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80-687: The governor of Louisiana and founder of New Orleans, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville determined to stop Chickasaw trade with the British. In 1721 he was able to incite the Choctaw who began to raid Chickasaw villages, and to ambush pack trains along the Trader's Path leading to Charleston, South Carolina . In response, the Chickasaw regrouped their villages more tightly for defense, and cemented relations with their British source of guns by establishing

160-628: A Charity Hospital which had been endowed by a sailor named Jean Louis. He also headed a relief effort when two hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast in the fall of 1740. The new governor arrived in 1743, and Bienville sailed back to France. However, even in France, he did what he could to aid the colony he had worked so long to build, seeking unsuccessfully to prevent the transfer of the colony from France to Spain . Bienville died in Paris in 1767. A monument

240-534: A Canadian and Huron militia against a much larger Iroquois force; none of the Canadians survived, although they did turn back the Iroquois invasion. In 1627, Quebec had only eighty-five French colonists and was easily overwhelmed two years later when three English privateers plundered the settlement. In 1663, New France finally became more secure when Louis XIV made it a royal province, taking control away from

320-631: A cross in the Gaspé Peninsula and claimed the land in the name of King Francis I . It was the first province of New France. The first settlement of 400 people, Fort Charlesbourg-Royal (present-day Quebec City ), was attempted in 1541 but lasted only two years. French fishing fleets continued to sail to the Atlantic coast and into the St. Lawrence River, making alliances with Canadian First Nations that became important once France began to occupy

400-513: A lack of growth in the colony. He was recalled to France in 1716, and Bienville again took the helm as governor, serving the office for less than a year until the new governor, Jean-Michel de Lepinay , arrived from France. Lepinay's tenure was short lived, however, as Crozat had relinquished control of the colony and its administration to John Law and his Company of the Indies . In 1718, Bienville found himself once again governor of Louisiana, and it

480-407: A self-sufficient colony with a population of 24,594. Mainly due to natural increase and modest immigration from Northwest France ( Brittany , Normandy , Île-de-France , Poitou-Charentes and Pays de la Loire ) the population of Canada increased to 55,000 according to the last French census of 1754. This was an increase from 42,701 in 1730. By 1765, the population approached 70,000. By 1714,

560-617: A settlement along the Mississippi River at the first solid ground he could find. Fifty miles upriver, Bienville established Fort de la Boulaye . On the recommendations of his brother, Bienville moved the majority of the settlers to a new settlement in what is now Alabama on the west side of the Mobile River , called Fort Louis de la Mobile (or "Mobille"). He also established a deepwater port nearby on Dauphin Island for

640-700: A settlement at Savannah Town, South Carolina , in 1723. They blocked French traffic on the Mississippi River by occupying Chickasaw Bluff near present-day Memphis, and bargained for peace with the Choctaw. Bienville himself was recalled to France in 1724 (Gayarre 366–368). On and off over the following years, the French successfully reignited the Indian conflict. The Choctaw pursued their familiar hit and run tactics: ambushing hunting parties, killing trader's horses, devastating croplands after using superior numbers to drive

720-498: A slow decline. The natural abundance of furs had passed and it could no longer meet market demand. This eventually resulted in the repeal of the 25 percent sales tax that had previously aimed at curbing the administrative costs New France had accumulated. In addition, dwindling supply increased black market trading. A greater number of indigenous groups and fur traders began circumventing Montreal and New France altogether; many began trading with either British or Dutch merchants to

800-420: A white child occurring in 1705. The population of the colony fluctuated over the next generation, growing to 281 by 1708, but diminishing to 178 two years later due to disease. In 1709, a great flood overflowed Fort Louis de la Mobile : because of this and the outbreaks of disease, Bienville ordered the settlement to move downriver to the present site of Mobile, Alabama in 1711 where another wooden Fort Louis

880-465: Is no confirmation of this.) Madame Langlois had learned from local native tribes the arts of cooking local produce and imparted this knowledge to her charges in what is generally heralded as the origin of Creole cuisine . The names and fates of most of the Casquette Girls is uncertain, but at least some remained in the colony and married French soldiers as intended, the first recorded birth of

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960-472: Is now Texas . The colony was devastated by disease, and the surviving settlers were killed in 1688, in an attack by the area's indigenous population . Other parts of Louisiana were settled and developed with success, such as New Orleans and southern Illinois , leaving a strong French influence in these areas long after the Louisiana Purchase . Many strategic forts were built there, under

