King William's War
Encyclopedia
The first of the French and Indian Wars
, King William's War (1689–97) was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–97, also known as the War of the Grand Alliance, War of League of Augsburg). It was fought between England, France, and their respective American Indian
allies in the colonies of Canada (New France), Acadia
, and New England
. It was also known as the Second Indian War (the first having been King Philip's War
).
was deposed at the end of 1688 in the Glorious Revolution
, after which Protestants William and Mary
took the throne. William joined the League of Augsburg in its war against France (begun earlier in 1688), where James had fled.
In North America, there was significant tension between New France
and the northern English colonies, which had in 1686 been united in the Dominion of New England
. Each side claimed the Iroquois
, who dominated the economically important Great Lakes
fur trade, as subjects, and French colonial authorities were concerned over the loss of this valuable business to English traders based in Albany, New York
. New France's Governor General Denonville
, in a bid to assert French authority over the Iroquois, had in 1687 taken prisoner a group of Iroquois leaders meeting with him under a flag of truce, raided Seneca lands in present-day upstate New York
and established Fort Denonville
at the site of present-day Fort Niagara
on Iroquois territory, but without their permission.
Similar tensions existed further east, where the Abenaki of northern New England were encouraged by the French to raid English frontier settlements in what is now southern Maine
and New Hampshire
. In 1688, New England's governor Sir Edmund Andros
had raided French settlements in Penobscot Bay
, which Governor Denonville used as a pretext to expand attacks.
The situation became more complex when Andros, who had been appointed by King James and was widely unpopular in the dominion, was deposed in 1689
after news of the Glorious Revolution reached Boston
. This set off a cascade of events in the English colonies, which included the recall by Massachusetts authorities of most of its provincial troops from the frontier. New York's government was also paralyzed when the outspoken Jacob Leisler
seized control
of New York City in June 1689 in an uprising against dominion control.
English settlers from Massachusetts (whose charter included the Maine area) had increased settlement of the Maine area in the decades preceding the war. Abenaki warriors would occasionally attack the invading settlers. Several treaties had been made between the English and the Abenaki, swaying between which community was favored. In 1684, a treaty had been made that used language of Abenaki subordination to the English King, but in effect would acknowledge Abenaki rights favorably. They were granted their own autonomy: not having to carry passes, pay tribute, or try criminals (against other Indians) in English courts. A territory line would prevent excess English settlements, and while the Abenaki ceded land ownership to some lands, they maintained hunting and fishing rights everywhere. They even were to be given a small amount of corn by the English settlers. However, English settlers, who never agreed to the terms, rejected the treaty. They refused to pay corn, or to refrain from territorial expansion, feeling that they were entitled by the Massachusetts charter.
Abenaki leaders had been pressuring English leaders to respect the treaty, and eventually warning that war would be used if needed. After time, in 1688, Abenaki warriors attacked English cattle herds (cattle out-competed wild mammals, whom the Indians hunted, for vegetation and brought disease to water sources), as a symbolic warning. Conflict then rose from both groups.
Indians under the command of Kancamagus and Mesandowit raided Dover, New Hampshire
, killing more than 20 and taking 29 captives, who were sold into captivity in New France. Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
, a Frenchman whose home on Penobscot Bay
(near present-day Castine, Maine
, named for him) had been plundered by Governor Andros in 1688, led an Abenaki war party that captured and destroyed the fort
at Pemaquid (in present-day Bristol, Maine
) in August 1689. In response Benjamin Church, noted for his Indian fighting skill from King Philip's War
, led an expedition into the territory of present-day Maine
that was largely ineffectual except for dissuading an attack against Falmouth (present-day Portland
).
