New France
NEW FRANCE
The Seigneurial System
New France was a French colony in present-day Quebec and north-eastern Ontario. The colony lasted from 1534, its discovery, when Jacques Cartier was sent to find a route to the Orient and precious gems and metals, to its formal surrender in 1759. An important part in the history of New France was the fur trade, as it brought many new things to the Natives living in Canada and helped New France develop. Europeans traded their supplies with the First Nations peoples for fur pelts, which were very fashionable and expensive in France at the time. Before the Europeans came to Canada, many Native groups, including the Huron, had already lived in the area and established a trading system. When the French claimed the territory they lived on, they became part of the trading system too. The French introduced many new things to the Natives, like manufactured goods such as alcohol and weapons, while the Natives presented the French with not only fur, but knowledge on how to survive in the winter, and food without which survival would have been hard.
Flag of New France in 1663
The Seigneuries
A seigneury was a large piece of land used for farming, granted to loyal supporters and soldiers of France by the king. The seigneuries had great areas, usually around 50 km². They were located along St. Lawrence River, because the three (main) cities of New France (Quebec, Montreal and Trois Rivières) were all on the river. It also supplied them with water for farming, fishing, transportation and personal use. Fields were long and narrow, so that many habitant families that were settled on the seigneury had access to water. In addition, the land along the river was moist and good for farming. A large part of the land was used to provide a site for churches, lumber mills, grain mills, etc., and another was common land, which was used for social gatherings and events.
The Seigneur
A seigneur was a man who had been granted a large
The Seigneurial System
New France was a French colony in present-day Quebec and north-eastern Ontario. The colony lasted from 1534, its discovery, when Jacques Cartier was sent to find a route to the Orient and precious gems and metals, to its formal surrender in 1759. An important part in the history of New France was the fur trade, as it brought many new things to the Natives living in Canada and helped New France develop. Europeans traded their supplies with the First Nations peoples for fur pelts, which were very fashionable and expensive in France at the time. Before the Europeans came to Canada, many Native groups, including the Huron, had already lived in the area and established a trading system. When the French claimed the territory they lived on, they became part of the trading system too. The French introduced many new things to the Natives, like manufactured goods such as alcohol and weapons, while the Natives presented the French with not only fur, but knowledge on how to survive in the winter, and food without which survival would have been hard.
Flag of New France in 1663
The Seigneuries
A seigneury was a large piece of land used for farming, granted to loyal supporters and soldiers of France by the king. The seigneuries had great areas, usually around 50 km². They were located along St. Lawrence River, because the three (main) cities of New France (Quebec, Montreal and Trois Rivières) were all on the river. It also supplied them with water for farming, fishing, transportation and personal use. Fields were long and narrow, so that many habitant families that were settled on the seigneury had access to water. In addition, the land along the river was moist and good for farming. A large part of the land was used to provide a site for churches, lumber mills, grain mills, etc., and another was common land, which was used for social gatherings and events.
The Seigneur
A seigneur was a man who had been granted a large