First Nations and New France

By Jon4
  • Jan 1, 1000

    Viking expedition lands

    Vikings become first Europeans to reach North America; colonies and settlements founded in Newfoundland, Maine, and Massachusetts
  • Jan 1, 1534

    Jacques Cartier sent to explore New World

    King Francis I sends Jacques Cartier on an exploration expedition to the New World.

  • Quebec founded by Samuel de Champlain

    Quebec founded as a fur trading outpost on the St. Lawrence River.

  • English forces capture Quebec

    English troops seize Quebec after disputes over fur trading rights.

  • Quebec recaptured by French forces

    The French liberate Quebec after it was captured nearly three years ago.

  • Iroquois conquer Huronia

    The Iroquois invade Huronia, and the Algonquin and Huron flee. The French are now effectively alone on the North American continent.

  • New France made a royal province of France

    King Louis XIV makes New France a colony of France. Various improvements are made to the colony.

  • Hudson's Bay Company expands English territory

    The HBC opens fur-trading posts along Hudson Bay, to the north of New France. New France is now hemmed in by the English.

  • Marquette and Jolliet Expedition

    Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette sail down the Mississippi to the Arkansas River. French territory expands as a result.

  • Cavelier Reaches the Gulf

    Rene-Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle, reaches the mouth f the Mississippi River. He claims the river and all of the land drained by it and its branches for France. French territory expands again.

  • Treaty of Utrecht signed

    After Queen Anne's War, France surrenders control of Newfoundland to Britain as per the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht.

  • Seven Years War begins

    Fighting between British and French breaks out in the Ohio River Valley, sparking the Seven Years War.

  • Battle of the Plains of Abraham

    British forces defeat French forces outside Quebec. General Wolfe and General Montcalm are both fatally wounded in the battle. This battle marks the end of French power in North America.

  • British seize Montreal

    British forces capture Montreal.

  • Treaty of Paris signed

    France surrenders control of New France to Britain as per the Treaty of Paris.