Also in August 1689, 1,500 Iroquois, seeking revenge for Denonville's actions, attacked the French settlement at Lachine
. Count Frontenac
, who replaced Denonville as governor general, later attacked the Iroquois village of Onondaga
. New France and its Indian allies then attacked English frontier settlements in early 1690, most notably at Schenectady
, Salmon Falls
(present-day Berwick, Maine), and Falmouth Neck
(site of present-day Portland, Maine
), destroying the latter two settlements. The English retaliated by capturing
Port Royal
, the capital of Acadia
. This was followed up by two expeditions, one on land under Connecticut provincial militia general Fitz-John Winthrop
targeted Montreal; the other, led by Sir William Phips
, the victor at Port Royal, against Quebec. Winthrop's expedition failed due to disease and supply issues, and Phips was defeated in the Battle of Quebec
. The English also did not hold Port Royal, which quickly returned to French control.
The Quebec and Port Royal expeditions were the only major New England offensives of King William's War; for the remainder of the war the English colonists were primarily engaged in defensive operations, skirmishes and retaliatory raids. In early 1692, in the Candlemas Massacre
, an estimated 150 Abenakis commanded by officers of New France entered the Massachusetts town of York
, killing about 100 of the English settlers and burning down buildings. The Iroquois Five Nations suffered from the weakness of their English allies. In 1693 and 1696, the French and their Indian allies ravaged Iroquois towns and destroyed crops while New York
colonists remained passive.
On July 18, 1694, the English settlement of Durham, New Hampshire
, was attacked in the "Oyster River Massacre
" by French career soldier Claude-Sébastien de Villieu
with about 250 Abenakis from Norridgewock
under command of their sagamore (paramount chief), Bomazeen (or Bomoseen). In all, 45 inhabitants were killed and 49 taken captive, with half the dwellings, including five garrison
s, burned to the ground. Crops were destroyed and livestock
killed, causing famine
and destitution for the survivors.
In 1696, the French and Abenaki besieged Pemaquid
, after which Church led a retaliatory raid
against Acadian communities on the Isthmus of Chignecto
.
After the English and French made peace in 1697, the Iroquois, now abandoned by the English colonists, remained at war with New France until 1701, when a peace was agreed
at Montreal between New France and a large number of Iroquois and other tribes.
The war also served as a backdrop for an ongoing economic war between French and English interests in Arctic North America. The Hudson's Bay Company
had established trading outposts on James Bay
and the southern reaches of Hudson Bay
by the early 1680s. In a series of raids beginning with an expedition in 1686
organized by Governor Denonville, most of these outposts were taken by French raiders, primarily led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
. In one of the war's major naval battles, d'Iberville, with a single ship, defeated
three English ships in Hudson Bay.
in 1697 ended the war between the two colonial powers, reverting the colonial borders to the status quo ante bellum
. The peace did not last long, and within five years, the colonies were embroiled in the next phase of the French and Indian Wars, Queen Anne's War
. After their settlement with France in 1701, the Iroquois remained neutral in that conflict, never taking part in active hostilities against either side. Tensions remained high between the English and the Abenaki, who again fought with the French in Queen Anne's War.
The Ryswick treaty was unsatisfactory to representatives of the Hudson's Bay Company. Since most of its trading posts in Hudson Bay had been lost to the French before the war began, the rule of status quo ante bellum meant that they remained under French control. The company recovered its territories at the negotiating table when the Treaty of Utrecht
ended Queen Anne's War.
}
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French and Indian Wars
The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts lasting 74 years in North America that represented colonial events related to the European dynastic wars...
, King William's War (1689–97) was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–97, also known as the War of the Grand Alliance, War of League of Augsburg). It was fought between England, France, and their respective American Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
allies in the colonies of Canada (New France), Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
, and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. It was also known as the Second Indian War (the first having been King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
).
Cause of war
England's Catholic King James IIJames II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
was deposed at the end of 1688 in the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
, after which Protestants William and Mary
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
took the throne. William joined the League of Augsburg in its war against France (begun earlier in 1688), where James had fled.
