Nouvelle-France New France French colony 1655 – 1763 ↓ Flag from 1663 Coat of arms Capital Quebec Language(s) French Religion Roman Catholicism Government Monarchy King See List of French monarchs Governor See list of Governors Legislature Sovereign Council of New France Historical era Ancien Régime in France  - Royal Control 1655  - Articles of Capitulation of Quebec 1759  - Articles of Capitulation of Montreal 1760  - Treaty of Paris (1763) February 10, 1763 Currency New France livre

New France (French: la Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to Spain and Britain in 1763. France was a dominant empire in the world from the 1600s to the late 1960s possessing many colonies in various locations around the world Throughout the world there are many cities that were once national Capitals but no longer have that status because the country ceased to exist the capital was moved or the capital Quebec City ( French: Ville de Québec, or simply Québec) (kwɨˈbɛk or /keˈbɛk/ is the Capital of the Canadian province Canadian French is an Umbrella term for the varieties of the French language used in Canada. A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or Creed officially For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or List of Queens and Empresses of France Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government The Governor of New France was the Viceroy of the King of France in North America A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The Sovereign Council of New France was a political body appointed by the King of France and consisting of a Governor General an intendant and a bishop of the The Ancien Régime, a French term rendered in English as “Old Rule” “Old Kingdom” or simply “Old Regime” refers primarily to the aristocratic The Articles of Capitulation of Quebec were agreed upon between Jean-Baptiste-Nicolas-Roch de Ramezay, King's Lieutenant Admiral Sir Charles Saunders, and General Year 1759 ( MDCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Articles of Capitulation of Montreal were agreed upon between the Governor General of New France Pierre François de Rigaud Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal, and Major-General Year 1760 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on February 10, 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The livre was the currency of New France, the French colony in modern-day Canada. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people French colonization of the Americas began in the 14th century and continued in the following centuries as France established a colonial empire in the Western This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Saint Lawrence River (in French: fleuve Saint-Laurent; Kahnawáˀkye in Tuscarora, Kaniatarowanenneh meaning big waterway Jacques Cartier (December 31 1491&ndashSeptember 1 1557 was a French explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 At its peak in 1712 (before the Treaty of Utrecht), the territory of New France extended from Newfoundland to the Rocky Mountains and from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. The Treaty of Utrecht that established the Peace of Utrecht, rather than a single document comprised a series of individual peace treaties signed in the Dutch Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world The territory was then divided in five colonies, each with its own administration: Canada, Acadia, Hudson Bay, Newfoundland and Louisiana. Canada was the name of the French colony that once stretched along the St The Association for Computer Aided Design In Architecture ( ACADIA) is a Non-profit organization active in the area of Computer-aided architectural design Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of Louisiana (La celina+mario) was the name of an administrative district of New France.

Early exploration

Around 1523, the Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano convinced King Francis I of France to commission an expedition to find a western route to Cathay in Asia. Giovanni da Verrazzano (c 1485 &ndash c 1528 was an Italian Explorer of North America, in the service of the French crown. Francis I (September 12 1494 &ndash March 31 1547 was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547 Cathay is the Anglicized version of "Catai" and an alternative name for China in English Late in 1523, Verrazzano set sail in Dieppe, eventually crossing the Atlantic in 1524 on a small caravel with 53 men. Dieppe is a town and commune in the Seine-Maritime department and Haute-Normandie region of France. This article is about the Caravel boat type For the carvel type of boat building see Carvel (boat building. After exploring the coast of the present-day Carolinas, he headed north along the coast, eventually anchoring in the Narrows of New York Bay. The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. See also Geography and environment of New York City The Narrows is the tidal Strait separating the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn New York Bay is the collective term for the marine areas surrounding the entrance of the Hudson River into the Atlantic Ocean. The first European to discover the site of present-day New York, he named it Nouvelle-Angoulême in honour of the king, the former count of Angoulême. New Angoulême (Nouvelle-Angoulême was the name given to New York City in 1524 by Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano after Francis I of France, King Angoulême is a commune in western France, capital of the Charente department. Verrazzano's voyage convinced the king to seek to establish a colony in the newly discovered land.

