Madeleine de Verchères
Encyclopedia
Seigneurial system of New France
The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudal system of land distribution used in the North American colonies of New France.-Introduction to New France:...
in 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 Marie Perrot. Her ingenuity is credited with thwarting a raid on Fort Verchères
Verchères, Quebec
Verchères is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in Montérégie, Quebec, located on the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 5,243.- History :...
when she was 14 years old.
Hostilities between French and Iroquois
Hostilities broke out between the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and 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...
in the late 1680s. The French had built strong trading alliances with the Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
, and the Iroquois found themselves losing out on the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
. By that time, the English were at war with the French, so the Iroquois had the strong backing of the English when they attacked 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...
. As the attacks grew more frequent, Madeleine's parents knew that Verchères would be a target, so they took the necessary precautions. When Madeleine was twelve-years-old, the Iroquois attacked Fort Verchères and Marie, Madeleine's mother, was alone with only four men to help her defend the fort and her family. Repeatedly, the Iroquois tried to scale the wall but were beaten back by musket shots. Though help did not arrive until the second day, the fort was saved because of Madeleine's mother's bravery. Madeleine learned a lot about defending a fort from her mother's courageous stand.
The fort at Verchères had been built around the tenants' log cabins and the seigneur's house as protection. The seigneury at Verchères was located in one of the most dangerous areas in New France and was nicknamed Le Château Dangereux (Dangerous Castle). Because Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
was a day's journey away, it would take a day for reinforcements to be sent—if Montreal itself wasn't being attacked. The seigneury was also close to the Richelieu River
Richelieu River
The Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
, the route the Iroquois used to get to New France.
Thwarting a surprise attack
In 1691, the Iroquois again mounted attacks on New France. They looted and burned settlers' homes. However, the next year, the Iroquois attack. The summer passed without an attack, and the settlers began to relax. In October, Madeleine's parents left the fort on business and to gather winter supplies. Madeleine and her brothers and sisters stayed at the fort. Now fourteen, Madeleine was in charge of the fort, with one very old man (Laviolette) and 2 soldiers.One morning, some settlers left the fort to tend to the fields along with eight soldiers. Madeleine was in the cabbage garden, quite close to the fort. Suddenly, the Iroquois descended on the settlers. The men, caught off guard, fled to safety. But the Iroquois were too quick for them and they were easily caught and carried off. Madeleine, working only 200 paces from the fort had a head start
Head start (positioning)
In positioning, a head start is a start in advance of the starting position of others in competition, or simply toward the finish line or desired outcome...
on the Iroquois brave that was chasing her. Madeleine ran into the fort shouting, "Aux armes! Aux armes!" (To arms)
Madeleine ran to the bastions, she knew there was only one hope. Madeleine fired a musket and encouraged the people to make as much noise as possible so that the Iroquois would think there were many soldiers defending the fort. Then Madeleine fired the cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
to warn other forts of an attack and to call for reinforcements. The Iroquois had hoped a surprise attack would easily take the fort, so for the moment, they retreated into the bushes with their prisoners.
During the siege, Madeleine noticed a canoe approaching the landing site with a family named Fontaine. The soldiers inside the fort refused to leave, so Madeleine ran to the dock and led the family quickly inside, pretending to be reinforcements.
Late in the evening, the settlers' cattle returned to the fort. She knew that the Iroquois could be hiding with the herd covered in animal skins. She had her two brothers wait with her to check the cattle for warriors but none were found and the cows were brought inside the fort.
Reinforcements from Montreal arrived just after the Iroquois left. A tired but relieved Madeleine greeted the French lieutenant, "Monsieur, I surrender to you my arms." The reinforcements caught the Iroquois and returned the kidnapped settlers. By this time, Madeleine's parents had returned and news of Madeleine's heroic deed had spread through the colony.
Later life
François, Madeleine's father, died on 26 February 1700, and his pension of 150 livresNew France livre
The livre was the currency of New France, the French colony in modern-day Canada. It was subdivided into 20 sols, each of 12 deniers.-History:After an initial period during which barter prevailed, the French livre began to circulate...
was transferred to Madeleine due to her leadership in 1691, on the condition that she provide for her mother. Madeleine managed Verchères until her marriage in 1706, at age 28, to Pierre Thomas le Tarieu. They moved to Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade is a municipality in the Les Chenaux Regional County Municipality, in the Mauricie region of the province of Quebec in Canada. The town is located near the mouth of the Sainte-Anne River along the Chemin du Roy, a historic segment of Quebec Route 138 that stretches from...
, where Tarieu was co-seigneur. Madeleine's seigneury at Verchères was transferred to her new husband. The complex land titles led to numerous lawsuits over the course of her life, and Madeleine sailed to France at least twice to represent herself and her husband in court.
Marie-Madeleine de La Pérade died in 1747 at the age of 69. She was buried beneath her pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
at Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade.
In Modern Culture
A statue of Madeleine de Verchères stands on Verchères Point near Montreal. It was made by Louis-Philippe HébertLouis-Philippe Hébert
Louis-Philippe Hébert was the son of Théophile Hébert, a farmer, and Julie Bourgeois of Ste-Sophie de Mégantic, Quebec. Louis-Philippe Hébert was a sculptor who sculpted forty monuments, busts, medals and statues in wood, bronze and terra-cotta. He taught at the Conseil des arts et manufactures in...
, who was commissioned for the project in 1911.
Madeleine de Verchères, a J.-Arthur Homier film released 10 December 1922, featured Estelle Bélanger as Madeleine. The Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
reports this film as "lost."
The Canadian government designated her as a Person of National Historic Significance in 1923.
Madeleine Takes Command (1946) is a historical novel based upon the siege of Verchères, by Ethel C. Brill (Whittlesey House).
Sources
- Leckie, Robert A Few Acres of Snow. The Saga of the French and Indian Wars. ©1999, Robert Leckie. Castle Books, Edison, New Jersey. ISBN 978-0-7858-2100-7.
- Wallace, W. Stewart, ed. The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. VI Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948. Online
- Vachon, André. Dictionary of Canadian Biography Jarret de Verchères, Marie-Madeleine Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.