Royal New France – Early Colonial Period

Vocabulary flashcards covering explorers, settlements, Indigenous alliances, economic drivers, notable leaders, and geographic reach of Royal New France.

Royal New France

The French colonial territory in North America established in the early 17th century, stretching from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.

Pierre de Monts

French explorer who, with Samuel de Champlain, founded the first permanent European settlement north of Florida in 1604.

Samuel de Champlain

French explorer and cartographer who co-founded Acadia (1604) and built a fortress at Québec City in 1608.

St. Croix Island (1604)

Site in present-day Maine where de Monts and Champlain attempted their first settlement before moving to Port-Royal.

Port-Royal, Acadia

Early French settlement (present-day Nova Scotia) established after St. Croix Island; one of the first permanent European communities in North America.

Québec City Fortress (1608)

Stronghold built by Champlain that became the nucleus of French Canada.

Algonquin, Montagnais, and Huron

First Nations allies of the French who traded furs and opposed the Iroquois Confederacy.

Iroquois Confederacy

Alliance of originally five (later six) First Nations that fought French settlers for roughly a century before peace in 1701.

The Great Peace of 1701

Treaty that ended long-standing hostilities between the French and the Iroquois Confederacy.

Fur Trade

Economic system based on exchanging European goods for beaver pelts, central to French–Indigenous relations in New France.

Beaver Pelts

Highly valued animal skins exported to Europe for felt hats, driving the North American fur trade.

Jean Talon

First Intendant of New France who promoted population growth and economic expansion in the colony.

Bishop Laval

First Roman Catholic bishop of New France; influential in organizing the colonial church and education system.

Count Frontenac

Governor of New France noted for military leadership and expansion of French influence in North America.

Extent of French Empire in North America

By the late 17th century, New France reached from Hudson Bay in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south.