1040-729: Is often described as "the Father of Louisiana." New France New France ( French : Nouvelle-France ) was the territory colonized by France in North America , beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain in 1763 under the Treaty of Paris . A vast viceroyalty , New France consisted of five colonies at its peak in 1712, each with its own administration: Canada ,

1120-630: The Chickasaw had deteriorated. Bienville immediately began planning for a two-pronged offensive. He ordered the Governor of the Illinois District Pierre d'Artaguette with all available force from that area to meet him in Chickasaw country to launch a coordinated attack. At the event, Bienville arrived late, so d'Artaguette attacked independently on March 25, 1736, and was crushed. After weeks of preparation, Bienville attacked from

1200-512: The Compagnie des Indes in 1718, once again highlighted the economic importance of the fur trade. This merchant association, like its predecessor the Compagnie des Cent Associés, regulated the fur trade to the best of its abilities imposing price points, supporting government sale taxes and combating black market practices. However, by the middle half of the 18th century the fur trade was in

1280-712: The Company of One Hundred Associates . In the same year the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal ceded its possessions to the Seminaire de Saint-Sulpice . The Crown paid for transatlantic passages and offered other incentives to those willing to move to New France as well, after which the population of New France grew to three thousand. In 1665, Louis XIV sent a French garrison, the Carignan-Salières Regiment , to Quebec. The colonial government

1360-811: The Fortress of Louisbourg . The population rose slowly but steadily. In 1754, New France's population consisted of 10,000 Acadians , 55,000 Canadiens , and about 4,000 settlers in upper and lower Louisiana ; 69,000 in total. The British expelled the Acadians in the Great Upheaval from 1755 to 1764, and their descendants are dispersed in the Maritime provinces of Canada and in Maine and Louisiana , with small populations in Chéticamp, Nova Scotia , and

1440-579: The Illini led by Chief Chicagou , met with disaster while attacking the village of Ogoula Tchetoka near present-day northwest Tupelo, Mississippi . The French were crushed, and d'Artaguiette was killed. Bienville remained unaware of d'Artaguiette's disaster. On May 26, 1736, he and his army of 1200 French and Choctaw were repulsed in an attack on the fortified Chickasaw village of Ackia ( Chickasaw : Aahíkki'ya' ) in present-day south Tupelo. Bienville returned to Mobile and New Orleans in disgrace. Bienville

1520-710: The Magdalen Islands . Some also went to France. After the Seven Years' War (which included the French and Indian War in America), France ceded the rest of New France to Great Britain and Spain in the Treaty of Paris of 1763 (except the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon ). Britain acquired Canada, Acadia, and French Louisiana east of the Mississippi River , except for the Île d'Orléans , which

1600-729: The Saint Lawrence River and Acadian Peninsula with a population around 15,000 to 16,000. The first population figures for Acadia are from 1671, which enumerated only 450 people. After the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, New France began to prosper. Industries such as fishing and farming, which had failed under Talon, began to flourish. A "King's Highway" ( Chemin du Roy ) was built between Montreal and Quebec to encourage faster trade. The shipping industry also flourished as new ports were built and old ones were upgraded. The number of colonists greatly increased. By 1720, Canada had become

1680-546: The Seven Years' War of 1756–1763 – started with a British campaign in 1758 and ended with the region being put under a British military regime between 1760 and 1763. Britain's acquisition of Canada became official with the 1763 Treaty of Paris that concluded the Seven Years' War. According to the staples thesis , the economic development of New France was marked by the emergence of successive economies based on staple commodities, each of which dictated

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1760-588: The War of the Quadruple Alliance (1718–1720), Bienville had moved the capital of French Louisiana from Mobile near the battlefront with Spanish Pensacola back to Fort Maurepas ( Old Biloxi ). However, due to shifting sand bars , the settlement was moved across Biloxi Bay to found New Biloxi (or Nouvelle-Biloxi or Bilocci ), in 1719. After the move, Fort Maurepas was burned (in the French custom to avoid resettlement by enemy forces). Also during 1719,

1840-418: The 1580s, French trading companies had been set up, and ships were contracted to bring back furs. Much of what transpired between the indigenous population and their European visitors around that time is not known, for lack of historical records. Other attempts at establishing permanent settlements were also failures. In 1598, a French trading post was established on Sable Island , off the coast of Acadia, but

