Paul de Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve (15 February 1612 9 September 1676) was a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
military officer and the founder of
Fort Ville-Marie (modern day
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
) in
New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...
(
Province of Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
).
Early life
Maisonneuve was born into the
aristocracy
Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'.
At t ...
in
Neuville-sur-Vannes
Neuville-sur-Vanne (, literally ''Neuville on Vanne'') is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Aube department
The following is a list of the 431 communes of the Aube department o ...
in
Champagne,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. He was the son of Louis de Chomedey, seigneur of Chavane, Germenoy-en-Brie, and his second wife Marie de Thomelin, the daughter of Jean de Thomelin, a king's counsellor and a treasurer of France in the generality of Champagne, and of Ambroise d’Aulquoy.
Paul de Chomedey grew up in the manor-house at Neuville-sur-Vanne, not far from the Maisonneuve fief, which his father acquired in 1614. He had two sisters and one brother. He began his military career at 13 in Holland, where he also learned to play the lute.
[
He had a successful career in which he was noted for his ability and his honesty.
At 30, he was hired by Jérome le Royer de la Dauversiere, who was head of the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal. The latter had a vision that inspired him to build a society mission on ]Montreal Island
The Island of Montreal (french: Île de Montréal) is a large island in southwestern Quebec, Canada, that is the site of a number of municipalities including most of the city of Montreal and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main ...
in New France. Maisonneuve was hired to lead the colonists and ensure their safety in the new land.
Governor of Montreal
In 1642 Ville-Marie was founded on the southern shore of the Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal (french: Île de Montréal) is a large island in southwestern Quebec, Canada, that is the site of a number of municipalities including most of the city of Montreal and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main ...
, where a chapel and a small settlement were built. A hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
, under the command of Jeanne Mance
Jeanne Mance (November 12, 1606 – June 18, 1673) was a French nurse and settler of New France. She arrived in New France two years after the Ursuline nuns came to Quebec. Among the founders of Montreal in 1642, she established its first hospit ...
, was also established. Maisonneuve was the first governor of Montreal
The governor of Montreal was the highest position in Montreal in the 17th century and the 18th century. Prior to the establishment of the 1663 Sovereign Council, the governor of Montreal was appointed by the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal. The ...
.
The settlers maintained peaceful relations with the Algonquin people
The Algonquin people are an Indigenous people who now live in Eastern Canada. They speak the Algonquin language, which is part of the Algonquian language family. Culturally and linguistically, they are closely related to the Odawa, Potawato ...
, one of the indigenous tribes of the area. The first year of the colony's existence was peaceful. In 1643 a flood threatened the city. Maisonneuve prayed to the Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
to stop the inundation and when it abated, he erected a cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
atop Mount Royal
Mount Royal (french: link=no, Mont Royal, ) is a large intrusive rock hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The best-known hypothesis for the origin of the name Montreal is the hi ...
. A cross has been maintained there to the current day.
Of the local First Nations tribes with whom these French settlers had contact with, the Mohawk, who were already trading with the Dutch and English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
in New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...
(modern New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
), resented French efforts to interrupt the trade. The Mohawk were based in present-day New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
, south of Montreal, and severely threatened the new colony. The Algonquin, in contrast, maintained peaceful relations with the newly arrived Europeans. Nevertheless, they were often at war with the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
), who discovered the existence of the new French settlement of Montreal, whose defence Maisonneuve commanded using his military training, only in 1643.
Already familiar with the terrain, the Haudenosaunee would often observe and engage the French settlers from the safety of the woods. That devastating strategy was the beginning of a long conflict between the groups as they were competing with each other for game and other resources. On 30 March 1644, the situation came to a head. Warned by their guard dogs as to the nearby presence of their enemies, a band of 30 settlers went into the forest to face their foes. Once in the woods, the French encountered 250 Haudenosaunee people in ambush, waiting for them. Retreating in the face of such uneven odds, Maisonneuve remained last so that the others could make it safely back to the fort, resulting in him being set upon by a Haudenosaunee chief. In this decisive moment, Maisonneuve fired twice on the chief,[ thus "killing him with his bare hands," as is sometimes quoted about the event, before returning to the safety of the fort amid much fanfare.
In 1645, Maisonneuve received news that his father had died, and he returned to France. There, he was offered the position of ]governor of New France The governor of New France was the viceroy of the King of France in North America. A French nobleman, he was appointed to govern the colonies of New France, which included Canada, Acadia and Louisiana. The residence of the Governor was at the Chatea ...
but turned it down, wanting to continue his leadership of Ville-Marie. Maisonneuve returned to Montreal in 1647, and the wars with the Iroquois continued. In 1649, Maisonneuve stood as godfather for the first white child baptized in the colony. She was Pauline Hébert, the daughter of the fur-trader Augustin Hébert and his wife Adrienne Du Vivier, who had come to Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
in 1648 with Maisonneuve and their elder daughter Jeanne.
In the spring of 1651, the Haudenosaunee attacks became so frequent and so violent that Ville-Marie thought that its end had come. Maisonneuve made all the settlers take refuge in the fort. By 1652, the colony at Montreal had been so reduced that he was forced to return to France to raise 100 volunteers to go with him to the colony the following year. If the effort had failed, Montreal would have been abandoned and the survivors relocated downriver to Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
. When the 100 arrived in the fall of 1653, the population of Montreal was barely 50 people. They included Jacques Archambault
Jacques Archambault (c. 1604 – February 15, 1688) was a French colonist in Montreal. He was born in Dompierre-sur-Mer, where he was baptized.
