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COMTE DE LOUIS DE BUADE FRONTENAC ET ...

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Originally appearing in Volume V11, Page 250 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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COMTE DE See also:LOUIS DE BUADE FRONTENAC ET PALLUAU (1620--1698)  , See also:French-See also:Canadian statesman, See also:governor and See also:lieutenant-See also:general for the French See also:king in La Nouvelle See also:France (See also:Canada), son of See also:Henri de Buade, See also:colonel in the See also:regiment of See also:Navarre, was See also:born in the See also:year 162o . The details of his See also:early See also:life are meagre, as no trace of the Frontenac papers has been discovered . The de Buades, however, were a See also:family of distinction in the principality of See also:Beam . See also:Antoine de Buade, seigneur de Frontenac, grandfather of the future governor of Canada, attained See also:eminence as a councillor of See also:state under Henri IV.; and his See also:children were brought up with the dauphin, afterwards See also:Louis XIII . Louis de Buade entered the See also:army at an early See also:age . In the year 1635 he served under the See also:prince of See also:Orange in See also:Holland, and fought with See also:credit and received many wounds during engagements in the See also:Low Countries and in See also:Italy . He was promoted to the See also:rank of colonel in the regiment of See also:Normandy in 1643, and three years later, after distinguishing himself at the See also:siege of Orbitello, where he had an See also:arm broken, he was made marechal de See also:camp . His service seems to have been continuous until the conclusion of the See also:peace of See also:Westphalia in 1648, when he returned to his See also:father's See also:house in See also:Paris and married, without the consent of her parents, See also:Anne de la See also:Grange-Trianon, a girl of See also:great beauty, who later became the friend and confidante of Madame de See also:Montpensier . The See also:marriage was not a happy one, and after the See also:birth of a son incompatibility of See also:temper led to a separation, the See also:count retiring to his See also:estate on the See also:Indre, where by an extravagant course of living he became hopelessly involved in See also:debt . Little is known of his career for the next fifteen years beyond the fact that he held a high position at See also:court; but in the year 1669, when France sent a contingent to assist the Venetians in the See also:defence of See also:Crete against the See also:Turks, Frontenac was placed in command of the troops on the recommendation of See also:Turenne . In this expedition he won military See also:glory; but his See also:fortune was not improved thereby . At this See also:period the affairs of New France claimed the See also:attention of the French court .

From the year 1665 the See also:

colony had been successfully administered by three remarkable men—See also:Daniel de Remy de See also:Courcelle, the governor, See also:Jean Talon, the See also:intendant, and the See also:marquis de See also:Tracy, who had been appointed lieutenant-general for the French king in See also:America; but a difference of See also:opinion had arisen between the governor and the intendant, and each had demanded the other's recall in the public See also:interest . At this crisis in the See also:administration of New France, Frontenac was appointed to succeed de Courcelle . The new governor arrived in See also:Quebec on the 12th of See also:September 1672 . From the commencement it was evident that he was prepared to give effect to a policy of colonial expansion, and to exercise an See also:independence of See also:action that did not coincide with the views of the monarch or of his See also:minister See also:Colbert . One of the first acts of the governor, by which he sought to establish in Canada the three estates—nobles, See also:clergy and See also:people—met with the disapproval of the French court, and See also:measures were adopted to curb his ambition by increasing the See also:power of the See also:sovereign See also:council and by reviving the See also:office of intendant . Frontenac, however, was a See also:man of dominant spirit, jealous of authority, prepared to exact obedience from all and to yield to none . In the course of events he soon became involved in quarrels with the intendant touching questions of See also:precedence, and with the ecclesiastics, one or twoof whom ventured to criticize his proceedings . The See also:church in Canada had been administered for many years by the religious orders; for the see of Quebec, so See also:long contemplated, had not yet been erected . But three years after the arrival of Frontenac a former See also:vicar apostolic, See also:Francois See also:Xavier de See also:Laval de Montmorenci, returned to Quebec as See also:bishop, with a See also:jurisdiction over the whole of Canada . In this redoubtable churchman the governor found a vigorous opponent who was determined to render the state subordinate to the church . Frontenac, following in this respect in the footsteps of his predecessors, had issued trading licences which permitted the See also:sale of intoxicants . The bishop, supported by the intendant, endeavoured to suppress this See also:trade and sent an See also:ambassador to France to obtain remedial action .