In 1534, Jacques Cartier planted a cross in the Gaspé peninsula and claimed the land in the name of King Francis I. Jacques Cartier (December 31 1491&ndashSeptember 1 1557 was a French explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France A peninsula is a piece of land that is nearly surrounded by Water but connected to Mainland via an Isthmus. He called it Canada then. It was the first Province of New France. However, initial French attempts at settling the region met with failure. French fishing fleets, however, continued to sail to the Atlantic coast and into the St. Lawrence River, making alliances with First Nations that would become important once France began to occupy the land. Aboriginal people in Canada, also known as Canadian aboriginal citizens, are people who belong to recognized indigenous groups in the Canadian Constitution Act French merchants soon realized the St. Lawrence region was full of valuable fur, especially of beaver, which were becoming rare in Europe, as the European beaver had almost been driven to extinction. Fur is a body hair of any non-human Mammal, also known as the Pelage. The American Beaver ( Castor canadensis) is a large semi-aquatic Rodent native to Canada, much of the United States, and parts of northern The European beaver ( Castor fiber) is an endangered large aquatic Rodent which was hunted almost to extinction in Europe, both for Fur and Eventually, the French crown decided to colonize the territory to secure and expand its influence in America.

Another early French attempt at settlement in North America was Fort Caroline, established in what is now St. Augustine, Florida in 1564, south of Jacksonville. Fort Caroline was the first French colony in the present-day United States. St Augustine is the County seat of St Johns County, Florida, in the United States. Intended as a haven for Huguenots, Caroline was founded under the leadership of René Goulaine de Laudonnière and Jean Ribault. The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth René Goulaine de Laudonnière (c 1529 – 1574 was a French Huguenot explorer and the founder of the French Colony of Fort Caroline, Jean Ribault (1520 – October 12, 1565) was a French naval officer navigator and a colonizer of what would become the southeastern United States It was sacked by the Spanish led by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés which then established the settlement of St. Augustine on September 20, 1565. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés ( February 15, 1519 - September 17, 1574) was a sixteenth century Spanish admiral and pirate hunter known most notably St Augustine is the County seat of St Johns County, Florida, in the United States. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France.

Acadia and Canada were inhabited by indigenous nomadic Algonquin peoples and sedentary Iroquoian peoples. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. The Algonquins (or Algonkins) are an aboriginal North American people speaking Algonquin, an Anishinaabe language. The Iroquoian languages are a Native American Language family. These lands were full of unexploited and valuable natural riches which attracted all of Europe (France, the Netherlands, and England). By the 1580s, French trading companies had been set up, and ships were contracted to bring back furs. Much of what has transpired between the natives and their European visitors around that time is not known for lack of historical records.

Early attempts at establishing permanent settlements were failures. In 1598, a trading post was established on Sable Island, off the coast of Acadia, but was unsuccessful. Sable Island (French île de Sable) is a small Canadian island situated 180 km southeast of mainland Nova Scotia In 1600, a trading post was established at Tadoussac, but only five settlers survived the winter. Tadoussac is a village of 857 inhabitants (2005 in Quebec, Canada. In 1604, a settlement was founded at Île-Saint-Croix on Baie François (Bay of Fundy) which was moved to Port-Royal in 1605, only to be abandoned in 1607, reestablished in 1610, and destroyed in 1613, after which settlers moved to other nearby locations. Saint Croix is also an island in the United States Virgin Islands Saint Croix Tides Folklore in the Mi'kmaq First Nation claims that the tides in the Bay of Fundy are caused by a giant whale splashing in the water The Habitation at Port-Royal was an early French colonial settlement and is presently a National Historic Site located at Port Royal in the Canadian province of

In 1608, sponsored by Henry IV of France, Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Québec with six families totalling 28 people, the second permanent French settlement in what is now Canada. Henry IV (Henri IV ( 13 December 1553 &ndash 14 May 1610) ruled as King of France from 1589 to 1610 and as Henry III Samuel de Champlain (c 1575 - 25 December 1635) "The Father of New France " was a French navigator geographer cartographer Quebec City ( French: Ville de Québec, or simply Québec) (kwɨˈbɛk or /keˈbɛk/ is the Capital of the Canadian province Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page 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, there were 355.

Champlain quickly allied himself with the Algonquin and Montagnais peoples in the area, who were at war with the Iroquois. The Algonquins (or Algonkins) are an aboriginal North American people speaking Algonquin, an Anishinaabe language. The Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan, which comprises most of what other Canadians refer to as eastern Quebec The Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the "League of Peace and Power" the "Five Nations" the "Six Nations" or the "People of the Longhouse He established strong bonds with the Hurons in order to keep the fur trade alive. "Huron" redirects here For other uses see Huron (disambiguation. He also arranged to have young French men live with the natives, to learn their language and customs and help the French adapt to life in North America. These men, known as coureurs de bois (such as Étienne Brûlé), extended French influence south and west to the Great Lakes and among the Huron tribes who lived there. A coureur des bois (runner of the woods was an individual who engaged in the Fur trade without permission from the French authorities Étienne Brûlé ( c 1592 ( Champigny-sur-Marne, France) &ndash c The Laurentian Great Lakes are a chain of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada–United States border. "Huron" redirects here For other uses see Huron (disambiguation.