Archambault married (around 1629) Françoise Tourault, with whom he had many children. All Archambau ...
, who dug the first water well of the island in 1657, at the request of Maisonneuve.
Over time, the colony grew in size and eventually was large enough to be secure from the Haudenosaunee threat. Control of the colony was taken from the missionary society and taken up by the crown in 1663. Maisonneuve had not enjoyed the favour of the new governor-general, Augustin de Saffray de Mésy
Augustin de Saffray de Mésy (1598–1665) was the first Governor General of New France in 1663 after Louis XIV took over the administration of New France from the Compagnie des Cent-Associés.
Very little is known of de Mésy, but he serve ...
. In September 1665, Alexandre de Prouville
Marquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy (c. 1596 or 1603 – 1670) was a French aristocrat, statesman, and military leader. He was the seigneur of Tracy-le-Val and Tracy-le-Mont ( Picardy).
Life
The Marquis de Tracy first made his name as a re ...
, the lieutenant-general of Montreal, ordered Maisonneuve to return to France on indefinite leave. After 24 years as head of the colony, he left Montreal for good.
Later life
Settling in Paris Maisonneuve lived in relative obscurity. In 1671, he welcomed Marguerite Bourgeoys at his home in Paris. With his encouragement, in 1657 she had established the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal, an order of teaching nuns that educated French and indigenous children.
Maisonneuve died in 1676; at his bedside were his young friend, Philippe de Turmenys, and his devoted servant, Louis Fin. On September 10, his funeral took place at the church of the Fathers of the Christian Doctrine, near the abbey of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont
Saint-Étienne-du-Mont is a church in Paris, France, on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in the 5th arrondissement, near the Panthéon. It contains the shrine of St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. The church also contains the tombs of Bl ...
; he was also buried there.
Honours
After his death, Saint-Paul Street in Montreal was named after Maisonneuve, who had built his home in 1650 on the early street.
Nuns' Island was once called ''Île Saint-Paul'' in honour of the founder of Montreal. The current name of the island appears starting from the 19th century and was exclusively used from the 1950s on.
The Maisonneuve Monument was erected in 1895 on Place d'Armes in Old Montreal, to his memory. It is the work of Louis-Philippe Hébert
Louis-Philippe Hébert (1850–1917) was a Canadian sculptor. He is considered one of the best sculptors of his generation.
Career
Hébert was the son of Théophile Hébert, a farmer, and Julie Bourgeois of Ste-Sophie de Mégantic, Quebec. At ag ...
(1850–1917). An imaginary model was used to represent Maisonneuve, as no authentic portrait exists of the first governor of Montreal.
De Maisonneuve Boulevard and Rue Chomedey in Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal ( French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the borough of Vil ...
are named for him, as are Maisonneuve Park
Maisonneuve Park (french: Parc Maisonneuve) is an urban park in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of Montreal's large parks.
Established in 1910, it is in size, in three sections. T ...
, the Collège de Maisonneuve
Collège de Maisonneuve (or Cégep de Maisonneuve) is a francophone public pre-university and technical college located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Partnerships
The College is affiliated with the ACCC, and CCAA.
History
In 1967, several in ...
, the neighbourhood of Chomedey in Laval
Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of:
People
* House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne
* Laval (surname)
Places Belgium
* Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...
, and the Maisonneuve pavilion, a dormitory
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean
, mottoeng = Truth, Duty, Valour
, established = 1952
, type = Military college
, chancellor = Anita Anand (''ex officio'' as Defence Minister)
, principal = Commanda ...
.
Gallery
Image:Mount-royal-cross.jpg, Mount Royal Cross
The Mount Royal Cross is a monument on top of Mount Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It stands at the northeastern peak of the mountain and overlooks the eastern part of the Island of Montreal.
History
Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, founder of F ...
. The first was erected by Paul de Chomdey de Maisonneuve on January 6, 1643
Image:Montreal 1647.jpg, Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
in 1647
Image:Projet Monument Maisonneuve Montreal.jpg, Projet Maisonneuve Monument, ''Canadian Illustrated News
The ''Canadian Illustrated News'' was a weekly Canadian illustrated magazine published in Montreal from 1869 to 1883. It was published by George Desbarats.
The magazine was notable for being the first in the world to consistently produce photog ...
'', 12 April 1879
Image:Monument à Maisonneuve.JPG, Maisonneuve Monument at the Place d'Armes
Image:Monument Maisonneuve.jpg, Maisonneuve Monument
See also
* French colonization of the Americas
*Timeline of Montreal history
The timeline of the history of Montreal is a chronology of significant events in the history of Montreal, Canada's second-most populated city, with about 3.5 million residents in 2018, and the fourth-largest French-speaking city in the world.
...
External links
''La pratique du luth en Nouvelle-France par Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve (1612-1676) premier gouverneur de Montréal...'', Web Robert DEROME, professeur honoraire d'histoire de l'art, Université du Québec à Montréal.
Novels
* Lise Baucher-Morency / Gaëtane Breton, ''La périlleuse fondation de Ville-Marie'', (book with musical CD) Éditions Planète rebelle (lin
2017
References
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maisonneuve, Paul Chomedey, Sieur De
1612 births
1676 deaths
Colonists of Fort Ville-Marie
People from Aube
People of New France
French Army soldiers
French nobility
History of Montreal
Governors of Montreal
Société Notre-Dame de Montréal
Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
17th-century Canadian politicians