sixteenth century, after decades of warfare,
w sources of wealth to renew its resources.
elieved that wealth could be found in the
North America, especially its beaver pelts. The
ompany whose goal was to create a colony in
The company was also given a monopoly—the
trade—over the fur trade in an area known as
lay Nova Scotia and New Brunswick). In 1604,
ompany, Pierre du Gua de Monts, set sail from
On this journey, de Monts brought with him a
artographer named Samuel de Champlain, who
wn as the “Father of New France.”
ad de Monts established a colony at tie Ste.
id then moved it to Port Royal (in\present-day
605 due to its more sheltered location. At Port
he idea of communal living and established the
encourage settlers to work together to ensure
of Good Cheer also organized festivities to help
among the men. In 1607, however, Champlain
to abandon Port Royal when de Monts’
[red. Determined to establish a lasting colony,
;hts to the location where Stadacona once stood.
Ldoned. Historians believe that changes in the
te, or diseases brought by Cartier may have
their village. Champlain chose this site because
n for trade, its fertile ground, and because
er under attack. He named his new colony
om the Algonquian word Kébec, meaning,
The founding of Québec in
1608 established a base for French
colonial power in North America
and the beginning of a permanent
French presence and culture in North
America. In 1642, under the leadership
of Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve,
about forty colonists from Québec
helped missionaries form the new
colony of Ville-Marie where the former
Haudenosaunee village, Hochelaga,
once stood. Ville-Marie later became
known as Montréal.
What caused Champlain’s colony
to succeed when earlier attempts at
permanent settlements had failed?
POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF
NOL.4VELLE-FR4NCE
I
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As the first permanent French colony, Québec experienced growing
pains as it tried to establish itself in a foreign and often challenging
environment. In the 150 years between 1604 and 1759, the colony
u riclerwent dramatic changes.
ftOVAL cOVeRIJMEt)T (It.) ItJOuVeLL.E-FRAItiCe
In order to allow his new colony of Québec to grow and prosper,
Champlain needed French investors to provide money to harvest the
natural resources in North America and help develop the settlement.
JIn April 1627, Champlain convinced one of the most powerful people
in France, Cardinal Richelieu, to establish a group of 100 investors.
This group was called the Company of One Hundred Associates.Its
purpose was to establish a French empire in North America for the
purpose of trade, settlement, and the conversion of First Nations people
to Catholicism. The Company was given administrative control over the
territory that France claimed.
During the next thirty-six years, Nouvelle-France grew slowly, and the
colony faced attacks by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy.
As you will learn later in this chapter, the
Haudenosaunee had formed an alliance
with the British and went to the St.
Lawrence area to disrupt trade between
the French and the Wendat (Huron)
nations. With the French colonists living
in fear, trade did not develop, the land
was not cleared or farmed, and there was
lirde support from France in terms of
defence. But all this changed when King
Louis XIV came to the throne of France.
Louis XIV was determined to make
Nouvelle-France an important part of
the French Empire.
Because the Company of One
h{undred Associates had not fulfilled its
contract in terms of achieving a certain
number of settlers and income from
trade and goods, King Louis XIV
dismissed the company and made
Nouvelle-France a royal colony in 1663.
As a royal colony, Nouvelle-France
cou1d be governed by a system of Royal
Government. Every aspect of life came
under the control of the French monarch
and his appointed council.
0 Let’s Discuss
Wh mih Ike colonis4s of NoveIIe
Fravce welcome The decision fo become
a roal colon L4P1ier Frrnce arid e
overned Lttj The Freiuk monaYckj?
Figure 2-12 Louis XIV came to the French
throne at the age of twenty-two. lie saw
Nouvelle-France playing an important
role in the growth of the French Empire.