Map of New France made by Samuel de Champlain in 1612.

For the first few decades of Québec's existence, there were only a few dozen settlers there, while the English colonies to the south were much more populous and wealthy. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Cardinal Richelieu, adviser to King Louis XIII, wished to make New France as significant as the English colonies. This article is about a cardinal For information on the Russian also called The Red Eminence, see Mikhail Andreyevich Suslov. For the cognac see Louis XIII de Rémy Martin. Louis XIII ( September 27, 1601 – May 14, 1643) 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 Québec into an important mercantile and farming colony. The Company of One Hundred Associates was a business enterprise created at a time when all territories explored by the French and seized as a part of the French colonial Mercantilism is the idea that a colony should export more goods than it imports and that a colony should sell at higher prices and buy at lower prices Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Champlain was named Governor of New France. The Governor of New France was the Viceroy of the King of France in North America Richelieu then forbade non-Roman Catholics from living there. Protestants were required to renounce their faith to establish themselves in New France; many chose instead to move to the English colonies. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Roman Catholic Church, and missionaries such as the Recollets and the Jesuits, became firmly established in the territory. The Récollets ( English Recollects) were a French branch of the Roman Catholic order the Franciscans ( Latin Ordo Fratrum Minorum) first established in The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order Richelieu also introduced the seigneurial system, a semi-feudal system of farming that remained a characteristic feature of the St. The seigneurial system of New France was the semi- feudal system of land distribution used in the colonies of New France. Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed Lawrence valley until the 19th century.

Map of Western New France, including the Illinois Country, by Vincenzo Coronelli, 1688. Vincenzo Coronelli ( August 16, 1650 - December 9, 1718) was a Franciscan Monk, an Italian Cosmographer,

At the same time, however, the English colonies to the south began to raid the St. Lawrence valley, and, in 1629, Québec itself was captured and held by the British until 1632. Champlain returned to Québec that year, and requested that Sieur de Laviolette found another trading post at Trois-Rivières, which he did in 1634. Trois-Rivières is a City in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada, located along the densely populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor Champlain died in 1635.

The French Catholic Church, which after Champlain’s death was the most dominant force in New France, wanted to establish a utopian Christian community in the colony. Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth In 1642, they sponsored a group of settlers, led by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, who founded Ville-Marie, precursor to present-day Montreal, farther up the St. Paul Chomedey sieur de Maisonneuve ( February 15, 1612 &ndash September 9, 1676) was a French military officer and the founder Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec Lawrence. Throughout the 1640s, Jesuit missionaries penetrated the Great Lakes region and converted many of the Huron natives. The missionaries came into conflict with the Iroquois, who frequently attacked Montreal. By 1649, both the Jesuit mission and the Huron society were almost completely destroyed by Iroquois invasions (see Canadian Martyrs). The French and Iroquois Wars, also called the Iroquois Wars or the Beaver Wars, commonly refer to a brutal series of conflicts fought in the mid-17th century in eastern The North American Martyrs, also known as the Canadian Martyrs, were eight Jesuit Missionaries from Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, who were

The transport infrastructure in New France was all but nonexistent, with few roads and canals. Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one place to another Thus people used the waterways, especially the St. Lawrence River, as the main form of transportation, by canoes. Saint Lawrence River (in French: fleuve Saint-Laurent; Kahnawáˀkye in Tuscarora, Kaniatarowanenneh meaning big waterway A canoe is a small narrow Boat, typically human-powered though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors In the winter, when the lakes froze, both the poor and the rich travelled by sleds pulled by dogs or horses. A sled, sledge or sleigh is a Vehicle with runners for sliding instead of wheels for rolling

Royal takeover and attempts to settle

Great Seal of King Louis XIV used in New France after the colony was reformed as a province of France in 1663.

