New France

New France was France’s colonial domain in North America, established in the 16th century and largely ceded to Britain and Spain in 1763.

Jacques Cartier: A French explorer whose voyages along the St. Lawrence River in the 1530s and 1540s advanced French claims in North America. His voyages began France’s sustained exploration of the St. Lawrence region.
Seigneurial system of New France: A landholding system that organized agricultural settlement along the St. Lawrence through grants to seigneurs and tenants. Its riverfront estates structured much of the colony’s farming and settlement.
Wendat Confederacy: A confederacy of Indigenous communities centered in the region south of Georgian Bay in present-day Ontario. Wendat trade and diplomacy made the confederacy a major French partner.
Seven Years’ War: A global conflict fought from 1756 to 1763 between coalitions led by Britain and France. Its North American campaigns broke France’s ability to defend its mainland colony.
Thirteen Colonies: The British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America that declared independence in 1776. Their denser settlement and different political institutions contrasted with New France’s river-based empire.
Samuel de Champlain: A French explorer and colonial administrator who founded Quebec City in 1608 and helped establish French settlements in Canada. His settlement at Quebec anchored France’s colony along the St. Lawrence.
Coureurs des bois: Independent French colonial traders who traveled inland to exchange European goods for furs. They carried the fur trade far beyond the settled St. Lawrence corridor.
Haudenosaunee: A confederacy of Indigenous nations in northeastern North America, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. Its rivalry with French-aligned nations repeatedly challenged colonial security and commerce.
Battle of the Plains of Abraham: A 1759 battle near Quebec City in which British forces defeated French forces during the Seven Years’ War. The defeat opened the way for Britain to take Quebec and, soon after, Montreal.
New Spain: The Spanish colonial viceroyalty that encompassed much of the Americas from the 16th to the early 19th century. It was France’s southern imperial counterpart in North America.

Linked from 41 pages