Government of
New France
Early New France
• Governance in New
France began with
private companies
making rules and
policies for its
employees.
• Samuel De
Champlain was the
first real governor
under this system
Early New France
• Too many different
companies meant
too many different
rules.
• 1627 – Cardinal
Richelieu forms the
“Comapgnie des
Cents-Associés”
(Company of a
Hundred
Associates)
Company of a Hundred Associates
• All the private companies were
combined to form a monopoly as a
chartered company.
• Richelieu hoped that having one
company in charge would stabilize the
colony and encourage settlement
• The company had administrative,
judicial, and lawmaking powers.
Early New France
• 1645, the Company
of a Hundred
Associates sublet
its charter to
“Communauté des
habitants” – another
fur trading
company.
• Due to a vicious war
with the Mohawk,
this company failed
as well.
A Royal Province
• On September 24,
1663, King Louis XIV
made the colony of
New France a royal
province.
• This meant that he
(through his viceroy) would have
direct control over
the colony.
A New System
• The new structure of
government for New
France was largely
experimental. If it
worked well, it would be
adopted for use in
France’s other colonies.
• The system was
developed by Jean
Baptiste Colbert – Louis
XIV’s right hand man.
Structure of New France
Government
The system of
government in New
France was relatively
simple, with most of the
power resting in the
hands of only three
men: the governorgeneral, the bishop and
the intendant. At the
top of the food chain,
however, was the King
of France.
King Louis XIV of France
1638 - 1715
The King of France
The king was the most powerful part of the
French colonial government. It was believed
that he ruled by DIVINE RIGHT - that he had
been chosen by God to rule. As God’s
representative, he had ABSOLUTE POWER.
New France had a PATERNALISTIC, or
Father-like form of government.
The King of France
Viceroy
Minister of the Navy
The Viceroy was a French noble who acted as the liaison between the
king and the Minister of the Navy. The Viceroy did not play an
active role in the government.
The Minister of the Navy was a military position, and was
responsible for the navy, the colonies and maritime trade. The
governor of the colony answered directly to the Minister of the Navy.
King of France
Viceroy
Minister of the Navy
Governor
Sovereign
Council
In New France a centralized government called
the SOVEREIGN COUNCIL was the sole
governing authority in the colony. They were the
link between the king in France and the subjects
in New France. The most important members of
the council were the Governor, the Intendant and
the Bishop, but it also included 5 councilors, an
Attorney General, and a clerk.
Duties of the Governor
• Decided who was to become a seigneur
• Collect taxes from the seigneurs
• Help seigneurs with major building projects (roads,
schools, etc)
• Set rent limits
• Settle disputes between habitants and seigneurs
• Responsible for relations with the Natives
• Responsible for relations with the 13 Colonies
• Responsible for defence
• The first governor of New France was Louis de
Baude, Compte de Frontenac (or simply, Frontenac)
King of France
Viceroy
Minister of the Navy
Governor
Sovereign
Council
Intendant
Role of the Intendant
• An intendant was like a business
agent – he looked after all the
finances and the day-to-day affairs
of the colony
• He was next in line after the
governor.
• Because he did so many things, he
was considered to be the most
important official in the colony
Duties of the Intendant
•
•
•
•
•
maintaining law and order
supervising the law courts and the legal system
managing the economy
all day-to-day administrative matters
overseeing the construction and maintenance of
roads
• overseeing social welfare
• When there was a war he arranged supplies
A blue
ribbon
Intendant
(and the first Intendant
of New France)
Jean Talon
Talon was the first intendant of New France. His
dedicated efforts helped the colony to prosper. He invested
money in his brewery and iron works at St. Maurice,
Quebec. He and Bishop Laval disagreed on the ethical
nature of selling alcohol to the Natives in the area.
Talon encouraged immigration and began a ship
building industry. He established fishing and the first
schools, and stream lined the judicial system. On his
frequent trips around New France, Talon would encourage
couples to have large families by giving them gift for
marrying young or having more than 10 children.
He was considered to be the model for all colonial
officials to come after him.
King of France
Viceroy
Minister of the Navy
Governor
Sovereign
Council
Intendant
Bishop
The role of the Bishop was in constant dispute.
Politically, he was supposed to be below the
governor, and roughly equal to the Intendant. This
suited neither the Bishop nor the Church in Rome.
As God’s representative in the colony, the Church
thought that the Bishop should be the most
powerful person in New France. To that end, they
made the Bishop answerable to the Pope alone –
elevating the Bishop’s position above that of the
Governor.
This, of course, did not sit well with the King – and
the war was on!!
The Role of the Bishop
The Bishop represented the interests of the
Roman Catholic Church and was nominated by
the Church of France. At that point in history,
the church had a great influence in the lives of
the people and in the running of the government.
New France’s first bishop, Bishop Laval, held
the office from 1659 to 1688 and was seen as
one of the most powerful people in New France.
Bishop Laval greeting the Intendant Talon at Quebec, in a
painting by Frank Craig.
King of France
Viceroy
Minister of the Navy
Governor
Sovereign
Council
Intendant
5 Councillors
Bishop
Attorney General
Clerk
The Role of the People
Within the Sovereign Council were five councilors who
were appointed by the king from among the leading
citizens of New France (usually seigneurs). There was an
Attorney General who dealt with all legal matters, and
there was a clerk who was responsible for all
administrative duties.
Regular people could petition the governor or intendant on
any matter. They could hold their own meetings, run by a
habitant, the captain of the militia, or the parish priest, to
solve smaller problems. Overall, the people had much
more freedom than farmers did in France.
Overall, the people in New France seem to have
been well contented with their form of
government. It lasted in the colony for about
100 years during which time there was never a
rebellion or, seemingly, a need for radical
change.
The king of France may have had
absolute power, but he rarely seems to have
interfered with the daily lives of the people of
New France.