The foundation of Quebec City
Although Jacques Cartier visited the region twice and Jean-François de La Rocque Roberval tried to establish a colony, France did not attempt any permanent settlement until the early 17th century. In 1603, Samuel de Champlain participated as an observer in an expedition. Then, in 1608, Pierre Dugua de Mons, who held a monopoly on the fur trade, asked him to found a colony from which he could fetch fur-bearing animals. This is how Champlain founded Quebec City on July 3, 1608. He established a fur trading post and built the first wooden fortress. Religious institutions and the colonial administration settled in the Upper Town, while merchants and artisans lived in the Lower Town, which remained the economic heart of the city until the mid-19th century. Québec City soon became the political, administrative and military centre of New France. Perched on the promontory of Cap Diamant, at the confluence of the St. Charles and St. Lawrence rivers, the city, nicknamed "the Gibraltar of America," occupied a strategic site that was to be the object of numerous offensives: it was to be subjected to no less than six sieges. The Kirke brothers, commissioned by England, even succeeded in taking it in 1629. But in 1632, the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye returned Québec to France.
Since its founding, Québec had been run by a governor who was responsible for military command, civil management and the execution of royal decrees. Financial management was handled by the trading companies, which were more concerned with the fur trade than with their obligations to populate the colony. In 1663, however, the King of France, Louis XIV, decided to take direct control of the colony and set up a true colonial administration. In addition to the governor, a steward and a sovereign council now governed Québec. The city officially became the capital of New France. However, the small colony had to be populated in order to firmly establish its roots. Since women were in short supply in New France, the king sent young single women to marry the settlers and start families: they were called the Filles du Roy. In order to facilitate the project, the clothing, travel expenses to France and the crossing to America were entirely paid for by the French Crown. About 800 of them came to New France between 1663 and 1673. At the same time, the role of the clergy was considerable in the establishment of this new colony. In 1615, the arrival of the Recollets marked the beginning of a vast conversion effort. The Jesuits arrived ten years later and founded the Jesuit College in 1635. This was followed by the construction of numerous religious buildings: the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec in 1639, the Séminaire de Québec in 1663, designed to recruit and train clergy, and the Petit Séminaire in 1668. Over the years, Québec City became a place of political power, but also an administrative, religious and commercial centre.A vulnerable colony
Despite its position as a natural fortress, the city is still vulnerable to attack. It was therefore decided to surround it with powerful fortifications. They were erected in 1690 by the Count de Frontenac, who succeeded in repelling the assault of Admiral Phips.
Conflicts of interest between France and England would lead to a succession of wars and treaties. In 1755, the British colonel Sir Charles Lawrence ordered the deportation of the Acadians, farmers from Poitou, Touraine and Berry, who had been settled around the Bay of Fundy (present-day Nova Scotia) since 1604. In their place, he planned to settle English farmers: the Grand Dérangement, which took place from 1755 to 1763, would affect more than 10,000 Acadians. Many of them will flee to Louisiana and scatter all over the place. However, France retained Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island) and Île Royale (Cape Breton Island) where it erected the powerful Fortress of Louisbourg to control access to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. But, from the Great Upheaval, the vice will tighten around the French: in July 1758, Louisbourg falls into British hands. In 1759, James Wolfe was appointed officer commanding the British assault. Its mandate was specific: to take over the walled city of Québec. In June, Commander Wolfe's troops landed on Île d'Orléans. The following month, other battalions settled on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Quebec City, as well as near Montmorency Falls on the north shore. On July 31, British troops launched the assault, but strong resistance forced them to retreat. The following year, on September 13, 1759, British forces returned to the assault and fought the famous battle of the Plains of Abraham against the French. This major defeat by the French army led to the surrender of Québec City and, in 1760, the surrender of Montréal.