1920-544: The 16th century, the lands were used primarily to extract natural resources, such as furs, through trade with the various indigenous peoples. In the seventeenth century, successful settlements began in Acadia and in Quebec. In the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht , France ceded to Great Britain its claims over mainland Acadia, Hudson Bay, and Newfoundland. France established the colony of Île Royale on Cape Breton Island , where they built

2000-523: The 6,000 non-indigenous population of Louisiana by the end of French rule. Around 1523, the Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano convinced King Francis I to commission an expedition to find a western route to Cathay (China). Late that year, Verrazzano set sail in Dieppe , crossing the Atlantic on a small caravel with 50 men. After exploring the coast of the present-day Carolinas early

2080-533: The Acadian population had expanded to over 2,500 and to about 13,000 people by the end of the 1750s. This was mostly from natural increase rather than immigration that affected other French settlements. European population of Louisiana is estimated at 5,000 by the 1720s. This would dramatically change in the mid-1730s with the loss of 2,000 French settlers and the introduction of African slaves. Enslaved men, women and children represented approximately 65 percent of

2160-607: The British. In 1734, Bienville returned to Louisiana, and waged grand campaigns against the Chickasaw in the European style. Bienville assembled a force in Mobile which he led via Fort Tombecbé up the Tombigbee River (Rive de la Mobile), intending to link with a northern force sweeping down from Fort de Chartres under Pierre D'Artaguiette . On March 25, 1736, the northern force, a mixture of French with their allies

2240-450: The Chickasaw into their forts, and killing peace emissaries. Illini and Iroquois occasionally pitched in from the north as well. This war of attrition effectively wore the Chickasaw down, reaching a crisis level in the late 1730s and especially the early 1740s. After a lapse due to strife within the Choctaw, the bloody harassment resumed in the 1750s. The Chickasaw remained obstinate, their situation forcing them to adhere even more closely to

2320-636: The Chickasaw. Enmity between the Illini and the Chickasaw continued long after the war. Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville ( French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ batist lə mwan də bjɛ̃vil] ; / l ə ˈ m ɔɪ n d ə b i ˈ ɛ n v ɪ l / ; February 23, 1680 – March 7, 1767), also known as Sieur de Bienville , was a French-Canadian colonial administrator in New France . Born in Montreal , he

2400-569: The English colonies instead. The Catholic Church, and missionaries such as the Recollets and the Jesuits , became firmly established in the territory. Richelieu also introduced the seigneurial system , a semi-feudal system of farming based on ribbon farms that remained a characteristic feature of the St. Lawrence valley until the 19th century. While Richelieu's efforts did little to increase

2480-573: The English colonies. In 1627, Richelieu founded the Company of One Hundred Associates to invest in New France, promising land parcels to hundreds of new settlers and to turn Canada into an important mercantile and farming colony. He named Champlain as the Governor of New France and forbade non- Catholics to live there. Consequently, any Protestant emigrants to New France were forced to convert to Catholicism, prompting many of them to relocate to

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2560-439: The French presence in New France, they did pave the way for the success of later efforts. Simultaneously, the English colonies to the south began raiding the St. Lawrence Valley, also capturing and holding Quebec until 1632. Champlain returned to Canada that year and requested that Sieur de Laviolette found another trading post at Trois-Rivières , which Laviolette did in 1634. Champlain died in 1635. On 23 September 1646, under

2640-769: The New Orleans site could be considered a deepwater port, closer to agricultural lands. Eventually, in June 1722, Bienville began moving the capital to New Orleans, completing the move in August 1722. The year 1723 was the first full year with New Orleans as capital of French Louisiana. In 1725, Bienville was recalled to France. He left the colony in the hands of Pierre Dugué de Boisbriant , succeeded by Étienne Perier . Bienville resumed his post in Louisiana in 1733. This last term in office would be one of conflict, as relations with

2720-546: The New World with their possessions in small trunks known as cassettes, they are known in local histories as the casquette girls in early accounts and by the English translation of casket girls in later tradition. The young ladies were lodged in Bienville's home under the care of his housekeeper, a French-Canadian woman known as Madame Langlois. (By tradition she was a widowed cousin to Bienville and his brothers, but there

