A century and a half of rivalry between France and Britain culminated in the British conquest of Canada.
Commercial and political competition between the great powers often led to war, in Europe and around the world.
Between 1600 and 1750, France and Britain were at war five times, with countless small skirmishes in between. Northeastern North America was one battleground in this global conflict.
Just as it is today, social rank was very important in West Coast villages. Chiefs and matriarchs held the highest rank. They administered the economic and political affairs of their clans and performed the rituals that ensured their well-being. Potlatches, or feasts, were held to mark significant events and to display the wealth and prestige of the family by giving gifts to others. These gifts consisted of stored food and many other valuable items.
Territories Claimed by France and Britain, 1756
Canadian Geographic
Kebeca Liberata
In 1690, the French repelled British colonists from New England who were trying to capture Québec City.
This medal’s Latin inscription reads: FRANCIA IN NOVO ORBE VICTRIX / KEBECA LIBERATA / M.DC.XC (“France Victorious in the New World — Quebec Liberated 1690”).
Medallion
1690 Parks Canada, x.68.184.2
The Four Kings of Canada
Some Indigenous people tried to use the rivalry between Britain and France to their own advantage. In 1710, three Haudenosaunee and one Mohican leader travelled to London to meet Queen Anne. They wanted British support to drive the French from North America.
Although some Haudenosaunee have disputed the delegation’s legitimacy, the arrival of the “Four Kings of Canada” caused a sensation in the British capital. To mark the visit, the Queen commissioned John Verelst to paint these portraits of her allies.
Portrait of Etowaucun
John Verelst, 1710 Library and Archives Canada, C-092421
Portrait of Tejonihokarawa
John Verelst, 1710 Library and Archives Canada, C-092415
Portrait of Sagayenkwaraton
John Verelst, 1710 Library and Archives Canada, C-092419
Portrait of Onigoheriago
John Verelst, 1710 Library and Archives Canada, C-092417
We have been as a strong wall for the security of the Queen’s children, even to the loss of our best men.
Conflict in the fur trade
Rival fur traders turned to violence to acquire markets and eliminate competition. In 1690, Canadien privateer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville captured the Hudson’s Bay Company post on the Severn River after its English garrison had burned and abandoned it. In 1759, French forces burned the company’s post at Henley House.
