The origins of Quebec: the French epic in America in the summary of the new issue of GEO Histoire

The first explorers, pioneers and settlers from the kingdom of France, coureurs de bois… The whole mythology of the North American adventure is told here. That of a New World, virgin and promising, where dreams of conquest and enrichment, thanks to the precious fur, so coveted in Europe, compete on both sides of the St. Lawrence River. From Jacques Cartier to Samuel Champlain, from the King’s daughters to the “intermediaries”, according to the incessant clashes between British and French troops but also alliances with the first peoples, Iroquois and Algonquins, so powerful, the destiny of New France s ‘is forged little by little. Often at the cost of blood and courage. Always with a slightly crazy daring, as evidenced by these peasants and craftsmen disembarking from their native Perch, who cleared the forests and went up the rivers in canoes.

EDITORIAL

At the source of French America

Who would expect to find here, in this delicious old France, such a living page of New France? Here, in La Ventrouze, Tourouvre, Autheuil, Randonnai… Here, in these villages of Perche, a small country which, away from official administrative divisions, cultivates withdrawal and discretion. Which, on the south side, with its forests and hills, forms a barrier to the immense Beauce. Who, on the north side, is careful not to slip towards the tourist attractions of the Norman Sea. An end of the world that exudes the pleasure of staying away from the world. But which, however, to the visitor passionate about history, reveals an astonishing link with North America.

Oh ! of course, you have to look for signs of it under the pointed arches and pulpits, on small marble slabs sometimes damaged by saltpetre. But we can easily see the names of these men and women who, between 1632 and 1763, left the banks of the Eure or Huisne to settle on those of the Saint-Laurent. They were the first builders of Quebec. Carpenters, lumberjacks, masons, tile makers … “Little people who have done great things”

. And who left fertile offspring. Among the ten most common surnames in Quebec are four Percheron names, including the two most frequent, Tremblay and Gagnon! This story even contains its “people” page, since experts attest that the longest branches of the family trees of… Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Ryan Gosling, Justin Trudeau go back to the Perch.

The history of New France of course has its fatal share of wars and violence, but it also enchants us because it gives off a scent of adventure and freedom. Ah! these epic crossings of the Atlantic, which lasted between five weeks and three months, on “flutes” (three-masted); these “coureurs des bois” and their epics; these hectares of land to be cleared, without the fiscal and regulatory straitjacket of France. And, to the west, the promise of the wide world: even today, while sailing on the Lachine rapids, south of Montreal, we think of the crazy dreams of Cavelier de Lasalle looking here for the way to China … After the revolution of 1789 and throughout the nineteenth century, France, having left its American colonies to the English, had forgotten the ties that unite it with its pioneer cousins. Links which are reborn today, stimulated in particular by the interest shown by the French regions for so-called genealogical tourism, consisting of bringing Canadians and Americans in the footsteps of their ancestors, in Normandy, but also in La Rochelle or in Marennes-Oléron. All those who, on the way there or back, linger in Quebec City, can meditate on these verses displayed at the Musée de la Civilization, written by the poet Pierre Morency, and dedicated to the beauty of Quebec: “This is found in these invisible bonds that are woven between things and people.”

Links that cross seas and centuries. For a complete (and pleasant!) Reading of this epic, I recommend the two volumes of Michel Ganivet’s book,

Perche and Canada, four centuries of history

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Eric Meyer, editor-in-chief
IN SUMMARY
PANORAMA

The epic of New France
First discoveries in the 16th century, defeat by the English in 1760… A look back at two and a half centuries of French adventure in North America.
CHRONOLOGY

From Amerindian peoples to the last settlers
From the 16th to the 18th century, New France experienced many conflicts with the Indians and the English.
THE ORIGINS

They were the First Nations
Who occupied the North American territory? Here are some keys to understanding these Amerindian tribes who fought or made an alliance with the French.
DISCOVERY

Jacques Cartier’s expeditions: hopeful failures
Finding a way to China, and even gold and diamonds … Between 1534 and 1535, Jacques Cartier’s three trips to Canada aroused the wildest hopes, which were quickly dashed.
THE CITY

Quebec, where it all began
Sent by Henri IV to North America, Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Quebec on the shores of the St. Lawrence, the starting point of colonization.
THE PIONNEERS

On the Beaver Trail
At the beginning of the 17th century, the colonists were won over by the fever of “brown gold”: the trade in beaver fur. To track the animal, the trappers ventured deep into the Native American country.
TRADE

Merchants in the service of the king
The Compagnie des Cent-Associés, created by Richelieu in 1627, was the spearhead of the fur market in New France. Its main objective: to replenish the kingdom’s coffers.
THE MIGRATION

From Perch to the New World
A handful of inhabitants of Perche played a preponderant role in the development of Montreal, Quebec and Trois-Rivières at the beginning of the 17th century.

That we send the “Filles du Roy!”
To populate New France, Louis XIV encouraged the departure, between 1663 and 1673, of a thousand young women from the other side of the Atlantic. Objective: to marry them to colonists and to found families.
TRAVELOGUE

The masterpiece found by a Jesuit father
Louis Nicolas, sent to New France from 1664 to 1675, is the author of an astonishing illustrated manuscript: the Codex canadensis. He never stopped drawing animals and plants, and noted edifying scenes of life among the Amerindians.
CONFLICTS

They wanted to be the masters of America
From 1688 to 1763, France and England clashed relentlessly. But Louis XV, concerned about other issues, ended up ceding New France to his rival.
THE QUEBEC ACT

The treaty that saved the Francophonie
When the English captured New France in 1760, 90,000 Francophones lived in the territory. To ensure civil peace, the British Crown had to find linguistic and religious accommodations.
MAINTENANCE “Twice, Quebecers have felt abandoned by the kingdom of France”Meeting with the historian Daniel de Montplaisir, author of a masterful

History of Canada

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THE NEWS OF HISTORY
ANNIVERSARY

The Commune: myths and realities of an aborted revolution
Between March 18 and May 28, 1871, an insurrectionary government was established in Paris before being repressed. A simple parenthesis in the history of social struggles?

TO READ, TO SEE Beautiful book, essay, story … The selection of the editorial staff. ➤ To see all GEO History issues available individually, it’s here ! Are you already loyal to GEO content? So not to miss anything, discover

© Christophe Fouin / RMN-GP.
Read also :
⋙ Quebec: we boarded the Tshiuetin, Canada’s first Amerindian train

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⋙ Indigenous Canada: three books and movies

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