Josiah Francis (Hillis Hadjo)
Josiah Francis | |
|---|---|
| Hillis Hadjo | |
Self-portrait of Josiah Francis | |
| Red Stick Creek leader | |
| In office 1813–1818 | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Traveled to England as representative of the Indian Nations (Creek and three other local tribes) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hillis Hadjo 1770 near Montgomery, Alabama |
| Died | April 9, 1818 (aged 47–48) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Resting place | San Marcos de Apalache |
| Party | Red Stick Creeks |
| Spouse | Hannah Moniac |
| Relations | David Moniac, Alexander McGillivray |
| Children | Polly, Milly, Earle |
| Parent(s) | European-American father, Creek mother |
| Education | Illiterate. Sought education in England for his son. |
| Nickname | Francis the Prophet |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Burnt Corn, Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1814) |
| An ally of his was Neamathla. | |
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Josiah Francis, also called Francis the Prophet, native name Hillis Hadjo ("crazy-brave medicine") (c. 1770–1818), was a "charismatic religious leader" of the Red Stick Creek Indians. According to the historian Frank Owsley, he became "the most ardent advocate of war against the white man, as he believed in the supremacy of the Creek culture over that of the whites". He traveled to London as a representative of several related tribal groups, unsuccessfully seeking British support against the expansionism of the United States, then was captured and hanged without trial on the orders of General Andrew Jackson shortly after his return to Spanish Florida.