The views of the bishop were upheld and henceforth authority was divided . Troubles ensued between the governor and the sovereign council, most of the members of which sided with the one permanent power in the colony—the bishop; while the suspicions and intrigues of the intendant, Duchesneau, were a See also:

constant source of vexation and strife . As the king and his minister had to listen to and adjudicate upon the appeals from the contending parties their See also:patience was at last worn out, and both governor and intendant were recalled to France in the year 1682 . During Frontenac's first administration many improvements had been made in the See also:country . The defences had been strengthened, a fort was built at Cataraqui (now See also:Kingston), See also:Ontario, bearing the governor's name, and conditions of peace had been fairly maintained between the See also:Iroquois on the one See also:hand and the French and their See also:allies, the Ottawas and the See also:Hurons, on the other . The progress of events during the next few years proved that the recall of the governor had been See also:ill-timed . The Iroquois were assuming a threatening attitude towards the inhabitants, and Frontenac's successor, La See also:Barre, was quite incapable of leading an army against such cunning foes . At the end of a year La Barre was replaced by the marquis de Denonville, a man of ability and courage, who, though he showed some vigour in marching against the western Iroquois tribes, angered rather than intimidated them, and the See also:massacre of See also:Lachine (5th of See also:August 1689) must be regarded as one of the unhappy results of his administration . The affairs of the colony were now in a See also:critical See also:condition; a man of experience and decision was needed to See also:cope with the difficulties, and Louis XIV., who was not wanting in sagacity, wisely made choice of the choleric count to represent and uphold the power of France . When, therefore, on the 15th of See also:October 1689, Frontenac arrived in Quebec as governor for the second See also:time, he received an enthusiastic welcome, and confidence was at once restored in the public mind . Quebec was not long to enjoy the blessing of peace . On the 16th of October 1690 several New See also:England See also:ships under the command of See also:Sir See also:William Phipps appeared off the See also:Island of See also:Orleans, and an officer was sent ashore to demand the surrender of the fort .

Frontenac, bold and fearless, sent a defiant See also:

answer to the hostile See also:admiral, and handled so vigorously the forces he had collected as completely to repulse the enemy, who in their hasty See also:retreat See also:left behind a few pieces of See also:artillery on the Beauport See also:shore . The See also:prestige of the governor was greatly increased by this event, and he was prepared to follow up his See also:advantage by an attack on See also:Boston from the See also:sea, but his resources were inadequate for the undertaking . New France now rejoiced in a brief See also:respite from her enemies, and during the See also:interval Frontenac encouraged the revival of the See also:drama at the See also:Chateau St-Louis and paid some attention to the social life of the colony . The See also:Indians, however, were not yet subdued, and for two years a See also:petty warfare was maintained . In 1696 Frontenac decided to take the See also:field against the Iroquois, although at this time he was seventy-six years of age . On the 6th of See also:July he left Lachine at the See also:head of a considerable force for the See also:village of the Onondagas, where he arrived a See also:month later . In the meantime the Iroquois had abandoned their villages, and as pursuit was impracticable the army commenced its return See also:march on the loth of August . The old See also:warrior endured the fatigue of the march as well as the youngest soldier, and for his courage and prowess he received the See also:cross of St Louis . Frontenac died on the 28th of See also:November 1698 at the Chateau St-Louis after a brief illness, deeply mourned by the Canadian people . The faults of the governor were those of temperament, which had been fostered by early environment . His nature was turbulent, and from his youth he had been used to command; but underlying a rough exterior there was See also:evidence of a kindly See also:heart . He was fearless, resourceful and decisive, and triumphed as few men could have done over the difficulties and dangers of a most critical position .

See Count Frontenac, by W . D . Le Sueur (See also:

Toronto, 1906); Count Frontenac and New France under Louis XIV, by See also:Francis See also:Park-man (Boston, 1878) ; Le See also:Comte de Frontenac, by Henri Lorin (Paris, 1895) ; Frontenac et ses amis, by Ernest Myrand (Quebec, 1902) . (A . G .

End of Article: COMTE DE LOUIS DE BUADE FRONTENAC ET PALLUAU (1620--1698)
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