2800-589: The Ohio Valley, and the St. Lawrence River Valley), Acadia (the Gaspé Peninsula, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, St. John's Island , and Île Royale -Cape Breton), Hudson Bay (and James Bay ), Terre-Neuve (south Newfoundland), and Louisiana ;. The 1715 Treaty of Utrecht resulted in the relinquishing of French claims to mainland Acadia, the Hudson Bay and Newfoundland, and the establishment of

2880-462: The authorization Jacques Le Neuf de la Poterie . In 1650, New France had seven hundred colonists and Montreal had only a few dozen settlers. Because the First Nations people did most of the work of beaver hunting, the company needed few French employees. The sparsely populated New France almost fell to hostile Iroquois forces completely as well. In 1660, settler Adam Dollard des Ormeaux led

2960-705: The beach; this spring is now 300–400 feet out in Mobile Bay. Bienville played a significant role in charting the coast near Mobile, Alabama . He also discovered the Chandeleur Islands off the coast of Louisiana, as well as Cat Island and Ship Island off the Mississippi coast, before moving westward to sail up the mouth of the Mississippi River . Eventually, the expedition reached the modern-day site of Baton Rouge and False River . In April 1699, before heading back to France , Iberville established

3040-591: The colony of Île Royale , now called Cape Breton Island, where the French built the Fortress of Louisbourg . The European population grew slowly under French rule, thus remained relatively low as growth was largely achieved through natural births, rather than by immigration. Most of the French were farmers, and the rate of natural increase among the settlers themselves was very high. The women had about 30 per cent more children than comparable women who remained in France. Yves Landry says, "Canadians had an exceptional diet for their time." The 1666 census of New France

3120-466: The colony, as Mobile Bay and the Mobile River were too shallow for seagoing vessels. The population of the colony fluctuated over the next few years. In 1704, in part due to fear that fraternization of French soldiers with native females might lead to conflict, Bienville arranged for the arrival of twenty-four young French women. By tradition the young ladies were selected from convents , though most were likely from poor families. Because they traveled to

3200-535: The command of Pierre LeGardeur , Le Cardinal arrived to Quebec with Jules (Gilles) Trottier II and his family. Le Cardinal, commissioned by the Communauté des Habitants , had arrived from La Rochelle, France . Communauté des Habitants at the time of Trottier traded fur primarily. On 4 July 1646, by Pierre Teuleron, sieur de Repentigny, granted Trottier land in La Rochelle to build and develop New France, under

3280-419: The economy. The fur trade itself was based on a commodity of small bulk but high value. Because of this it managed to attract increased attention and/or input capital that would otherwise be intended for other areas of the economy. The Montreal area witnessed a stagnant agricultural sector; it remained for the most part subsistence orientated with little or no trade purposes outside of the French colony . This

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3360-645: The eleven-by-seven block rectangle now known as the French Quarter or the Vieux Carré. After moving into his new home on the site of what is now the Custom House, Bienville named the new city "La Nouvelle-Orléans" in honor of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans , the Prince Regent of France. New Orleans became the capital of French Louisiana by 1723, during Bienville's third term. In 1719, during

3440-463: The first settlement of the Louisiana colony: Fort Maurepas or Old Biloxi , at present-day Ocean Springs , Mississippi . He appointed Sauvolle de la Villantry as the governor and made Bienville lieutenant. Following Iberville's departure, Bienville took another expedition up the Mississippi River and encountered English ships at what is now known as English Turn . Upon hearing of this encounter on his return, Iberville ordered Bienville to establish

3520-519: The first shot of his arquebus . This military engagement against the Iroquois solidified Champlain's status with New France's Huron and Algonquin allies, enabling him to maintain bonds essential to New France's interests in the fur trade. Champlain also arranged to have young French men live with local indigenous people, to learn their language and customs and help the French adapt to life in North America. These coureurs des bois ("runners of

3600-589: The following year, he headed north along the coast, eventually anchoring in the Narrows of New York Bay . The first European to visit the site of present-day New York, Verrazzano named it Nouvelle-Angoulême in honour of the king , the former count of Angoulême . Verrazzano's voyage convinced the king to seek to establish a colony in the newly discovered land. Verrazzano gave the names Francesca and Nova Gallia to that land between New Spain (Mexico) and English Newfoundland. In 1534, Jacques Cartier planted