In North America, there was significant tension between New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
and the northern English colonies, which had in 1686 been united in the Dominion of New England
Dominion of New England
The Dominion of New England in America was an administrative union of English colonies in the New England region of North America. The dominion was ultimately a failure because the area it encompassed was too large for a single governor to manage...
. Each side claimed the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
, who dominated the economically important Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
fur trade, as subjects, and French colonial authorities were concerned over the loss of this valuable business to English traders based in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. New France's Governor General Denonville
Jacques-René de Brisay de Denonville, Marquis de Denonville
Jacques-Rene de Brisay de Denonville, Marquis de Denonville was Governor General of New France from 1685 to 1689 and was a key figure in the Beaver Wars....
, in a bid to assert French authority over the Iroquois, had in 1687 taken prisoner a group of Iroquois leaders meeting with him under a flag of truce, raided Seneca lands in present-day upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
and established Fort Denonville
Fort Denonville
Fort Denonville, built in 1687 at the current site of Fort Niagara, and replaced Fort Conti on the mouth of the Niagara River and the shore of Lake Ontario. In the summer of 1687 the Governor of New France, Jacques-René de Brisay de Denonville, Marquis de Denonville, was on a military expedition...
at the site of present-day Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, New York, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth, on Lake Ontario.-Origin:...
on Iroquois territory, but without their permission.
Similar tensions existed further east, where the Abenaki of northern New England were encouraged by the French to raid English frontier settlements in what is now southern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. In 1688, New England's governor Sir Edmund Andros
Edmund Andros
Sir Edmund Andros was an English colonial administrator in North America. Andros was known most notably for his governorship of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. He also governed at various times the provinces of New York, East and West Jersey, Virginia, and...
had raided French settlements in Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River. There are many islands in this bay, and on them, some of the country's most well-known summer colonies. The bay served as portal for the one time "lumber capital of the world," namely; the city of Bangor...
, which Governor Denonville used as a pretext to expand attacks.
The situation became more complex when Andros, who had been appointed by King James and was widely unpopular in the dominion, was deposed in 1689
1689 Boston revolt
The 1689 Boston revolt was a popular uprising on April 18, 1689, against the rule of Sir Edmund Andros, the governor of the Dominion of New England. A well-organized "mob" of provincial militia and citizens formed in the city and arrested dominion officials...
after news of the Glorious Revolution reached Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. This set off a cascade of events in the English colonies, which included the recall by Massachusetts authorities of most of its provincial troops from the frontier. New York's government was also paralyzed when the outspoken Jacob Leisler
Jacob Leisler
Jacob Leisler was a German-born American colonist. He helped create the Huguenot settlement of New Rochelle in 1688 and later served as the acting Lieutenant Governor of New York...
seized control
Leisler's Rebellion
Leisler's Rebellion was an uprising in late 17th century colonial New York, in which German American merchant and militia captain Jacob Leisler seized control of the colony's south and ruled it from 1689 to 1691. The uprising took place in the aftermath of Britain's Glorious Revolution and the...
of New York City in June 1689 in an uprising against dominion control.
English settlers from Massachusetts (whose charter included the Maine area) had increased settlement of the Maine area in the decades preceding the war. Abenaki warriors would occasionally attack the invading settlers. Several treaties had been made between the English and the Abenaki, swaying between which community was favored. In 1684, a treaty had been made that used language of Abenaki subordination to the English King, but in effect would acknowledge Abenaki rights favorably. They were granted their own autonomy: not having to carry passes, pay tribute, or try criminals (against other Indians) in English courts. A territory line would prevent excess English settlements, and while the Abenaki ceded land ownership to some lands, they maintained hunting and fishing rights everywhere. They even were to be given a small amount of corn by the English settlers. However, English settlers, who never agreed to the terms, rejected the treaty. They refused to pay corn, or to refrain from territorial expansion, feeling that they were entitled by the Massachusetts charter.
