark of resistance is today a major memorial site.
The main city of Guadeloupe, where Solitude was executed on November 29, 1802. A statue has stood there in her honor since 1999, on Place de la Victoire, commemorating her sacrifice.
These hills and dense forests in the interior of Guadeloupe served as refuge for Maroon slaves and the insurgents of 1802. Solitude led her resistance there following the defeat at Matouba.
Gallery
Russian: «Христос в пустыне »Christ in the Wildernesslabel QS:Lfr,"Le Christ dans le désert"label QS:Len,"Christ in the Wilderness"label QS:Lar,"المسيح في الصحراء"
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Ivan Kramskoi
Modern painting
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Moore, George, 1852-1933
The history of modern painting.
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Richard Muther
Modern painting
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Moore, George, 1852-1933
Modern painting
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Moore, George, 1852-1933
Greek sculpture, its spirit and principles
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Mach, Edmund von, 1870-1927
Histoire de la sculpture antique
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Emeric-David, T.-B. (Toussaint-Bernard), 1755-1839 Walckenaer, C. A. (Charles Athanase), 1771-1852 Jacob, P. L., 18
Greek sculpture, its spirit and principles
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Mach, Edmund von, 1870-1927
Greek &amp, Roman sculpture
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Furtwängler, Adolf, 1853-1907 Urlichs, Heinrich Ludwig, b. 1864 Taylor, Horace
Journal de l’expédition du chevalier de Troyes à la baie d’Hudson, en 1686
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Ivanhoé Caron