3680-560: The good food conservation conditions during the winter; and an adequate wheat supply in most years." Consequently, colonial women bore about 30% more children than comparable women in France. Besides household duties, some women participated in the fur trade, the major source of money in New France. They worked at home alongside their husbands or fathers as merchants, clerks, and provisioners. Some were widows who took over their husbands' roles. Some even became independent and active entrepreneurs. The French extended their territorial claim to

3760-488: The inhabitants of New France. In December 1627 the Company of New France was recognized and given commercial rights to the gathering and export of furs from French territories. By trading with various indigenous populations and securing the main markets its power grew steadily for the next decade. As a result, it was able to set specific price points for furs and other valuable goods, often doing so to protect its economic hegemony over other trading partners and other areas of

3840-624: The land. French merchants soon realized the St. Lawrence region was full of valuable fur -bearing animals, especially the beaver , which were becoming rare in Europe . Eventually, the French crown decided to colonize the territory to secure and expand its influence in America. Acadia and Canada (New France) were inhabited by indigenous nomadic Algonquian peoples and sedentary Iroquoian peoples. These lands were full of unexploited and valuable natural resources, which attracted all of Europe. By

3920-523: The more distant fur-hunting tribes. Still, the coureurs kept thrusting outwards using the Ottawa River as their initial step upon the journey and keeping Montreal as their starting point. The Ottawa River was significant because it offered a route that was practical for Europeans, by taking the traders northward out of the territory dominated by the Iroquois . It was for this reason that Montreal and

4000-679: The most developed colony, which was divided into the districts of Quebec (around what is now called Quebec City ), Trois-Rivières , and Montreal ; Hudson Bay ; Acadia in the northeast; Terre-Neuve on the island of Newfoundland ; and Louisiana . It extended from Newfoundland to the Canadian Prairies and from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico , including all the Great Lakes of North America . The continent-traversing Saint Lawrence and Mississippi rivers were means of carrying French influence through much of North America. In

4080-532: The nascent France's colonial empire , Louis XIV sponsored single women, virtuous, physically fit, and aged between 15 and 30 years, known as the King's Daughters , or, in French, les filles du roi , to move to New France. The King paid for their passage and granted goods or money as their dowries upon their marriage to single settlers. Approximately 800 women, primarily from the impoverished Parisian, Norman, and West-Central families, relocated during 1663–1673. By 1672,

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4160-520: The new staple good that would strengthen and drive New France's economy, in particular that of Montreal , for the next century. The trading post of Ville-Marie , established on the current island of Montreal, quickly became the economic hub for the French fur trade. It achieved this in great part due to its particular location along the St. Lawrence River . From here a new economy emerged, one of size and density that provided increased economic opportunities for

4240-557: The only vestige of French rule being the tiny islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon , an overseas collectivity of France , although Quebec remains predominately French-speaking. In the United States, the legacy of New France includes numerous place names as well as small pockets of French-speaking communities. New France had five colonies or territories, each with its own administration: Canada (the Great Lakes region,

4320-466: The orders of Governor Louis de Buade de Frontenac . Forts were also built in the older portions of New France that had not yet been settled. Many of these forts were garrisoned by the Troupes de la Marine , the only regular soldiers in New France between 1683 and 1755. The Conquest of New France (French: La Conquête ) – the military Conquest of New France by Great Britain during

4400-505: The political and cultural settings of the time. During the 16th and early 17th centuries New France's economy was heavily centered on its Atlantic fisheries. This would change in the later half of the 17th and 18th centuries as French settlement penetrated further into the continental interior. Here French economic interests would shift and concentrate itself on the development of the North American fur trade . It would soon become

4480-435: The population had reached 355. Champlain allied himself with the Algonquin and Montagnais peoples in the area, who were at war with the Iroquois , as soon as possible. In 1609, Champlain and two French companions accompanied his Algonquin, Montagnais, and Huron allies south from the St. Lawrence Valley to Lake Champlain . He participated decisively in a battle against the Iroquois there, killing two Iroquois chiefs with

4560-406: The population of New France had risen to 6,700 people, a marked increase from the population of 3,200 people in 1663. This rapid demographic growth was predicated both on the high demand for children and on the ready supply of natural resources to support them. According to Landry, "Canadians had an exceptional diet for their time. This was due to the natural abundance of meat, fish, and pure water;