In the 1650s, Montreal still had only a few dozen settlers and a severely underpopulated New France almost fell completely to hostile Iroquois forces. In 1660, settler Adam Dollard des Ormeaux led a Canadian and Huron militia against a much larger Iroquois force; none of the Canadians survived, but they succeeded in turning back the Iroquois invasion. Adam Dollard des Ormeaux, (b 1635, France &ndash d May 1660, Long Sault Québec) usually known simply as Dollard des Ormeaux The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service In 1663, New France finally became more secure when Louis XIV made it a royal province. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent In 1665, he sent a French garrison, the Carignan-Salières Regiment, to Quebec. The Carignan-Salières Regiment was a French Military unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659 The government of the colony was reformed along the lines of the government of France, with the Governor General and Intendant subordinate to the Minister of the Marine in France. New France was governed by three rulers the governor, the bishop and the Intendant, all appointed by the King and sent from France In 1665, Jean Talon was sent by Minister of the Marine Jean-Baptiste Colbert to New France as the first Intendant. Jean Talon Comte d'Orsainville (1625 baptised 8 January 1626 &ndash November 1694 was a French colonial administrator who was the first and most Jean-Baptiste Colbert ( August 29, 1619 — September 6, 1683) served as the French minister of finance from 1665 to 1683 under These reforms limited the power of the Bishop of Quebec, who had held the greatest amount of power after the death of Champlain. The Archdiocese of Québec (Archidioecesis Quebecensis Archidiocèse de Québec is the oldest Catholic see in the New World north

Political organization of New France, circa. 1759

The 1666 census of New France was conducted by France's intendant, Jean Talon, in the winter of 1665-1666. It showed a population of 3,215 habitants in New France, many more than there had been only a few decades earlier. But the census showed a great difference in the number of men (2,034) and women (1,181). To strengthen the colony and make it the centre of France's colonial empire, Louis XIV decided to dispatch more than 700 single women, aged between 15 and 30 (known as les filles du roi) to New France. France was a dominant empire in the world from the 1600s to the late 1960s possessing many colonies in various locations around the world Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent The King's Daughters (in French: filles du roi, filles du roy) were between 700 and 900 Frenchwomen (accounts vary as to the exact numbers who At the same time, marriages with the natives were encouraged and indentured servants, known as engagés, were also sent to New France. An indentured servant is a form of Debt bondage worker The Laborer is under Contract of an Employer for some period of time usually three to One such engagé, Etienne Trudeau, was the ancestor of future Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The Prime Minister of Canada ( French: Premier ministre du Canada) is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus

Talon also tried to reform the seigneurial system, forcing the seigneurs to actually reside on their land, and limiting the size of the seigneuries, in an attempt to make more land available to new settlers. These schemes were ultimately unsuccessful. Very few settlers arrived, and the various industries established by Talon did not surpass the importance of the fur trade.

Military conflicts

Map of North America in 1681

Map of the New France at its apogee, about 1750.

Since Henry Hudson had claimed Hudson Bay, and the surrounding lands for England, English colonists had begun expanding their boundaries across what is now the Canadian north beyond the French-held territory of New France. Henry Hudson' (1570 &ndash 1611 was an English Sea explorer and Navigator in the early 17th century Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page In 1670, with the help of French coureurs des bois, Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers, the Hudson's Bay Company was established to control the fur trade in all the land that drained into Hudson Bay. A coureur des bois (runner of the woods was an individual who engaged in the Fur trade without permission from the French authorities Pierre-Esprit Radisson (1636 &ndash 1710 was a French -born explorer and mapper whose exploration of 1668 led to the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company. Médard Chouart des Groseilliers (1618 &ndash 1696 was a French explorer and Fur trader in Canada. This ended the French monopoly on the Canadian fur trade. To compensate, the French extended their territory to the south, and to the west of the American colonies. The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris (1783 recognized the In 1682, René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle explored the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, and claimed the entire territory for France as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. René Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle, or Robert de LaSalle ( November 22, 1643 &ndash March 19, 1687) was a French The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world He named this territory Louisiana. Louisiana (La celina+mario) was the name of an administrative district of New France. La Salle attempted to establish the first colony in the new territory in 1685, but inaccurate maps and navigational issues led him to instead establish his colony, Fort Saint Louis, in what is now Texas. French Texas was the period of Texas history from 1685 until 1689 Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The colony was exterminated by disease and Indian attack in 1688.

