It is Black History Month and each day this month I am sharing stories from Canada's Black history. Today, it is Marie-Joseph Angelique, an enslaved woman who was convicted and executed for allegedly starting a disastrous fire in Montreal. 📸Annie Beaugrand-Champagne 🧵1/10 - ThreadSky

cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social • 23 days ago

It is Black History Month and each day this month I am sharing stories from Canada's Black history.
Today, it is Marie-Joseph Angelique, an enslaved woman who was convicted and executed for allegedly starting a disastrous fire in Montreal.

📸Annie Beaugrand-Champagne

🧵1/10

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•23 days ago

Marie-Joseph Angélique was born sometime around 1705 in Portugal. Little is known about her first two decades of life.
In 1725, she was bought by French merchant François Poulin de Francheville who took her back to Montreal to work in his home.

📸Kit Lang

🧵2/10

cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•23 days ago

In 1733, Francois died and Angélique passed to his widow Therese.
She asked the widow for her freedom in December 1733, which Therese refused. After Angélique began to lash out, she was sold to François-Étienne Cugnet in 1734.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•23 days ago

When she heard she was going to be sold to someone in the West Indies, Angélique ran away with her white lover Claude Thibault. The couple set fire to her bed in the home of Alexis Monière where her enslaver was staying briefly. They fled towards New England.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•23 days ago

Angélique was caught and sent back to her enslaver in Montreal. Thibault was sent to jail.
On April 10, 1734, a fire destroyed much of the merchants' quarter of Montreal. At least 46 buildings were destroyed, including Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal.

📸Joey Bruce

🧵5/10

cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•23 days ago

Because of her repeated threats to burn down her enslavers home, Angélique was blamed for the fire.
The trial began on April 12, with 24 witnesses called. All but one stated they believed Angélique set the fire because of her past threats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVg3pGakXco

🧵6/10

cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•23 days ago

After six weeks, Angélique was convicted and sentenced to death. On June 21, she was tortured in her jail cell using the brodequins that crushed her leg. Under torture, she confessed. She was then hanged. Her body was displayed on a gibbet for two hours.

📸Dan Butler

🧵7/10

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