Pierre Dugua of Mons

Pierre Dugua of Mons , first colonizer of Canada, was born about 1560 with the Château from Mons, with Royan; he dies in 1628.

He is resulting from an old noble family of Saintonge. Its date of its birth is unknown, but is probably between 1540 and 1563. His/her father is Guy Dugua and his mother Claire Goumard.

Pierre Dugua is marked during his childhood by the wars of religion, to which it takes share at the side of Protestant king Henri de Navarre, the future catholic king Henri IV of France.

Although reformed religion, Dugua of Mons Maria with a catholic , Judith Chesnel, pertaining to a noble family, seigniory of Meux, close to Jonzac. They will not have a child.

To make a success of the establishment of a French colony in America

In 1599, Pierre Dugua of Mons sells to its neighbor, François Videgrain sior of Belmont, almost all the grounds which it had in the marquisat Royan and surroundings. It will invest the whole in supposedly commercial companies but which, actually, will be companies of colonization.

The same year, it goes to found the Comptoir Tadoussac (with the current Quebec) with his friend Pierre Chauvin of Tonnetuit.

In 1603, Henri IV appoints Pierre Dugua his “general Lieutenant in septentrional America”, and grants the Monopole to him Traite furs, to compensate for the formation expenses of a colony at this place.

In 1604, Dugua organizes a forwarding which it leads in person to the south east of the Canada, where it is accompanied by Samuel Champlain, which takes part in it as a geographer and a cartographer, explorer, and of Jean de Poutrincourt. No woman nor newborn will belong to this forwarding having to last several years, because all is new, it is necessary to choose the place then to test the conditions of reception of them: quality of the ground, the climate, the relations with the autochtones,… In 1604, Dugua installs this first colony in Acadie, on the island Holy-Cross, in the content of the French Baie. But the terrible winter endured by these first colonists leads it, in August 1605, to transfer the colony on a site more adapted, than Champlain indicates to him: it will be Port-Royal.

However, the continual complaints of the other merchants, private of the trade of the furs, will lead Henry IV to suspend this commercial monopoly granted to Dugua.

In 1607, therefore, all must turn over to France, where Dugua had returned two years before to submit a report and try to prevent this annoying exit. It will return never again to America, but will continue to invest (non-returnable) to establish a French colony there.

Year following, having obtained, but for one year, renewal of this monopoly (only means to finance a colony since the king did not grant any subsidy), Pierre Dugua will be the instigator and the financier of the vast company, more in north, that he entrusts to his lieutenant Samuel Champlain: to base on the Large river of Canadas, at the place that this lieutenant will find most suitable, a station of colonization. This site, chosen by Champlain, will be Quebec, which it founds in 1608.

In 1612, the resumption of antagonism between catholics and Protestants, after the assassination of Henri IV, during the regency of Marie de Médicis, will oblige Pierre Dugua of Mons to give up its title of General lieutenant for the News-France .

He will be Gouverneur of Pons, of 1610 with 1617.

He dies in 1628 with the castle of Ardenne with Fléac-on-Seugne.

Quotations

At the time when all seemed lost for France in America, it is in Pierre Dugua that News-France owes its survival. - Jean Glénisson

Without Mounts, one can suppose that there had not been of Champlain. - Marcel Trudel

To return in Dugua of Mons the homage to which it has right at all does not carry shade in Champlain. Quite to the contrary it is encouraging to see the perfect agreement of these two men, one catholic and the other protesting, for the creation of Quebec, causes which holds to them in heart as much with the one that with the other. It is together that they will triumph over the terrible coalition of interests of rival merchants which will be opposed to their destiny. - Maxime Hail s.j., former priest of Brouage

Summary bibliography

Guy Binot, Pierre Dugua of Mons, gentihomme royanais, first colonizer of Canada, general lieutenant of news-France of 1603 to 1612 ; Edict. Good handle, Royan, 2004, 267 pages. ( The most complete work on the subject. Comprise the essential texts and a bibliography détaillée. )

Marie-Claude Bouchet, Birth of News-France, Pierre Dugua of Mons ; Company of the Museum of Royan, 1999.

Jean Glénisson, France of America ; HMSO, Paris, 1994.

Jean-Yves Grenon, Pierre Dugua of Mons, and foundations of the island Holy-Cross, Port-Royal and Quebec (1604-1612) ; Historical company of Quebec, 2005, 40 p.

Jean Liebel, Pierre Dugua, sior of Mons , Grow to It sharp, 1999.

External bonds

Georges MacBeath, '' Pierre Dugua of Mons ''; in the biographical Dictionary of Canada, volume 1, 1967.
Eric Thierry, '' Henri IV, Dugua of Mons and Acadie: the turning of November 8th, 1603 '' on the site of the Dugua committee of Mons de Royan.
John G. Reid, '' Pierre Of Gua de Monts '', in the Canadian Encyclopedia.
Site of the tourist bureau of Royan.
Pierre Dugua of Mons, founder of Acadie

References

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