Tales of New France Trivia Quiz

Answer: St. Lawrence River

Many early explorers are known to have reached the Gulf of the St. Lawrence River - even reaching all the way back to the Vikings. However, the French were the first known to actually sail down the river itself. Some of the earliest explorations took place on the Feast Day of St. Lawrence, which provided the name for both the gulf and river.

Answer: Jacques Cartier

Verrazzano's voyage of discovery covered quite a large area of land, beginning with the present-day Carolinas before turning northward to the area which eventually became known as New York. The results of his voyage intrigued the king of France, who also sponsored the exploration by Jacques Cartier.

He became the first European to explore and map the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River. Altogether, Cartier made three voyages to Canada and is known as the first European to penetrate the North American continent, claiming the area that would be called New France for France.

Answer: Francis I

Francis I of France was interested in colonizing the New World; he had already lent financial support to help sponsor the voyage of Giovanni da Verrazzano, who established New Angoulême on the site of present-day New York, and Bertrand d'Ornesan, who attempted to establish a French port city in Brazil.

The king was hopeful that Cartier's 1534 voyage would discover vast riches - gold and other valuables. He also sponsored an exploration led Jean-François de la Roque de Roberval, whose purpose was to spread the Catholic religion in New France.

Answer: Florida

New France was comprised of four districts: Louisiana, Canada, Newfoundland, and Acadia. A French nobleman was appointed to be the Governor of New France by the king; it was his responsibility to oversee the military and civil affairs of each district. Cardinal Richelieu was appointed to be the first Governor, and served from 1627-1632.

In 1663, the Sovereign Council, established by Louis XIV, became the governing body of New France, as well as the Supreme Court. The purpose of the council was to control funds and trade, and keep the peace in the colony.

There were nine members, which included the governor, bishop, five councillors, an attorney general, and a clerk.

Answer: True

The settlement Verrazzano made at New Angoulême in New York was short-lived, as well as the first attempted settlement made by Cartier on the Gaspé Peninsula in 1534. In 1564, the bold French attempted to establish a colony at Fort Caroline, which was located in modern-day Florida; it only took the Spanish about a year to sack the village and create their own first successful settlement in St. Augustine. Permanent French settlement in North America was not successful until the early 1600s.

Answer: Beaver

Beaver pelts, called "castor gras" by the French and "coat beaver" by the English, were sewn together into coats, but eventually became all the rage in the French hat-making industry. On most beaver pelts, the top hair is worn away over time, exposing the wool underneath.

This was the felt material that was coveted and used for hats, first in France, and then in other European countries. In 1627 the Company of New France was granted a monopoly over the French fur trade in North America.

Answer: False

Much of the area first explored by the French in modern-day Canada was inhabited by either the Algonquin or Iroquois peoples. There is not a lot known regarding the earliest interactions between the French and the indigenous tribes, but by the time the first European settlements were made in North America, the Algonquin not only occupied what is modern-day Canada east of the Rocky Mountains, but much of the corresponding area south that reached into modern-day United States, as well as the east coast.

Although they did not occupy as large an area, it appears that the territory of the Iroquois overlapped somewhat with the Algonquin, and the two groups were constantly at war with each other. The contact the French had with the groups was apparently amicable at times, as native assistance was necessary to insure the survival of the French in a virtually unknown land, and obviously allowed for successful trade relations.

Answer: Port-Royal

In 1598 a settlement was made on Sable Island, off the coast of the land that was called Acadia, and in 1600, one was made at Tadoussac; neither was successful. Finally, in 1605 Port-Royal became France's first successful colony in North America. The village was the capital of Acadia until it was burned by the British in 1613; the French simply moved to a site upstream and rebuilt.

The new settlement kept the same name, and continued to serve as the capital of Acadia until 1710, when the British conquered the region. Today the town that exists on the site is called Annapolis Royal.

Answer: Quebec

Colonizing in a new land is usually difficult; and the French experienced many problems in establishing a permanent colony at Quebec. Jacques Cartier built a fort at the site in 1635 with the intention of eventually establishing a permanent settlement there.

However, the harsh weather and hostile natives are said to have changed that plan. Originally boasting a population of twenty-eight men in 1608, many were killed by harsh weather and disease. By 1630 the settlement had a population of 130, which increased to 355 in 1640. Champlain, called "the Father of New France", not only founded the city, but was its administrator for the rest of his life.

In addition, Champlain served as the Governor of New France from 1632 to 1635.

Answer: Coureurs des Bois

In order to help end hostilities between the French and native peoples, Samuel de Champlain arranged to have young French men live with the natives to learn their ways. Any young man could take the job, regardless of social status. In fact, it was so popular that it was said "that there was not one family in New France who did not have a 'son, brother, uncle or nephew' among the Coureurs des Bois".

These men were required to have many skills, from business transactions to hunting and fishing. Although the Coureurs des Bois had many talents, in history he is best known for his work with the French fur trade.