4640-502: The seigneurial system by forcing the seigneurs to reside on their land and limiting the size of the seigneuries, intending to make more land available to new settlers. Talon's attempts failed since very few settlers arrived and the various industries he established failed to surpass the importance of the fur trade. The first settler, brought to Quebec by Champlain, was the apothecary Louis Hébert and his family of Paris. They expressly came to settle and remain in New France so as to make

4720-469: The selling of the furs, quickly promoted the growth of complementary second and tertiary sectors of the economy. For instance a small number of tanneries was established in Montreal as well as a larger number of inns, taverns and markets that would support the growing number of inhabitants whose livelihood depended on the fur trade. Already by 1683 there were well over 140 families and there may have been as many as 900 people living in Montreal. The founding of

4800-432: The settlement of Ville-Marie (present day Montreal ) at an early age and had fourteen children. At the age of seventeen, Bienville joined his brother Iberville on an expedition to establish the colony of Louisiana. In 1699, the group explored the Gulf of Mexico coastline as far as Mobile Bay, which was too shallow to go further. At the site of Belle Fontaine, they discovered an artesian spring bubbling and leaping from

4880-430: The settlement viable. Waves of recruits came in response to the requests for men with specific skills, e . g ., farmers, architects, and blacksmiths. At the same time, the government encouraged intermarriages with the indigenous peoples and welcomed indentured servants , or engagés sent to New France. As couples married, cash incentives to have large families were put in place and proved effective. To further strengthen

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4960-427: The settlers as Acadians . In 1608, King Henry IV sponsored Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons and Samuel de Champlain as founders of the city of Quebec with 28 men. This was the second permanent French settlement in the colony of Canada . Colonization was slow and difficult. Many settlers died early because of harsh weather and diseases. In 1630, there were only 103 colonists living in the settlement, but by 1640,

5040-529: The south and to the west of the American colonies late in the 17th century, naming it for King Louis XIV, as La Louisiane . In 1682, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle explored the Ohio River Valley and the Mississippi River Valley , and he claimed the entire territory for France as far south as the Gulf of Mexico . La Salle attempted to establish the first southern colony in the new territory in 1685, but inaccurate maps and navigational issues led him to instead establish his Fort Saint Louis in what

5120-443: The south on May 26, and himself was bloodily repulsed. Humiliated, Bienville organized a second campaign and collected his forces at Chickasaw Bluff in 1739. The Chickasaws sued for peace, and a treaty was signed with Bienville in April 1740. After two campaigns falling so far short of expectations, Bienville requested that he be relieved of his duties as governor. While waiting for a new governor to arrive, Bienville helped establish

5200-648: The south. By the end of French rule in New France in 1763, the fur trade had significantly lost its importance as the key staple good that supported much of New France's economy for more than the last century. Even so, it did serve as the fundamental force behind the establishment and vast growth of Montreal and the French colony. The coureurs des bois were responsible for starting the flow of trade from Montreal , carrying French goods into upper territories while indigenous people were bringing down their furs . The coureurs traveled with intermediate trading tribes, and found that they were anxious to prevent French access to

5280-432: The traditional date to mark the anniversary, but the actual day is unknown ). By 1719, a sufficient number of huts and storage houses had been built that Bienville began moving supplies and troops from Mobile. Following disagreements with the chief engineer of the colony, Pierre Le Blond de La Tour , Bienville ordered an assistant engineer, Adrien de Pauger , to draw up plans for the new city in 1720. In 1721, Pauger drew up

5360-405: The under-construction New Orleans had been entirely flooded (6 inches or higher), with the realization that higher ground or levees would be needed for the inland port of that Crescent City . The governing council wanted to keep the capital on the Gulf of Mexico at Biloxi. However, the sandy soil around Biloxi complicated agriculture, and storms also shifted sands into Biloxi harbor, while

5440-494: The wilderness. After months of delay, Bienville came to terms without armed conflict. The disgraced Bienville was replaced by Marquis de Vaudreuil in 1742, who continued to encourage Choctaw harassment. He eventually came to the view that another grand effort was needed to end the Chickasaw threat once and for all, and he pleaded his case to his superiors. Many sources describe such an expedition taking place in 1752. None of these sources mention any further details, beyond saying it