Abenaki leaders had been pressuring English leaders to respect the treaty, and eventually warning that war would be used if needed. After time, in 1688, Abenaki warriors attacked English cattle herds (cattle out-competed wild mammals, whom the Indians hunted, for vegetation and brought disease to water sources), as a symbolic warning. Conflict then rose from both groups.
War
In June 1689, several hundred Abenaki and PennacookPennacook
The Pennacook, also known by the names Merrimack and Pawtucket, were a North American people that primarily inhabited the Merrimack River valley of present-day New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well as portions of southern Maine...
Indians under the command of Kancamagus and Mesandowit raided Dover, New Hampshire
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
, killing more than 20 and taking 29 captives, who were sold into captivity in New France. Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin was a French military officer serving in Acadia and an Abenaki chief. He is the father of two prominent sons who were also military leaders in Acadia, Bernard-Anselme and Joseph...
, a Frenchman whose home on Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River. There are many islands in this bay, and on them, some of the country's most well-known summer colonies. The bay served as portal for the one time "lumber capital of the world," namely; the city of Bangor...
(near present-day Castine, Maine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
, named for him) had been plundered by Governor Andros in 1688, led an Abenaki war party that captured and destroyed the fort
Siege of Pemaquid (1689)
The Siege of Pemaquid was a successful attack by a large band of Abenaki Indians on the English fort at Pemaquid, then the easternmost outpost of colonial Massachusetts...
at Pemaquid (in present-day Bristol, Maine
Bristol, Maine
Bristol is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,644 at the 2000 census. A fishing and resort area, Bristol includes the villages of New Harbor, Pemaquid, Round Pond, Bristol Mills and Chamberlain. It includes the Pemaquid Archeological Site, a U.S. National...
) in August 1689. In response Benjamin Church, noted for his Indian fighting skill from King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
, led an expedition into the territory of present-day Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
that was largely ineffectual except for dissuading an attack against Falmouth (present-day Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
).
Also in August 1689, 1,500 Iroquois, seeking revenge for Denonville's actions, attacked the French settlement at Lachine
Lachine massacre
The Lachine massacre, part of the Beaver Wars, occurred when 1,500 Mohawk warriors attacked by surprise the small, 375 inhabitant, settlement of Lachine, New France at the upper end of Montreal Island on the morning of August 5, 1689...
. Count Frontenac
Louis de Buade de Frontenac
Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau was a French soldier, courtier, and Governor General of New France from 1672 to 1682 and from 1689 to his death in 1698...
, who replaced Denonville as governor general, later attacked the Iroquois village of Onondaga
Onondaga (village)
Onondaga was a village that served as the capital of the Iroquois League and the primary settlement of the Onondaga nation. It was the meeting place of the Iroquois Grand Council....
. New France and its Indian allies then attacked English frontier settlements in early 1690, most notably at Schenectady
Schenectady massacre
The Schenectady Massacre was a Canadien attack against the village of Schenectady in the colony of New York on 8 February 1690. A party of more than 200 Canadiens and allied Mohawk nation, Sault and Algonquin warriors attacked the unguarded community, destroying most of the homes, and killing or...
, Salmon Falls
Raid on Salmon Falls
The Raid on Salmon Falls was a French and Indian attack on the community of Salmon Falls during King William's War. The village was destroyed, and most of its residents were killed or taken prisoner for transport back to Canada...
(present-day Berwick, Maine), and Falmouth Neck
Battle of Fort Loyal
The Battle of Fort Loyal was the capture and destruction of an English settlement on the Falmouth neck , then part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. After two days of siege, the settlement's fort, called Fort Loyal , surrendered...
(site of present-day Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
), destroying the latter two settlements. The English retaliated by capturing
Battle of Port Royal (1690)
The Battle of Port Royal occurred at Port Royal, the capital of French Acadia, during King William's War , the first of the four French and Indian Wars. A large force of New England provincial militia arrived before Port Royal, which was surrendered without resistance not long after...