Although little colonization took place in this part of New France, many strategic forts were built there, under the orders of Governor Louis de Buade de Frontenac. Louis de Buade Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau ( May 12, 1622 &ndash November 28, 1698) was a French courtier and Governor 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 1682 and 1755. The Troupes de la Marine (Troops of the Marine also known as independent companies of the navy and colonial regulars were under the authority of the French Minister of Marine

In 1689, the English and Iroquois launched a major assault on New France, after many years of small skirmishes throughout the English and French territories. This war, known as King William's War, ended in 1697, but a second war (Queen Anne's War) broke out in 1702. The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War ( 1689 – 1697) was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North Queen Anne's War ( 1702 &ndash 1713) was the second in a series of four French and Indian Wars fought between France and England (later Québec survived the English invasions of both these wars, but Port Royal and Acadia fell in 1690. In 1713, peace came to New France with the Treaty of Utrecht. The Treaty of Utrecht that established the Peace of Utrecht, rather than a single document comprised a series of individual peace treaties signed in the Dutch Although the treaty turned Newfoundland and part of Acadia (peninsular Nova Scotia) over to Great Britain, France remained in control of Île Royale (Cape Breton Island) and Fortress Louisbourg, as well as Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island) and part of what is today New Brunswick. Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Cape Breton Island ( French: île du Cap-Breton - formerly île Royale, Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Cheap Breatuinn, Fortress of Louisbourg (in French, Forteresse de Louisbourg) is a Canadian National Historic Site and the location of a partial reconstruction Prince Edward Island (ˌprɪns ˌɛdwɚd ˈaɪlɨnd ( PEI or P New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally

After the treaty, New France began to prosper. Industries, such as fishing and farming, that had failed under Talon began to flourish. A "King’s Highway" (French:Chemin du Roi) was built between Montreal and Québec to encourage faster trade. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The shipping industry also flourished as new ports were built and old ones were upgraded. The number of colonists greatly increased, and, by 1720, Canada had become a self-sufficient colony with a population of 24,594 people. The Church, although now less powerful than it had originally been, controlled education and social welfare. These years of peace are often referred to by French Canadians as New France's "Golden Age".

Peace lasted until 1744, when William Shirley, governor of Massachusetts, led an attack on Louisbourg. For the English cricketer of the same name see William Shirley (cricketer William Shirley ( December 2, 1694 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Both France and New France were unable to relieve the siege, and Louisbourg fell. France attempted to retake the fortress in 1746 but failed. It was returned to France under the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, but this did not stop the warfare between the British and French in North America.

Fort Duquesne, located at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers at the site of present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, guarded the most important strategic location in the west at the time of the seven years' war. It was built to insure that the Ohio River valley remained under French control. A small colonial force from Virginia began a fort here but a French force under Sieur de Contrecoeur drove them off in April 1754. New France claimed this as part of their colony and the French were anxious to keep the English from encroaching on it. The French built Fort Duquesne here to serve as a military stronghold and as a base for developing trade and strengthening military alliances with the Aboriginal peoples of the area. In 1755, British General Edward Braddock led a large army to capture the fort, but they were ambushed by a small French and Aboriginal force before reaching the fort. Braddock was killed and his army retreated, leaving many dead on the field of battle.

The fight for the Ohio control, led to the French and Indian War begun as the North American phase of the Seven Years' War (which did not technically begin in Europe until 1756), with the defeat of a Virginia militia contingent led by Colonel George Washington by the French troupes de la marine in the Ohio valley. The French and Indian War (1754&ndash1763 was the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War. The Seven Years' War (1756&ndash1763 involved all of the major European powers of the period causing 900000 to 1400000 deaths George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the The Ohio Country (sometimes called the Ohio Territory) was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains As a result of that defeat, the British decided to prepare the conquest of Quebec City, the capital of new France.

In the meantime the French continued to explore westwards and expand their trade alliances with indigenous peoples. Fort de la Corne was built in 1753 by Louis de la Corne, Chevalier de la Corne just east of the Saskatchewan River Forks in what is today the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Fort de la Corne was built in 1753 by Louis de la Corne Chevalier de la Corne at the same time that the second Fort Paskoya was built Louis de la Corne Chevalier de la Corne, ( June 6, 1703 &ndash November 15, 1761) was born at Fort Frontenac in what is now Saskatchewan River Forks refers to the area in Canada where the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan rivers merge to create the Saskatchewan River Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 This was the furthest westward outpost of the French Empire in North America to be established before its fall.