5520-532: The woods"), including Étienne Brûlé , extended French influence south and west to the Great Lakes and among the Huron tribes who lived there. Ultimately, for the better part of a century, the Iroquois and French clashed in a series of attacks and reprisals. During the first decades of the colony's existence, only a few hundred French people lived there, while the English colonies to the south were much more populous and wealthy. Cardinal Richelieu , adviser to Louis XIII , wished to make New France as significant as

5600-423: Was a prime example of the handicapping effect the fur trade had on its neighbouring areas of the economy . Nonetheless, by the beginning of the 1700s, the economic prosperity the fur trade stimulated slowly transformed Montreal. Economically, it was no longer a town of small traders or of fur fairs but rather a city of merchants and of bright lights. The primary sector of the fur trade , the act of acquiring and

5680-416: Was an early governor of French Louisiana , appointed four separate times during 1701–1743. He was the younger brother of explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville . Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne was the son of Charles le Moyne , born in Longueil , near Dieppe , and Catherine Primot (also known as Catherine Thierry), born in Rouen , both cities in the Province of Normandy . Charles le Moyne established his family in

5760-424: Was an exact repetition of 1736. Dawson A. Phelps determined that the grand effort never took place (Atkinson p. 78), although there was a strong Choctaw attack (one of many over the years) instigated and supported by the French. Armed to the teeth in their remote and heavily fortified villages, the Chickasaw maintained themselves albeit with great loss to both population and way of life. The French never defeated

5840-423: Was built. By 1712, when Antoine Crozat took over administration of Louisiana by royal appointment, the colony boasted a population of 400 persons. In 1713, a new governor arrived from France, and Bienville moved west where, in 1716, he established Fort Rosalie on the present site of Natchez, Mississippi . The new governor, Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac , did not last long due to mismanagement and

5920-545: Was during this term that Bienville established the city of New Orleans, Louisiana . Bienville wrote to the Directors of the Company in 1717 that he had discovered a crescent bend in the Mississippi River which he felt was safe from tidal surges and hurricanes and proposed that the new capital of the colony be built there. Permission was granted, and Bienville founded New Orleans in the spring of 1718 (May 7 has become

6000-564: Was erected in New Orleans to recognize Bienville's role as founder of the city by the Louisiana Purchase Sesquicentennial Commission. Cast in 1955 by Angela Gregory , the monument features Bienville atop a pedestal facing north. On the east face, to his right, sits a Native American. To his south, a priest. On the west side of the monument, Gregory included the Le Moyne coat of arms. Bienville

6080-455: Was granted to Spain with the territory to the west. In 1800, Spain returned its portion of Louisiana to France under the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso , and Napoleon Bonaparte sold it to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, permanently ending French colonial efforts on the American mainland. New France eventually became absorbed within the United States and Canada, with

6160-546: Was instructed to try again. This time he obtained heavy siege equipment, and assembled his forces at Fort de l'Assumption on the Fourth Chickasaw Bluff (present-day Memphis, Tennessee ) 120 miles to the west of the Chickasaw villages. Canada contributed troops and Indian allies under Charles Le Moyne de Longueuil and Pierre-Joseph Céloron de Blainville . The force was reduced by disease, and Bienville found himself unable to transport his artillery through

6240-677: Was reformed along the lines of the government of France, with the Governor General and Intendant subordinate to the French Minister of the Marine. In 1665, Jean Talon Minister of the Marine accepted an appointment from Jean-Baptiste Colbert as the first Intendant of New France. These reforms limited the power of the Bishop of Quebec , who had held the greatest amount of power after the death of Champlain. Talon tried reforming

6320-408: Was the first census conducted in North America. It was organized by Jean Talon , the first Intendant of New France , between 1665 and 1666. According to Talon's census there were 3,215 people in New France, comprising 538 separate families. The census showed a great difference in the number of men at 2,034 versus 1,181 women. By the early 1700s, the New France settlers were well established along

6400-446: Was unsuccessful. In 1600, a trading post was established at Tadoussac , but only five settlers survived the winter. In 1604, a settlement was founded at Île-Saint-Croix on Baie François ( Bay of Fundy ), which was moved to Port-Royal in 1605. It was abandoned in 1607, re-established in 1610, and destroyed in 1613, after which settlers moved to other nearby locations, creating settlements that were collectively known as Acadia , and

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