Port Royal
Port Royal, Nova Scotia
Port Royal was the capital of Acadia from 1605 to 1710 and is now a town called Annapolis Royal in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Initially Port Royal was located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, at the site of the present reconstruction of the...
, the capital of Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
. This was followed up by two expeditions, one on land under Connecticut provincial militia general Fitz-John Winthrop
Fitz-John Winthrop
Fitz-John Winthrop was the governor of the Colony of Connecticut from 1698 to 1707....
targeted Montreal; the other, led by Sir William Phips
William Phips
Sir William Phips was a shipwright, ship's captain, treasure hunter, military leader, and the first royally-appointed governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay....
, the victor at Port Royal, against Quebec. Winthrop's expedition failed due to disease and supply issues, and Phips was defeated in the Battle of Quebec
Battle of Quebec (1690)
The Battle of Quebec was fought in October 1690 between the colonies of New France and Massachusetts Bay, then ruled by the kingdoms of France and England, respectively. It was the first time Quebec's defences were tested....
. The English also did not hold Port Royal, which quickly returned to French control.
The Quebec and Port Royal expeditions were the only major New England offensives of King William's War; for the remainder of the war the English colonists were primarily engaged in defensive operations, skirmishes and retaliatory raids. In early 1692, in the Candlemas Massacre
Candlemas Massacre
The Candlemas Massacre took place in early 1692 during King William's War, when an estimated 150 Abenakis commanded by officers of New France entered the town of York , killing about 100 of the English settlers and burning down buildings, taking another estimated 80 villagers hostage,...
, an estimated 150 Abenakis commanded by officers of New France entered the Massachusetts town of York
York, Maine
York is a town in York County, Maine, United States at the southwest corner of the state. The population in the 2000 census was 12,854. Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Maine, York is a well-known summer resort. It is home to three 18-hole golf clubs, three sandy beaches, and...
, killing about 100 of the English settlers and burning down buildings. The Iroquois Five Nations suffered from the weakness of their English allies. In 1693 and 1696, the French and their Indian allies ravaged Iroquois towns and destroyed crops while New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
colonists remained passive.
On July 18, 1694, the English settlement of Durham, New Hampshire
Durham, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,664 people, 2,882 households, and 1,582 families residing in the town. The population density was 565.5 people per square mile . There were 2,923 housing units at an average density of 130.5 per square mile...
, was attacked in the "Oyster River Massacre
Raid on Oyster River
The Raid on Oyster River happened during King William's War, on July 18, 1694. The English settlement of Oyster River was attacked by French career soldier Claude-Sébastien de Villieu with about 250 Abenaki Indians from Norridgewock under command of their sagamore, Bomazeen...
" by French career soldier Claude-Sébastien de Villieu
Claude-Sébastien de Villieu
Claude-Sébastien de Villieu was a French military officer best known for his service in New France. In addition to service during King William's War, he served for a time as military governor of Acadia....
with about 250 Abenakis from Norridgewock
Norridgewock
The Norridgewock were a band of the Abenaki Native Americans/First Nations, an Eastern Algonquian tribe of the United States and Canada. The tribe occupied an area in Maine to the west and northwest of the Penawapskewi tribe, which was located on the western bank of the Penobscot River...
under command of their sagamore (paramount chief), Bomazeen (or Bomoseen). In all, 45 inhabitants were killed and 49 taken captive, with half the dwellings, including five garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
s, burned to the ground. Crops were destroyed and livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
killed, causing famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
and destitution for the survivors.
In 1696, the French and Abenaki besieged Pemaquid
Siege of Pemaquid (1696)
The Siege of Pemaquid occurred during King William's War when French and Native forces from New France attacked the English settlement at Pemaquid , a community on the border with Acadia. The siege was led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin between August...
