The people of New France had a strict hierarchy with the King of France in complete control at the top. He established the Sovereign Council to help govern, made up of the Governor, Intendant, and Bishop of Quebec. The Governor represented the King and oversaw military and external trade affairs. The Intendant was the chief administrator focused on making the colony self-sufficient. The Bishop provided spiritual guidance and funded social programs. At the bottom were habitants who farmed lands owned by seigneurs and fell into debt, and filles du roi who were sent as potential wives. Jesuit missionaries lived with Indigenous peoples to document and share the Catholic faith, while merchants, fur traders, and voyageurs engaged in

1. People of New France
Meet the People, Learn the Structure

2. The King of
France
King Louis XIV – (the 14th)
• Was in charge
completely
• Established the
Sovereign Council
• Chose the Governor
and the Intendants

3. The Sovereign Council
• Governor
• Intendant
• Bishop of Quebec

4. Governor :
Louis de Buade
• Represented the King
• Controlled the Military
• Looked after the defense
of the colony
• Dealt with “external
relations” (trade)

5. Intendant : Jean
Talon
Chief Administrator of the
Colony
$$$$
Goal=make New France
less dependent on France
Wants to exploit New
France

6. Bishop:
Francois Laval
Represented the Catholic
Church
Provided spiritual and
moral guidance
Funded hospitals,
orphanages and schools

7. Soldiers of New
France
Came to New France to
defend against
Haudenosaunee and British
forces.
Many became seigneurs or
habitants
Mostly men

8. Seigneurs
The owners, or landlords,
of the seigneuries or plot
of land used for farming.
Seigneurs had to recruit

9. Habitants
• Recruited by seigneurs
• Given the task to clear
and farm the land
• Had to pay the seigneurs
miller to grind flour
• Ended up in lots of debt

10. Filles du Roi
“Daughters of the King”
Orphaned or Abandoned
Sent to New France to be
wives of soldiers or fur
traders
Did as much work to set up
seigneuries as men

11. Jesuits
Catholic missionaries
Lived among the First
Nations – most missionaries
would not.
Wrote reports, learned the
languages and documented
First Nations peoples.

12. Merchants
Blacksmiths, shoemakers,
masons, bakers, butchers,
etc…
Traded furs for other
products.

13. Fur Traders
Voyageurs – Legal fur
traders. Would travel between
merchants
Coureurs des Bois –
“Runners of the Woods”
independent, illegal fur
traders

14. Huron Women
Crucial to the fur trade
Would marry for trade or treaty
purposes
Taught fur traders how to
survive, translator and
peacemakers
Made important staples: boots,
clothing, blankets, etc..