Fall and British rule

New France now had over 70,000 inhabitants, a massive increase from earlier in the century, but the British American colonies greatly outnumbered them, with over one million people (including a substantial number of French Huguenots). The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth It was much easier for the British colonists to organize attacks on New France than it was for the French to attack the British. In 1755, General Edward Braddock led an expedition against the French Fort Duquesne, and although they were numerically superior to the French militia and their Indian allies, Braddock's army was routed and Braddock was killed. General Edward Braddock (January 1695 &ndash July 13, 1755) was a British soldier and commander-in-chief for North America during the actions at the start of the The Braddock expedition (also called "Braddock's campaign" was a failed British attempt to capture the French Fort Duquesne in the summer of Fort Duquesne (originally called Fort Du Quesne) was a Fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny

In 1758, British forces again captured Louisbourg, allowing them to blockade the entrance to the St. Lawrence River. This proved decisive in the war. In 1759, the British besieged Québec by sea, and an army under General James Wolfe defeated the French under General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in September. General James Wolfe ( 2 January, 1727 &ndash 13 September, 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon Marquis de Saint-Veran ( February 28, 1712 &ndash September 14, 1759) was the commander of the French The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec, was a pivotal battle in the French and Indian War, the North American theatre of the The garrison in Québec surrendered on September 18, and by the next year New France had been completely conquered by the British when they attacked Montreal which refused to acknowledge the fall of Canada to the British. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec The last French governor-general of New France, Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal, surrendered to British Major General Jeffrey Amherst on September 8, 1760. Pierre François de Rigaud Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal ( 22 November, 1698 &ndash 4 August 1778) was a Canadian -born French colonial Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst 1st Baron Amherst of Montreal KB (sometimes spelled Geoffrey, or Jeffrey, he himself spelled his name as Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Year 1760 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap France formally ceded Canada to the British in the Treaty of Paris, signed on February 10, 1763. The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on February 10, 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead Year 1763 ( MDCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a

French culture and religion remained dominant in most of the former territory of New France, until the arrival of British settlers led to the later creation of Upper Canada (today Ontario) and New Brunswick. The Province of Upper Canada (French Province du Haut-Canada) was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally The Louisiana Territory, under Spanish control since the end of the Seven Year's War, remained off-limits to settlement from the thirteen American colonies. Louisiana Territory was a historic Organized territory of the United States from July 4, 1805 until December 11, 1812. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.

Twelve years after the British defeated the French, the American Revolution broke out in Britain's lower thirteen colonies. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris (1783 recognized the Many Quebeckers would take part in the war, including Major Clément Gosselin and Admiral Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil. Clément Gosselin ( June 12, 1747 &ndash March 9 Louis-Philippe Rigaud Marquis de Vaudreuil ( October 28, 1724 &ndash December 14, 1802) was second in command of the French Navy during After the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, the Treaty of Versailles in 1784 gave all former British claims in New France below the Great Lakes into the possession of the nascent United States. The Siege of Yorktown or Battle of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington The Peace of Paris (1783 was the set of treaties which ended the American Revolutionary War. The Laurentian Great Lakes are a chain of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada–United States border. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A Franco-Spanish alliance treaty returned Louisiana to France in 1801, allowing Napoleon Bonaparte to sell it to the United States in 1803. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. This sale represented the end of the French colonial empire in North America, except for the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, which are still controlled by France today. France was a dominant empire in the world from the 1600s to the late 1960s possessing many colonies in various locations around the world The Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon is a group of small islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, the

The portions of the former New France that remained under British rule were administered as Upper Canada and Lower Canada, from 1791-1841, and then as the Province of Canada from 1841-1867, when the passage of the British North America Act of 1867 instituted home rule for most of British North America and established French-speaking Quebec (the former Lower Canada) as one of the original provinces of the Confederation of Canada. The Province of Upper Canada (French Province du Haut-Canada) was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario The Province of Lower Canada (French Province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the The Province of Canada or the United Province of Canada was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867 The Constitution Act 1867 (formerly called the British North America Act 1867, and still known informally as the BNA Act) constitutes a major part of Home rule refers to a demand that constituent parts of a state be given greater self-government within the greater administrative purview of the central government Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed beginning 1 July 1867 from the

The only remnant of the former colonial territory of New France that remains under French control to this day is the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French: Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon), consisting of a group of small islands 25 kilometres (13 nmi) off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon is a group of small islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation

See also

Selected bibliography

External links

• The Virtual Museum of New France, Canadian Museum of Civilization
• France In America Bibliothèque nationale de France / Library of Congress site (click on Themes) - text and maps
• Chronologie de l'histoire du Québec (French) (List of Governors, Intendants, and Bishops)
• New France: 1524-1763
• Archives Canada-France. Digitisation project of the national archives of Canada and France
• Why New France ended up as it did – under-populated and swallowed by the English.
• Quiz: New France — Educational game on New France
• Seven Years War timeline
• The Canadian Encyclopedia