Treaty of Fontainebleau (1762)
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Fontainebleau was a secret agreement in which France
ceded Louisiana (New France)
to Spain
. The treaty followed the last battle in the French and Indian War
, the Battle of Signal Hill
in September 1762, which confirmed British
control of Canada
. However, the associated Seven Years War continued to rage. Having lost Canada, King Louis XV of France
proposed to King Charles III of Spain
that France should give Spain "the country known as Louisiana, as well as New Orleans
and the island in which the city is situated." Charles accepted on November 13, 1762.
This agreement covered all of "Louisiana": the entire valley of the Mississippi River
, from the Appalachians
to the Rockies
. The Treaty of Fontainebleau was kept secret even during the negotiation and signing of the Treaty of Paris (1763)
, which ended the war with Britain.
The Treaty of Paris divided Louisiana at the Mississippi: the eastern half was ceded to Britain, while the western half and New Orleans were nominally retained by France. Spain did not contest Britain's control of eastern Louisiana, as the territory was still under French control. Also, under the Treaty of Paris, Spain had ceded Florida
to Britain, and western Louisiana was compensation.
The Treaty of Paris provided a period of 18 months in which French Canadian colonists who did not want to live under British rule could freely emigrate to other French colonies. Many of these emigrants moved to Louisiana, where they discovered later that France had ceded Louisiana to Spain.
The cession to Spain was finally revealed in 1764. In a letter dated April 21, 1764, Louis informed the governor, Charles Philippe Aubry, of the transition:
The colonists in Louisiana did not accept the transition, and even expelled the first Spanish governor in the Rebellion of 1768
. Alejandro O'Reilly
(an Irish émigré
) suppressed the rebellion and formally raised the Spanish flag in 1769.
The acquisition of Louisiana consolidated the Spanish empire in North America
. When Florida was returned to Spain in 1783
, Spanish territory completely encircled the Gulf of Mexico
, and stretched from Florida to the Pacific Ocean
, and north to Canada.
France
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...
ceded Louisiana (New France)
Louisiana (New France)
Louisiana or French Louisiana was an administrative district of New France. Under French control from 1682–1763 and 1800–03, the area was named in honor of Louis XIV, by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle...
to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The treaty followed the last battle in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The 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...
, the Battle of Signal Hill
Battle of Signal Hill
The Battle of Signal Hill was a small skirmish, the last of the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. The British under Lieutenant Colonel William Amherst forced the French to surrender St...
in September 1762, which confirmed British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
control of Canada
Canada, New France
Canada was the name of the French colony that once stretched along the St. Lawrence River; the other colonies of New France were Acadia, Louisiana and Newfoundland. Canada, the most developed colony of New France, was divided into three districts, each with its own government: Quebec,...
. However, the associated Seven Years War continued to rage. Having lost Canada, King Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
proposed to King Charles III of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
that France should give Spain "the country known as Louisiana, as well as New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and the island in which the city is situated." Charles accepted on November 13, 1762.
This agreement covered all of "Louisiana": the entire valley of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, from the Appalachians
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
to the Rockies
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. The Treaty of Fontainebleau was kept secret even during the negotiation and signing of the Treaty of Paris (1763)
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
, which ended the war with Britain.
The Treaty of Paris divided Louisiana at the Mississippi: the eastern half was ceded to Britain, while the western half and New Orleans were nominally retained by France. Spain did not contest Britain's control of eastern Louisiana, as the territory was still under French control. Also, under the Treaty of Paris, Spain had ceded Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to Britain, and western Louisiana was compensation.
The Treaty of Paris provided a period of 18 months in which French Canadian colonists who did not want to live under British rule could freely emigrate to other French colonies. Many of these emigrants moved to Louisiana, where they discovered later that France had ceded Louisiana to Spain.
The cession to Spain was finally revealed in 1764. In a letter dated April 21, 1764, Louis informed the governor, Charles Philippe Aubry, of the transition:
- Hoping, moreover, that His Catholic Majesty will be pleased to give his subjects of Louisiana the marks of protection and good will which only the misfortunes of war have prevented from being more effectual.
The colonists in Louisiana did not accept the transition, and even expelled the first Spanish governor in the Rebellion of 1768
Rebellion of 1768
The Rebellion of 1768 was an unsuccessful attempt by Creole and German settlers around New Orleans, Louisiana to stop the handover of the French Louisiana Territory, as had been stipulated in the Treaty of Fontainebleau, to Spain in 1768....
. Alejandro O'Reilly
Alejandro O'Reilly
Alejandro O'Reilly , was a military reformer and Inspector-General of Infantry for the Spanish Empire in the second half of the 18th century...
(an Irish émigré
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
) suppressed the rebellion and formally raised the Spanish flag in 1769.
The acquisition of Louisiana consolidated the Spanish empire in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. When Florida was returned to Spain in 1783
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
, Spanish territory completely encircled the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, and stretched from Florida to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, and north to Canada.