, after which Church led a retaliatory raid
Raid on Chignecto (1696)
The Raid on Chignecto occurred during King Williams War when New England forces from Boston attacked the Isthmus of Chignecto, Acadia in present-day Nova Scotia. The raid was in retaliation for the French and Indian Siege of Pemaquid at present day Bristol, Maine. In the English Province of...
against Acadian communities on the Isthmus of Chignecto
Isthmus of Chignecto
The Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia which connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America....
.
After the English and French made peace in 1697, the Iroquois, now abandoned by the English colonists, remained at war with New France until 1701, when a peace was agreed
Great Peace of Montreal
The Great Peace of Montreal was a peace treaty between New France and 40 First Nations of North America. It was signed on August 4, 1701, by Louis-Hector de Callière, governor of New France, and 1300 representatives of 40 aboriginal nations of the North East of North America...
at Montreal between New France and a large number of Iroquois and other tribes.
The war also served as a backdrop for an ongoing economic war between French and English interests in Arctic North America. The Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
had established trading outposts on James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
and the southern reaches of Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
by the early 1680s. In a series of raids beginning with an expedition in 1686
Hudson Bay expedition (1686)
The Hudson Bay expedition of 1686 was one of the Anglo-French conflicts on Hudson Bay. It was the first several expeditions sent from New France against the trading outposts of the Hudson's Bay Company in the southern reaches of Hudson Bay...
organized by Governor Denonville, most of these outposts were taken by French raiders, primarily led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1702 (probable)was a soldier, ship captain, explorer, colonial administrator, knight of...
. In one of the war's major naval battles, d'Iberville, with a single ship, defeated
Battle of Hudson's Bay
The Battle of Hudson's Bay, also known as the Battle of York Factory, was a naval battle fought during the War of the Grand Alliance . The battle took place on 5 September 1697, when a French warship commanded by Captain Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville defeated an English squadron commanded by Captain...
three English ships in Hudson Bay.
Aftermath
The Treaty of RyswickTreaty of Ryswick
The Treaty of Ryswick or Ryswyck was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the Nine Years' War, which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces.Negotiations started in May...
in 1697 ended the war between the two colonial powers, reverting the colonial borders to the status quo ante bellum
Status quo ante bellum
The term status quo ante bellum is Latin, meaning literally "the state in which things were before the war".The term was originally used in treaties to refer to the withdrawal of enemy troops and the restoration of prewar leadership. When used as such, it means that no side gains or loses...
. The peace did not last long, and within five years, the colonies were embroiled in the next phase of the French and Indian Wars, Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
. After their settlement with France in 1701, the Iroquois remained neutral in that conflict, never taking part in active hostilities against either side. Tensions remained high between the English and the Abenaki, who again fought with the French in Queen Anne's War.
The Ryswick treaty was unsatisfactory to representatives of the Hudson's Bay Company. Since most of its trading posts in Hudson Bay had been lost to the French before the war began, the rule of status quo ante bellum meant that they remained under French control. The company recovered its territories at the negotiating table when the Treaty of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...
ended Queen Anne's War.
See also
- King George's WarKing George's WarKing George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
(1744–48) - French and Indian WarFrench and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
(1754–63), last of the French and Indian WarsFrench and Indian WarsThe French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts lasting 74 years in North America that represented colonial events related to the European dynastic wars... - Military history of Britain
- Military history of FranceMilitary history of FranceThe military history of France encompasses an immense panorama of conflicts and struggles extending for more than 2,000 years across areas including modern France, greater Europe, and European territorial possessions overseas....
- Military history of CanadaMilitary history of CanadaThe military history of Canada comprises hundreds of years of armed actions in the territory encompassing modern Canada, and the role of the Canadian military in conflicts and peacekeeping worldwide. For thousands of years, the area that would become Canada was the site of sporadic intertribal wars...
- Colonial American military historyColonial American military historyColonial American military history is the military record of the Thirteen Colonies from their founding to the American Revolution in 1775. - Rangers :...
External links
- King William's War (1689–97) at usahistory.info
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