The

Illinois Country The Illinois Country (french: Pays des Illinois ; , i.e. the Illinois people)—sometimes referred to as Upper Louisiana (french: Haute-Louisiane ; es, Alta Luisiana)—was a vast region of New France claimed in the 1600s in what is n ...

was governed by military commandants for its entire period under French and British rule, and during its time as a county of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. The presence of French military interests in the

began in 1682 when

Robert de La Salle The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

built Fort St. Louis du Roche on the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

. The commandant of the fort was the top French official in the region and was responsible to the

Governor General of New France Governor General of New France was the vice-regal post in New France from 1663 until 1760, and it was the last French vice-regal post. It was replaced by the British post of Governor of the Province of Quebec following the fall of New France. ...

. In 1718 Illinois was transferred to

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

and renamed ''Upper Louisiana.'' The new seat of government was

Fort de Chartres Fort de Chartres was a French fortification first built in 1720 on the east bank of the Mississippi River in present-day Illinois. It was used as the administrative center for the province, which was part of New France. Due generally to river floo ...

, located in what is now southeastern Illinois among the growing French settlements of

Cahokia The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site ( 11 MS 2) is the site of a pre-Columbian Native American city (which existed 1050–1350 CE) directly across the Mississippi River from modern St. Louis, Missouri. This historic park lies in south-w ...

Kaskaskia The Kaskaskia were one of the indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation, also called the Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in t ...

and

Prairie du Rocher Prairie du Rocher ("The Rock Prairie" in French) is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. Founded in the French colonial period in the American Midwest, the community is located near bluffs that flank the east side of the Miss ...

. In 1763, at the conclusion of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, the entire area of Louisiana was divided, with

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

receiving the lands east of the Mississippi and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

claiming the lands west of it. The new city of

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, in present-day

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, became the seat of government of Spanish Upper Louisiana. The government of the British side, present-day

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, remained in the hands of military commandants at Fort de Chartres; upon that fort's abandonment the seat of government moved to

. British rule in Illinois was ''

ad hoc Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning literally 'to this'. In English, it typically signifies a solution for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a generalized solution adaptable to collateral instances. (Compare with ''a priori''.) Com ...

'' and unsystematic. The

Quebec Act The Quebec Act 1774 (french: Acte de Québec), or British North America (Quebec) Act 1774, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which set procedures of governance in the Province of Quebec. One of the principal components of the Act w ...

of 1774 would have organized a government for the region, but before it could be put into effect Illinois was captured by Virginia militia in the

Illinois Campaign The Illinois campaign, also known as Clark's Northwestern campaign (1778–1779), was a series of events during the American Revolutionary War in which a small force of Virginia militiamen, led by George Rogers Clark, seized control of several B ...

. After 1787 Illinois received a civil government as part of the

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

and Indiana Territories before becoming a distinct

Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ca ...

in 1809. The United States acquired the rest of Upper Louisiana in the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

of 1803; military rule continued for a few months before it was transferred to civilian government, first under the

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a United States Congress, congressional act that President of the United States, President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an Historic regions of the U ...

, and then as the

Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of the ...

in 1805.

French period (1678–1763)

This period included the entire

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

and Missouri River basin above the mouth of the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

Commandants subordinate to Canada

(1678–1683) *

Henri de Tonti Henri de Tonti (''né'' Enrico Tonti; – September 1704), also spelled Henri de Tonty, was an Italian-born French military officer, explorer, and ''voyageur'' who assisted René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, with North American explora ...

(1682–1683) interim *

Louis-Henri de Baugy, Chevalier de Baugy Louis-Henri de Baugy, Chevalier de Baugy (died 1720) was from a noble family of France and came to New France as a member of the party of Joseph-Antoine de La Barre, who was replacing Buade de Frontenac as Governor General. Chevalier de Baugy ar ...

(1683–1685) *

(1685–1702) * (1700–1702) * Pierre de Liette (1702–1718)

Commandants subordinate to Louisiana

* Pierre de Boisbriand (1718–1723) * Claude Charles Du Tisné (1723–1725) * Robert Groston de Saint-Ange (1730–1734) *

Pierre D'Artaguiette Pierre d'Artaguiette or d'Artaguette (died 1736), said to be a Canadian, was the younger brother of Diron d'Artaguette. As an officer in the French Army in 1730, Pierre was mentioned in dispatches for "brilliant valor" during the Natchez revolt (G ...

(1734–1736/7) * (1737–1740) * (1740–1742) interim * (1742–1749) * Jean-Baptiste Benoit de Sainte-Claire (1749–1751), interim * (1751–1760) * (1760–1764) *

Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive (1700–1774), was an officer in the French marine troops in New France. Biography Born in Montreal in 1700, Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive followed his father, Robert Groston de Saint-Ange, ...

(1764–1770)

East of the Mississippi

British period (1765–1778)

After the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

ended in 1763, the

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

awarded Great Britain the east bank of the Mississippi, from below

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

northwards. Due to the outbreak of

Pontiac's War Pontiac's War (also known as Pontiac's Conspiracy or Pontiac's Rebellion) was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of Native Americans dissatisfied with British rule in the Great Lakes region following the French and Indian War (1754–176 ...

, British forces were unable to take control of the Illinois forts until 1765.

Commandants at Fort de Chartres

* Captain

Sir Thomas Stirling, 5th Baronet General (United Kingdom), General Sir Thomas Stirling, 5th Baronet (8 October 1733 – 8 May 1808) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the British Army during the American Revolutionary War, American War of Independence. Early l ...

