Nouvelle France

Samuel de Champlain
1604-1608
Champlain
founded 3
settlements for
the King of
France:
Port Royal
(present day
Nova Scotia);
Sainte Croix
(present-day
Maine
Quebec City

Title: Champlain Trading With the Indians

by Charles William Jefferies 1911

Quebec City
1608
Champlain
supervising the
building of his
habitation
Painting by Charles
William Jefferys
What different
challenges would
these builders have
compared to
builders today?

The Living Quarters in Quebec

Drawn by
Samuel de
Champlain

 It is this art (navigation) that drew me to

love the sea at a very young age and that
compelled me to challenge its treacherous
waters all of my life and that made me
navigate and follow the coast of parts of
America . . .
Samuel de Champlain, 1613

Nouvelle France

Rouillard's map suggests the geographical scope "New France" had come to
assume by the late 17th century, at least in the minds of mapmakers.
The colony as shown here includes all of upper and lower Canada; the Great
Lakes region; and "Louisiana," which stretches from the Great Lakes to the
Caribbean. The map also labels the North Atlantic the "sea of New France."

Bibliography
Canadian Museum of Civilization. Samuel
de Champlain. Created June 29, 2007.
http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/hist
/biography/biographi202e.shtml. Retrieved
June 29, 2009

Nouvelle France
The settlements did not grow rapidly
The King set up a trading company to help the settlement
be more successful
The company was granted a monopoly on the trading of
furs in New France
That meant that no other company was allowed to
compete with the company. They would be the only one.
But, the company had to promise to bring more settlers
to the small colony.
What advantages come with being the only business
selling a product?
Why would the King want the settlement to grow?

Seigneurial Farms
Farming was also needed for New Frances
settlements to prosper
Farmers relied on a traditional method of
farming called the seigneurial system
Lands were arranged in long narrow strips,
called seigneuries, along the banks of the St.
Lawrence River
These strips of land, belonging to the King of
France, were given to a seigneur to maintain.
The seigneur divided the land among his tenants
called habitant.

A Seigneury

When settlers
arrived, they
were given free
land on the
seigneury.
Most of the land
was still covered
with trees so it
had to be
cleared before
crops were
planted.
This was very
hard work and
everyone in the
family (including
children) had to
help.

This seigneury is near

Quebec City. Just like the
first map, most of the farms
ended on the river.
Not only was the river used
to water crops and animals,
it was also used for fishing
and a way of getting from
one place to another. There
were very few roads four
hundred years ago.
Often the only way to visit
your neighbours was to
travel by canoe. Boats also
took food, grown by
farmers, to the towns and
villages.

The Intendent
Nobility
Acted as the master in the Kings name
Assigned land to seigneurs (usually
Military Officers)
Ensured harmony for the settlement
Maintained law and order
Jean Talon was the first Indendent of New
France

The Seigneur
Took the best land
Built a Catholic Church
Built a water or wind mill to grind grain for
flour
Built roads for the Habitant
Collected rent from Habitant

The Habitant
Cleared land of trees for farming
Built a place to live
Paid taxes to the seigneur (Chopped
wood, fish, or farm produce)
Worked three days a year for the seigneur
(usually building roads)

Research New France

Bibliography
Mclean, Don. Life in New France. Dated
created unkown.
http://www.etsb.qc.ca/en/teacher_resource
s/ICT_RECIT/resources/webquests/nf/Res
ources/farming.htm Retreived June 29,
2009.

Seigneury Assignment
You have been granted your own seigneury by Intendent
Jean Talon. You must create a map of your seigneury.
Be sure to include
Mill and a church
Strips of land that have been rented to habitant
Label rivers and other features
Title, legend and scale
Colour
You will have one class of computer research time and one
class afterward to complete your Map