An examination of New France from 1540 -1763
Canadian History has many distinct and unique chapters. Among the most significant of these chapters is the colonization of the area surrounding the St. Lawrence River in what is now the Province of Quebec. To better understand the colony of New France and its significance to the Canadian story, an examination of the administration, the church and the land tenure system of New France, will be necessary.
The origins of New France are rooted in the 16th century. During his second voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, in 1535, Jacques Cartier discovered the existence of, "the St. Lawrence, the river of Canada" (Cafe and Lower, 1948. pg. 27). This river was to become the heart and main transportation system of the New France colony. Despite the fact that Cartier's discovery of the St. Lawrence area occurred in 1535, the first permanent French colony in New France was not established until 1608 when Samuel de Champlain and De Monts founded a colony on what is now the city of Quebec. It should be noted that the small French colony of Port Royal, located in what once was called L'Acadie (now part of the modern maritime provinces) was founded before Quebec, in 1605. However, it was Quebec City, located on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, which was to become the center of New France, in terms of colonial administration and trade.
The French settlement of northeastern part of North America continued slowly over the next 50 years. Fur trading companies controlled much of the colonial administration. These fur traders were concerned solely with the acquisition of furs from the Native people living in the area. They thwarted many of Champlain's efforts to attract settlers. Wars with England in Europe and the Iroquois in Canada also prevented many potential colonists from settling in New France.
The war with the Iroquois would prove to be too costly for the fur trading companies to properly defend the colony. Despite this the colonial administration remained in the hands the Compagnie des Cent-Associés from 1627 until 1645 when this group turned colonial affairs over to the Communauté des Habitants (National Archives, 2001). This latter group was composed of leading members of the colony.
In 1663 this arrangement changed when, under the direction of Jean Colbert, the financial advisor to King Louis XIV of France, the Edit de Creation decreed that Quebec would become an overseas province of France and fall under direct Royal control. A system of Royal Government was established in Quebec by the Edit. This system of Royal Government would last until the British conquest of the colony. Under this system of government the King appointed various officials to administer the colony.
The Governor of the colony was responsible for external relations, diplomatic and military affairs in the colony. The Intendant assisted the Governor and was responsible for justice, finance and police affairs, including measures to ensure order and the material well-being of the colony. The Governor and Intendant were joined by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Quebec in forming a governing body for the colony (Chafe and Lower, 1948). Other officials of note, under the new Royal administration, included the Sovereign Council whose members helped with the creation of laws and the execution of justice.
One of the unique qualities of New France was the influence of the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church has a long history in New France. Originally, Franciscan and Jesuit Missionaries arrived in the colony to convert the Native people to Christianity. These groups met with limited success and due to the rise in the New France population, the Church instituted a system of formal church structures in 1659. The Bishop of Quebec, the head of the Catholic Church in New France, was chosen by the Pope and confirmed by the King of France (National Archives, 2001).
The influence of the Church was not only felt by French settlers, but also by the aboriginal population. In the early years of the colony French Missionaries helped to forge the strong ties between the Huron tribe and the French people that proved to be so crucial to the colonies well being (Henretta, Brownlee, Brody and Ware, 1993, p. 37). The Church was also in charge of hospitals and schooling. Further to this, " Once parishes were established, parish priests were important figures in the community. They took part in the most important moments in an individual's life: birth, marriage and death" (National Archives, 2001, http://www.archives.ca/05/0517/05170207_e.html). The Roman Catholic Bishop had so much influence that if the Governor of the colony was not a strong leader, the Bishop would virtually become the leader of the colony.
Along with the colonial administration and the presence of the Roman Catholic Church, the Seigneurial System of land tenure is another significant element of the New France colony. The Seigneurial System was a modified version of the land tenure system in feudal France. The land was divided into narrow strips of land moving back from the St. Lawrence. These plots of land were granted by the colonial administration to either members of the Roman Clergy or to elite members of the colony. The elite's, or the "seigniors", along with the Church now became responsible for dividing and administering the land (Chafe and Lower, 1948). The seigniors and the Church were required to grant tracks of land and populate the land through the recruitment of settlers. The farmers were then granted a plot of land in return for a yearly sum in produce or cash. These plots would eventually be subdivided again with the passing of generations, each heir receiving a smaller and smaller share of the original farm property.
This seigneurial system had the basic purpose of recruiting settlers, but, oddly enough, the Seigniors did not generally become wealthy men in New France. The Seigniors were not permitted to partake in the fur trade. Due to low rents and a small population, the service charges garnered by the landlord were low (National Archives, 2001). This system also proved to be fairly poor at recruiting settlers. With little promotion from France, and little market for colonial products, other than fur, few people were willing to make the journey from France. By the time of the conquest of New France by the British the population of the New England colonies was nearly 13 times greater than that of New France (Chafe and Lower, 1948).
The lack of genuine immigration to New France and growing international conflict between England and France were two of the major factors leading to the fall of New France. The lack of population, industry, and sea access placed the New France colony in a weakened position relative to New England. These three weakness combined with a desire by the colonists in New England to eliminate French economic competition, and an intense rivalry between Britain and France, illustrate the relative weakness of the French military forces in New France. The Peace of Paris in 1763 officially ceded all French territory in North America to the British. The British now controlled from the Gulf of Mexico to Hudson's Bay (Chafe and Lower, 1948). By the Royal Proclamation of 1763, New France was now named the Province of Quebec and was ruled by a governor and a council.
There were problems with the new British system in New France. Both the Seigneurial System and the influence Roman Catholic Church presented difficulties to the new British System. The Seigneurial System was a feudal institution that did not revolve around the precedent-based Common Law system used by the people of New France. The Seigneurial System was based in contractual law with duties and historical obligations. In order to accommodate the legal situation that existed in New France, the British instituted a system whereby two legal systems, the British and the French, co-existed in the colony. The existence of the Code Civil (legal code) in Quebec is an element carried down through the province's heritage.
A further difficulty with the Royal Proclamation of 1763, was that Catholics were not permitted to hold office (Chafe and Lower, 1948). Even though the proclamation demonstrated tolerance for the French language, the new British ruling class was not prepared to willingly accept the presence of the Catholic Church. Tolerance for Catholics was limited both in Britain and her colonies, and Quebec society would be no exception. This situation would cause much tension between colonists and officials in the years to come.
The long history of the French presence in North America is far to detailed to discuss within the confines of one paper, but three of the major notable elements of the colony were the royal system of colonial administration, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, and the impact of the Seigniorial System. While it may be up for debate as to the ultimate successes and failures of these three elements, it is not debatable that these items all influenced the French presence in North America. Without the presence of these three elements in the colony of New France, the face of Canada may have taken on a very different shape.
About the Author
/ Peter Murphy graduated from St. Thomas University in 1999 with a double degree in Political Science and Religious Studies, and a minor in History. Recently he graduated from the Bachelor of Education program, at that same institution. Peter is currently the Youth Health Project Coordinator for a joint initiative between the Cape Breton Health Care Complex and the Cape Breton Regional School Board. His future plans include the pursuit of an interdisciplinary graduate degree that combines his interests in political science and religious studies.Bibliography
Books
Chafe, J.W. and Lower, A.M. (1948). Canada: A nation. Toronto: Longmans, Green and Company.
Henretta, Brownlee, Brody, and Ware. (1993). America's history. New York: Worth Publishers.
Web-sites
National Archives. (2001). Tracing the History of New France. Ottawa: Author. Retrieved April 19, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.archives.ca