New France History: Soldiers and the Sun King

Newcomers: Soldiers and Religious Figures

• Champlain established Quebec City in 1608, creating the first permanent settlement in Canada.
• Champlain allied with the Huron and became enemies with the Haudenosaunee.
• Fur trade grew significantly.
• Quebec City had 150 residents by 1635.
• Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence River.
• Cartier's explorations of the area resulted in it being renamed "Canada" or "Kanata" by the Haudenosaunee.
• Haudenosaunee were poorly regarded for their reputation.

Back Story: The Sun King

• In the 1600s, European royalty was considered to be a mix of human and divine.
• King Louis XIV of France saw himself as the "Sun King."
• Louis XIV of France associated himself with the sun god Apollo, and used this concept to promote the divine nature of his monarchy.
• Louis XIV assumed power at the age of 4 in 1643.
• Louis XIV held power until his death.

The Soldier's Role in New France

• France sent over 1000 soldiers in 1665 to defend New France from the Haudenosaunee.
• The soldiers conducted multiple campaigns to quell Haudenosaunee attacks.
• Haudenosaunee people and their villages were destroyed in these conflicts.
• A peace treaty was signed in 1667 with the Haudenosaunee
• Approximately 400 of the soldiers chose to stay and remained in the region.
• Compensation was given to the soldiers.
• Soldiers received financial rewards.
• New France’s soldiers were given the means to establish a militia.

Catholicism in Europe and New France

• Catholicism was the dominant religion in Europe before the 1500s.
• New types of Christianity arose in opposition to Catholic practices and beliefs.
• French Catholicism was very insistent on keeping the region Catholic.
• Catholicism continued as the only religion allowed in New France.
• Huge cathedrals such as those seen in Amiens, France date back to the 1300s.

The Jesuits: Catholic Missionaries

• The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) were missionaries that arrived in New France in 1611.
• Jesuits wanted to spread Catholicism and educate Indigenous peoples.
• Founded a school and/or mission center called Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in 1634.

Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons

• A rebuilding of Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons still exists in Midland, Ontario.
• The center was intended for farming, religion, and fur trade routes.

Smallpox and the Haudenosaunee attack

• Haudenosaunee attacks were partly because of a smallpox outbreak.
• Smallpox was feared and seen as a form of punishment or curse.
• Haudenosaunee attacked the Jesuit mission and killed many Jesuits.
• Haudenosaunee destroyed the mission, forcing the remaining Jesuits to escape.
• The Jesuit mission was moved to an island.
• The Haudenosaunee destroyed the new mission on the island.

Ursuline Nuns

• A convent of Ursuline nuns established themselves in Paris in the 1600s.
• Marie Guyart had visions of needing to create a convents for Indigenous people to convert to Catholicism.
• Marie Guyart established the Ursuline order in Quebec.
• The goal of the Ursuline order was to educate young women in order for them to become nuns, wives, or mothers.