EDEE 280 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Arson, Demesne, Jean Talon
23 Jun 2018
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-King had absolute power (absolutism)
-Centralized military, legal and financial administration and domesticated the aristocracy
-Roman catholic church in France collaborated in this consolidation of power
-King was his own first minister but his policies were only as good as the advice he received
from the people who surrounded him
-Influential royal: Jean Baptiste Colbert controller general of finances and minister of colonial
and maritime affairs. Wanted to reform national finances, promote economic self sufficiency and
build a colonial empire with a navy to defend it
-Impact of developments were felt almost immediately
*-Royal governments most pressing problem was military security. Most of the troops
were members of the carignan sailers.
*-European army suffered more casualties than it inflicted (the weather did most of the
damage)
-The five nations sent delegates to quebec and agreed to keep peace. Although warfare would
break out again, two decades of relatively good relations gave French authorities the breathing
space they needed to transform their st lawrence colony.
-Colony had a small population: recognized that young families constituted the best method of
stimulating population growth so the royal gov brought in 770 women known as filles du roi.
Most of the filles were orphans who were taken from a state funded institution that
looked after the disadvantaged peoples of french society. To make sure they had good
health and morals they were chaperoned by nuns.
-Women were essential to maintaining the household economy upon which basic
survival depended, they were eagerly sought as marriage partners and some had say in
choosing their husbands.
-Filles du roi had stable marriages. As a result of their arrival, more men made Canada
their permanent home. The carignans sailers were encouraged to settle in the colony.
-Servants (engages) now more often choose to stay in new France once they had fulfilled
their contractual obligations.
-Immigration, marriage: demographics of new France began to give way to patterns that
resembled those of old France (average age of marriage rose, number of widows
increased, the times of the year when weddings took place changed)
*-New France was eager to increase its population and offered bonuses to families of 10
or more children and imposed penalties on people outside the church who clung to the
single life.
-In France and New France they did not practice birth control and on average had a child
every two years. Low mortality rates, a higher standard of nutrition, less exposure to
epidemic diseases and a lower age of marriage for women in France have accounted for
the rapid growth in population.
-Jean baptiste la Croix de saint Vallier: the second bishop in new France went on a journey from
quebec to Acadia to inspect the eastern flank.
-Some Acadian men married native women
-55 seigneuries were granted in the region but rents were rarely collected
-Did not have an effective military
-Cod more important than beaver. Boys under 12 could not be hired on fishing crews.
Fishermen who had completed 5 or 6 seasons were made liable for service in the royal navy.
-Colbert chose the ice free port of Placentia to serve as a base for the protection of the much
valued fishery. Had military potential.
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-Royal commands and bureaucratic directives were sent to quebec and replies from the colony
would find their way to the royal court at Versailles after each navigational season. The time lag,
which was sometimes more than a year, meant that state policies were hopelessly outdated by
the time they had been formulated and had reached their destination.
-The practice of purchasing office brought money into the government and attracted a number
of men but it also led to the cripple inefficiency and corruption. Although New France escaped
the system of venality, it was not immune to other practices that would be today considered
corrupt. Administrators used their positions for personal gain.
*-Governor general was always a military man and usually a member of the old
aristocracy and was responsible for native relations.
-Intendant in New France was the chief provincial administrator, responsible for finance,
economic development, justice, and civil administration. Intendants were usually members of
the new aristocracy who represented the efforts of the king to bring bureaucratic efficiency.
-Governor general and intendant sat on the sovereign council, an appointed body. Main
functions were to serve as the court appeal from the lower courts, to issue decrees for
the governance of the colony in line with royal instructions, and to register the royal
edicts that served as the constitutional framework for the colony.
-Sovereign council also included the bishop of the roman catholic church and an attorney
general who was trained in law and was a member of the bar at the parliament of Paris.
*-The name of the sovereign council was changed to superior council (king’s orders)
reflecting the more modest role that the absolute ruler expected this colonial institution
to play.
-Duties of the governor general and intendant were intertwined so both men sat on the
highest court in the colony; governors general were responsible for military policy and
intendants supplied and paid troops. Intendants often meddled in Native policy because
of their interest in advancing the colonial economy.
-Charles Le Moyne worked for the Jesuits and became a fur trader, interpreter and soldier.
Married a commoner Catherine Theirry and had 12 sons and 2 daughters. He was one of the
most successful merchants in Montreal. He was granted the seigneury of Longueuil. As
members of the noble family, his sons easily found commissions in the military. His eldest son
Charles reviewed the coveted Croix de Saint Louis. Another son, Pierre has a distinguished
military carrier and another son Jean Baptiste (usually known by his noble title) was a long time
governor of Louisiana.
-People were not allowed to sign petitions. They were encouraged to take their problems to
superiors, both civilian and spiritual.
-Consultative assemblies were instructed to convene on major issues and report
recommendations
*-Power was narrowly focused but was usually exercised with a sense of responsibility
toward all classes of society. This approach called paternalism was obvious in New
France where special circumstances (pioneer hardships, iroquois hostility, and colonial
rivalries) often elicited a sympathetic response from royal authorities. Government
should be gentle towards the needs of it’s people.
*-Paternalism made it possible for the colony to be granted exceptions from the general
rules prevailing the mother country (ex. north American colonists were spared the burden of
paying taxes)
*-Louis ordered the governor to enrol all male habitants between the ages of 16 and 60
into the militia companies (Iroquoian treat and colonial rivalries). With a company in every
parish, everyone had access to a militia captan (a man chosen from the parish to lead the militia
in times of war and to report local concerns to the intendant in times of peace)
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Document Summary
Centralized military, legal and nancial administration and domesticated the aristocracy. Roman catholic church in france collaborated in this consolidation of power. King was his own rst minister but his policies were only as good as the advice he received from the people who surrounded him. In uential royal: jean baptiste colbert controller general of nances and minister of colonial and maritime affairs. Wanted to reform national nances, promote economic self suf ciency and build a colonial empire with a navy to defend it. *-royal governments most pressing problem was military security. Most of the troops were members of the carignan sailers. *-european army suffered more casualties than it in icted (the weather did most of the damage) The ve nations sent delegates to quebec and agreed to keep peace. Although warfare would break out again, two decades of relatively good relations gave french authorities the breathing space they needed to transform their st lawrence colony.
