Jean-Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes, (19 January 1668 – 1719) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

soldier, explorer, and friend to the Miami Nation. He spent a number of years at the end of his life as an agent of New France among the Miami. Vincennes was born in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

on 19 January 1668. His father, tanner François Byssot de la Rivière, was granted a

seigniory In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; ; ), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple. '' Nulle terre sans seigneur'' ("No land without a lord") ...

for his

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on the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

in 1672. The Seigniory of Vincennes was bordered by Lauzon and Beaumont. Later, Bissot became a ward of his brother-in-law,

Louis Joliet Louis Jolliet (; September 21, 1645after May 1700) was a French-Canadian explorer known for his discoveries in North America. In 1673, Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit Catholic priest and missionary, were the first non-Natives to explore ...

, who entered him in the seminary at Quebec. Vincennes married Marguerite Forestier in

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in 1696. They had four daughters and three sons, including François-Marie. Through the efforts of his godfather, Jean-Baptiste Talon, he secured a commission as ensign in the French marine. In 1696, the Comte de Frontenac appointed him as commander of the French outposts southeast of Lake Michigan (in present-day northeastern

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

). Here he became good friends with the Miami people, and settled at the St. Joseph River. He returned to Montreal in 1700 with an

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slave, whom he had baptised as Jean-René. In 1704, Vincennes established a trading post and fort at

Kekionga Kekionga (, meaning "blackberry bush"), also known as KiskakonCharles R. Poinsatte, ''Fort Wayne During the Canal Era 1828-1855,'' Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, 1969, p. 1 or Pacan's Village, was the capital of the Miami tribe. It wa ...

, the location of present-day

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. The same year, the current governor-general of New France, Philippe de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, wrote the French court to emphasize the importance of Bissot's services to New France among the Miami people. In 1712, Vincennes served as second in command at

Fort Detroit A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

. In this position, he resided with the Miami to keep them from falling under the control of the British. He helped defeat the forces of the

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and acquired a young Fox slave, whom he named François-Michel. This slave eventually was owned by his son, François-Marie Bissot. He died in 1719 at Kekionga and was succeeded by his son as commander of the French in Miami country. After his death, a permanent garrison was established in the

Maumee River The Maumee River (pronounced ) (; ) is a river running in the Midwestern United States from northeastern Indiana into northwestern Ohio and Lake Erie. It is formed at the confluence of the St. Joseph River (Maumee River), St. Joseph and St. Mar ...

area by Jacques-Charles Renaud Dubuisson.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bissot, Jean-Baptiste 1668 births 1719 deaths Canadian explorers People of New France