The city was defended by French general the Marquis de Montcalm. The very short battle of the Plains of Abraham lasted approximately 15 minutes and culminated in a British victory and the surrender of Quebec.
Quebec City was the center of religious and government during the French period, as they were the administrative center of the company of New France. Quebec City became the seat of a reformed colonial government after the Royal Takeover in 1663 by King Louis XIV and his minister Jean Baptiste. The first Governor to arrive in Quebec City directly appointed by the King was Augustin de Saffray de Mésy in the same year. An interesting fact is that under the French regime, Quebec did not have a municipal government.
In 1917, the construction of the Quebec Bridge, connecting the north and south banks of the St. Lawrence River, was finished. To this day, at 987 meters, it is still the longest cantilever bridge in the world, though two collapses of the centre of the bridge during construction cost over 80 workers their lives. In 1984, Opération Nez rouge was founded in Quebec City and continues in Quebec. It has been imitated in Quebec and several other francophone countries, as well as other places in