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1497
John Cabot's Exploration
John Cabot's exploration marked the first European contact with Indigenous people in the area of what would become Canada since the time of the Vikings. His expeditions into of Newfoundland and Hudson's Bay lead the way for explorers that would come within the next century. He also claimed the area as the property of Henry VII and the English crown which planted British colonial interest in North America for the next several hundred years. -
Period: 1534 to 1542
Jaques Cartier's Exploration
Cartier's journey down the St.Lawrence River is the first record of European contact with the Huron in the Great Lakes region. The trade he established with the peoples he encountered marked the beginning of an alliance the Wendat confederacy would have with the French, economically and militarily, until their disbanding in the 1640's. Cartier's expedition also signaled the start of French interest in material profit available in the new world. -
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Samuel de Champlains Exploration/Founding of Quebec Colony
The establishment of the Quebec colony by Champlain was the result of several years of exploration into the Great Lakes region. It was the beginning of permanent French presence in the area which would last until 1763, and play a critical role in the events of the next 150 years. Champlain is considered to be the father of New France due to his work building the colony and promoting alliances with the Wendat, who's relationship with Quebec would support New France's economy and security. -
Battle of Lake Champlain/Ticonderoga Point
The Battle of Lake Champlain was the first instance of support of the Huron by the French against the Haudenosaunee. The altercation sparked a war between the Five Nations and New France which continued on and off until the Great Peace of 1701. The collaboration also cemented the agreement Champlain had begun with the Huron. As well as created circumstances which urged the Five Nations to rely on the Dutch, and later the English, for weapons and trade goods to fight their old and new enemies. -
Initiation of Covenant Chain
The institution of the Covenant Chain in 1613 between the Dutch and The Five Nations marked the beginning of an alliance between the imperialist power residing in the New England region and the Haudenosaunee. This treaty was made in response to the agreement between the French and Wendat and the threat they had to Iroquoian interests. The Covenant would later shift to include the English in the 1660's and was an agreement that shaped the history of the Great Lakes region until present day. -
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Virgin Soil Epidemics
The diseases introduced into Indigenous groups from European contact decimated their population during early contact years. Virgin Soil Epidemics proved to be the most deadly and killed approximately 75% of the Wendat population in a series of outbreaks starting in 1634. This contagion effectively ended the alliance between the Huron and French and left a gap in the fur trade which encouraged the rise of Coureur du Bois traders and expansion into the continental interior. -
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End of Wendat Confederacy
During this period the monopoly and influence the Wendat had on land north of the Great Lakes dissolved with the expansion of the Haudenosaunee into their territory. As well as their weakened state due to the epidemics that had run rampant for the past decade. The French still had several alliances with various tribes, but their primary trading partner was gone, and they were left to fight the Five Nations by themselves during the remainder of the 17th century. -
New France becomes a Royal Colony
Previous to 1663 New France had merely been a trading post used by the French crown for material gain. When it was declared a formal colony, Louis XIV established French civil law and officially began supporting the growth of the economy, influence, and population of the region. This action could be argued to be the beginning of the contention between the French and English over control of the fur trade and territory around the Great Lakes. -
HBC Trading Posts Established in Hudsons Bay
The entrance of the HBC into the Hudsons Bay area was the beginning of dominance over the fur trade rivaled only by the North-West Company until their merging in 1821. It also the first proclamation of English traders that they intended to stake claims in the fur economy of the north. The HBC also became an extension of British imperial claims in 1670 when they were granted approval with the Royal Charter. -
Great Peace of Montreal
The treaty established in Montreal between the Haudenosaunee and the French, as well as their First Nation allies, formed a peace that generally ended fighting over land disputes and fur reserves. The English retained trade with the Five Nations, but would never have their full military support in fighting the French again. The Peace of Montreal was a comprehensive agreement and ended fighting rather than just creating a covenant between nations. -
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht officially brought an end to the war of Spanish succession, and while the war itself had no significant impact on North America, the terms that were settled affected imperialist and Indigenous land claims. France ceded land to both the HBC and the English including Acadia and portions of Rupert's land. First Nations saw this as a betrayal by the French as much of the land that was given up belonged to them and neither England nor France had any right to claim the territory -
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7 Years War/Fall of New France
In 1756 the French begin the Seven Years War with the English to expand their interests in North America. Initially, they are successful but are eventually pushed back with a series of campaigns into their territory and the defeat of the fortress of Louisbourg. Quebec finally falls to the British during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1760, and France officially surrenders in 1763 with the first Treaty of Paris, ceding nearly all it's North American interests to the English. -
Pontiac's War/Treaty of Niagara
In response to incursions by American colonists and British military occupation in the interior Ohio Valley area, the Odawa Cheif Pontiac began a resistance in 1764. The ultimate goal of the struggle was to push colonists out of North America and reclaim land for First Nations. While he was defeated, despite winning several battles, and the Treaty of Niagara established peace, the conflict marked the increasing anxiety of nations against colonial land claims. -
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American Revolution
The American Revolution had a significant effect on British control in North America and Indigenous claims to land. The formation of the United States would also have a substantial impact on the citizens of BNA especially with American expansion west, loyalist migrations, and the War of 1812. The unwillingness of French-Canadians to join the revolution also signaled a separation between two groups of people that would become two different countries. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act was an effort by Britain to re-establish French law in the Quebec region to settle conflicts arising among French-Canadians over their subjection to English law, religion, and government. This act was effective in quelling the rising tensions in the north but provoked the 13 colonies who were becoming resistant to English taxation and unrepresentative government. The Quebec Act also allowed provisions specifically for French citizens which only angered the Americans more. -
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War of 1812
The War of 1812 was an effort by Americans to usurp British authority across North America. Highlights of the war included attacks against Upper and Lower Canada which were defeated by British regulars, as well as small numbers of French Canadians and First Nations. This conflict marked an explicit rejection of American manifest destiny theory by Canadians. Although the war had no confirmed victor, American advances into BNA were halted and English presence in North America was affirmed. -
Convention of 1818
The establishment of the 49th parallel as a border between the United States and BNA was instituted during the Convention of 1818. However, for First Nations, the border was unregarded in terms of movement but symbolized the encroachment of colonial influence upon their land. The border for colonialists officially recognized a division between the countries stretching to the Pacific for the first time. -
Merging of Hudsons Bay and North-West Companies
The HBC and NWC merger in 1821 was the end of any significant free market for furs in Rupert's Land. The agreement also ensured the HBC controlled a monoply of the fur trade until it gave up its charter right in 1869. The merger also led to a more considerable amount of influence by British colonial authority over First Nations groups who were becoming reliant of trade due to the beginning of the decimation of the bison herds through the 19th century. -
Establishment of Province of Canada
The Province of Canda was the result of the Durham report which investigated the rebellions in previous years and suggested the Upper and Lower Canada merge into a single entity as a colony of the British crown. It would remain governed by London until 1867, but the establishment of formal Canadian territory laid the groundwork for the creation of the Dominion of Canada. It also forced Anglo and Francophones to live as a united people rather than separated as they had been in the two Canada's. -
Canadian Confederation
The Dominion of Canada is proclaimed by royal authority on July 1st, 1867 in which a government was established to oversee internal affairs led by father's of Confederation and John A. Macdonald. The Canadian country had been the product of several hundred years of colonialism, shifting alliances, and economic rivalry coalescing to form a state which continues to exist autonomously until the present day.