In 1763, the Treaty of Paris ceded New France to Great Britain. This treaty put an end to the world conflict of the Seven Years' War that inflamed Europe, North America and even India, and gave birth to a new balance between the great European kingdoms and empires. The first French colonial empire disappears. France definitively lost its possessions in India and especially in North America to the British.
The result of this military conquest forced the French, Catholics and subjects of an absolute monarchy, to cohabit with the English, Protestants and subjects of a constitutional monarchy. However, the French-speaking territory, now known as the British Province of Quebec, retained its right to practice the Catholic religion, which was prohibited in England at the time, and in 1774, thanks to the signing of the Quebec Act, obtained authorization to preserve its language and customs.Historic remains in abundance
They are mostly concentrated in the old city and some of them were even discovered not so long ago. In 2005, archaeological digs began under the Dufferin Terrace at the foot of the Château Frontenac. On the site, where Champlain and Montmagny lived, we expected to discover many remains, but the results of the excavations surprised many by the quantity and quality of the objects found: more than 500,000 fragments of objects have been identified. After three years of excavations, it was decided to open the site to the public for the city's 400th anniversary celebrations. The Fortifications of Quebec National Historic Site as well as the Citadel of Quebec and its Royal 22nd Regiment Museum will appeal to those interested in Quebec City's military history, while the Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral, the Augustine Monastery and the Pôle culturel du Monastère des Ursulines
are must-sees for those interested in the city's religious heritage.Outside the city, a visit to the Lower Town is a must, with its charming pedestrian district, Petit Champlain, filled with boutiques, bistros and good restaurants. A few steps away is Place Royale with its beautiful 17th century houses. Cafés and bistros line its perimeter, with charming little terraces where it is good to sit. On the other side of the old city, you should not miss the discovery of the Battlefields Park and the Plains of Abraham Museum
, which allow you to understand the important role this place played in the history of New France. With many other historical attractions to visit in the different districts of the city, it is best to prepare your tour well. To make sure you don't miss anything, you can opt for the turnkey formula. Several companies offer historical tours of Quebec City, some with a guide in period costume.A trip to the Côte-de-Beaupré
This narrow strip of land, located between the Canadian Shield and the north shore of the St. Lawrence, extends east of Quebec City to the gates of Charlevoix. It was at the sight of the green meadows bordering the river that Jacques Cartier is said to have exclaimed, "What a beautiful meadow!", hence the origin of the toponym. It is not surprising then that in 1626, on the fertile lands of Cap-Tourmente, Champlain built the first farm in the St. Lawrence Valley. Settlers then came to settle in the Beaupré seigneury, from the Montmorency Falls near Quebec City to the Gouffre River in Baie-Saint-Paul. Although the development of the parishes went well, the Côte-de-Beaupré was attacked by the British army during the Siege of Québec in 1759, which resulted in the sacking and destruction of more than 1,400 buildings and the transfer of the colony to British hands. The following century saw the development of religious tourism based on devotion to Saint Anne. A first pilgrimage was organized in 1844, followed by the inauguration of the new church of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in 1876. This church became a basilica and now welcomes close to one million visitors each year: it is the Sanctuary of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
. In order to highlight the region's historical past, the Côte-de-Beaupré region has created an official tourist route marked by signs bearing the coat of arms of New France: the Route de la Nouvelle-France. The Route de la Nouvelle-France is about fifty kilometres long and follows Royal Avenue (Route 360) from Beauport to Saint-Joachim. It offers more than twenty cultural, heritage and culinary points of interest.The highlight of the show
After exploration, it's time for immersion! Every year, at the beginning of August, the Quebec of the 17th and 18th centuries is reborn in the provincial capital. For a few days, the Fêtes de la Nouvelle-France offer a true journey to the era of the French Regime in a historical, festive and gourmet perspective. The event is interactive and offers a program of participatory workshops, animations and historical re-enactments, tastings of local products, historical conferences and musical performances, all according to a theme that is renewed each year. And to dive head first into this old-fashioned atmosphere, don't hesitate to come in costume.