(1765) * Major Robert Farmer (1765–1766) * Lieutenant-Colonel John Reed (1766–1768) * Captain Forbes (acting) (1768) * Lieutenant-Colonel

John Wilkins John Wilkins, (14 February 1614 – 19 November 1672) was an Anglican clergyman, natural philosopher, and author, and was one of the founders of the Royal Society. He was Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death. Wilkins is one of the fe ...

(1768–1772)

Commandants at Fort Gage (Kaskaskia)

* Major Isaac Hamilton (acting) (1772) * Captain Hugh Lord (1772–1774) *

Philippe-François de Rastel de Rocheblave Philippe-François de Rastel de Rocheblave also, known as, Philippe de Rocheblave and the Chevalier de Rocheblave (March 23, 1727 – April 3, 1802), was a soldier and businessman in the Illinois Country, of Upper Louisiana, and later, a pol ...

(acting) (1774–1778)

Virginia period (1778–1787)

Virginia militia under

George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was an American surveyor, soldier, and militia officer from Virginia who became the highest-ranking American patriot military officer on the northwestern frontier during the Ame ...

captured Illinois in the

of 1778. The territory was organized as

Illinois County, Virginia Illinois County, Virginia, was a political and geographic region, part of the British Province of Quebec, claimed during the American Revolutionary War on July 4, 1778 by George Rogers Clark of the Virginia Militia, as a result of the Illinois C ...

and placed under a military government, which was intended to be temporary. This government came to an end in 1784, when Virginia ceded the Illinois Country to the United States government. It became part of the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

in 1787.

County lieutenants & civil commandants of Illinois County

* John Todd (1778–1780) *

Timothy Demonbreun Jacques-Timothée Boucher, Sieur de Montbrun (; 23 March 1731 – October 1826), anglicized as Timothy Demonbreun, was a French-Canadian fur trader, a Lieutenant in the American Revolution, and Lieutenant-Governor of the Illinois Territory. H ...

(?–1784) (remained in command at Kaskaskia until 1786)

West of the Mississippi

Spanish period (1765–1803)

After 1765, when Western Louisiana was ceded to Spain by France, the capital of

Upper Louisiana Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

was

Saint Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...

. In spite of that, the governors of Saint Louis maintained the name of "commandants of Illinois". In this new period, Upper Louisiana referred only to the land west of the

and above the mouth of the

Commandants of Upper Louisiana

* ''Don'' Francisco Rui (1767–1768) * ''Don'' Pedro Piernas (1768– ?) * Louis Saint-Ange de Bellerive (? –1770)

Lieutenant-governors of Upper Louisiana

* Pedro Piernas (1770 – 1775) * Francisco Cruzat (1775 – 1778)Foley (1989), 45. *

Fernando de Leyba Don Fernando de Leyba (1734–1780)Fernando de Leyba Vizcaigaña ( ...

(1778 – June 28, 1780) * Francisco Cruzat (September 24, 1780 – 1787)Foley (1989), 63. * Manuel Pérez (November 1787 – 1792) *

Zénon Trudeau Zénon Trudeau (1748–1813) was a soldier, planter, and administrator who served as Lieutenant-governor of Upper Louisiana, New Spain, between 1792 and 1799. Biography Born in New Orleans, Trudeau joined the Spanish Army in his youth, a pl ...

(1792 – 1799) * (1799 – 1804)
/sup>

French Republic (1803) and District of Louisiana period (1804)

In 1803, France under

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

purchased Louisiana from Spain. France never established its rule in Upper Louisiana, and already in 1803 it sold the entire territory to the United States as the

. Jurisdiction was above the 33rd parallel on the west side of the Mississippi River. Nominal French control at St. Louis lasted only a single day, known as

Three Flags Day Three Flags Day commemorates March 9, and 10, 1804, when Spain officially completed turning over the Louisiana colonial territory to France, who then officially turned over the same lands to the United States, in order to finalize the 1803 Louisian ...

, when sovereignty was symbolically transferred from Spain to France to the United States. American military rule continued for a few months. On October 1, 1804, civilian government began under the

Governor of Indiana Territory The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the State of Indiana. The Governor (United States), governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many Government agenc ...

. Upper Louisiana was reorganized as the

in 1805 and the

Missouri Territory The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812, until August 10, 1821. In 1819, the Territory of Arkansas was created from a portion of its southern area. In 1821, a southeas ...

in 1812.

Commandant of the District of Louisiana

Amos Stoddard Amos Stoddard (October 26, 1762 – May 11, 1813) was a career United States Army officer who served in both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, in which he was mortally wounded. In 1804, Stoddard was the Commandant of the militar ...

(1804)

Notes

References

* Charles J. Balesi (1992). ''The Time of the French in the Heart of North America, 1673–1818''. Chicago: Alliance Française.
French Commandants

* William P. McCarthy "The Chevalier Macarty-Mactigue". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, v. 61, n. 1, p. 41-57. Spring 1968. * David MacDonald, ''Lives of Fort Chartres: Commandants, Soldiers, and Civilians in French Illinois, 1720-1770'', (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois Univ. Press, 2016.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Commandants Of The Illinois Country Lists of people from Illinois People of New France People of pre-statehood Illinois

Commandants and Lieutenants of the Illinois Country