Toward a First Canadian Government. The King has a Problem Very few French people are interested in moving to the new colony King Louis XIV calls his.

Toward a First Canadian Government

The King has a Problem

• Very few French people are interested in moving to the new colony

• King Louis XIV calls his top financial advisor, Jean-Baptiste Colbert

• The king assigns Colbert the project of solving this problem:

• “How do we get more people to move to New France?”

The Issues in New France

• Colbert and his associates come up with this list of issues that stand in the way of further settlement in New France:

– Merchants only interested in making money

– Few farmers because merchants discourage them (more farms=less furs)

– Colonists fear attack from Iroquois

– Fur trade losing money (Iroquois are intercepting trades)

– Officials in New France are powerless

– New France is on its last legs

Colbert’s Solution

• Colbert makes several suggestions to the King:– End the rule of the Company of 100

Associates (a monopoly, remember?)– New France should be a royal colony– Colony should be governed by the King

and his ministers– King should provide money and settlers

for New France

The Royal Government of New France

• King Louis XIV liked Colbert’s plan• He appointed three officials to act on his

behalf• Governor: responsible for the security of

the colony• Bishop: oversaw the churches, missions,

hospitals and schools• Intendant: responsible for law and order,

trade, industry, and transportation

Other Colonists

• Sovereign Council: men who assisted three officials, they were appointed for five years at a time

• Seigneurs: landowners who carried out the instructions of the king and governors

• Habitants: settlers who were given pieces of land to work by the seigneurs

This picture shows a Habitant cottage.

Jean Talon

• Jean Talon was the first intendant of New France

• He wasted no time in getting to work to sort out all of the problems

• Talon often disguised himself and went door-to-door to talk with the colonists in order to find out about their living conditions

• Talon heard over and over again that the main concern of colonists was safety

• Colonists feared Iroquois attacks

Louis XIV/Colbert▼

Governor (Military)Intendant (Justice/Finances)

▼

Bishop of the Catholic Church▼

Military officers, merchants, church leaders, seigneurs

▼

Habitants (Filles de Roi) (96.5-97% of population)

▼

Engagés/Domestic Servants/Slaves

Solving the Safety Issue

• Jean Talon immediately wrote to King Louis XIV to ask for soldiers to be sent as a security force

• In 1665, Sieur de Tracy arrived from France with 1500 trained soldiers

• De Tracy constructed a chain of forts from the St Lawrence River to Lake Champlain to control the Iroquois’ movements

The First Census

• When he arrived in New France, Talon conducted a census (an official count of the population)

• He discovered that men outnumbered women 2:1

• He then began to encourage young, healthy, single women to move to New France

• The women could marry the single male colonists

• These women were called “Les Filles du Roi”

Les Filles du Roi• Many were poor orphans but

some were from large families in the countryside who were looking for a better life

• Each woman was given a dowry by the King: an ox, a cow, two barrels of salt, beef and a purse of money

• Between 1665 and 1673, about 900 women arrived in this manner

• The single men were threatened that they could not go hunting until all of the “Filles du Roi” were married!

• The plan worked: within 14 years, the colony grew from 3215 to 9400 people

• A special allowance was even granted to families who had more than 10 children

This plaque in Quebec is a dedication to the women who came as Les Filles du Roi.

Talon’s Plans for Agriculture

• As Talon visited in the colony, he met many Habitants living on farms along the St. Lawrence River

• Many were ignoring their farms because hunting and trapping was more lucrative• Talon encouraged them to spend more time farming• On his own farm, Talon experimented with new techniques and seeds to see what grew best in

the colony’s climate• Horses, cattle and pigs were imported to New France• Talon wanted to make sure that the colony could produce enough food to support itself

A HabitantFarm

Talon’s Plans for Industry• With financial help from France, he

started a shipbuilding yard in 1664• Set up a small iron foundry• High-quality iron-ore had been found

near Trois-Rivieres• The foundry produced canons, canon

balls, pots, hammers, and stoves for the local market

• Expanded fisheries and opened brewery and shoe factory

• Half of the beer produced by the brewery was exported for profit

• Encouraged spinning and the production of wool clothing

• Unfortunately, French policy said that the colonies could only produce raw materials for export, they were not to engage in their own trade with France

Talon Inspects the Ships at Quebec