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Louisiana began as a French colony claimed in the name of Louis XIV by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, in 1682 when he reached the mouth of the Mississippi River.
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The city of New Orleans is founded by the French as La Nouvelle-Orléans. It was named after Philip II, Duke of Orléans, the king of France at the time.
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The capitol of Louisiana was Mobile in 1682, moved to Biloxi in 1699, then settled in New-Orleans in 1722.
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It is said that in 1762, King Louis XV of France lost a wager to his cousin King Charles III of Spain, and thus the whole Louisiana territory became a Spanish possession (Treaty of Fontainebleau and the Treaty of Paris ).
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The Great Fire destroys many of the French-built structures in the original French Quarter of the city.
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A second fire destroys much of the remaining French architecture. The Spanish rebuild the French quarter using Spanish colonial architecture.
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The United States is granted "Right of Deposit" in New Orleans, allowing them to use the city's port facilities.
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Louisiana reverts back to French control after Napoleon regains the territory under a treaty agreement with Spain.
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Napoleon sells the Louisiana territory to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase.
