Jean Talon
Jean Talon, Comte d' Orsainville (* December 1625 in Chalons-en -Champagne, † November 23, 1694 ) was a French colonial administrator under King Louis XIV, he was from 1655 to 1665 director of Hainaut ( Hainault ), from 1665 to 1672 the first intendant of New France.
Life
Jean Talon was the son of Philippe Talon and Anne de Bury. He was baptized on 8 January 1626. His father may have had a Talon Arthur had come as Irish ancestors, the mid-16th century to France. During the Paris branch of the family, rise, remained in the Champagne less important, the Jean Talon belonged.
He studied at the Collège de Clermont, a Jesuit college in Paris. 1653 he served in the army of Turenne, in 1655 he became director of the province of Hainault. With this device, the commissariat Richelieu could make in France that the power of the local nobility was reduced, and received the king direct access to his subjects. He was also able to monitor nepotism and corruption.
To 1663 were under the French territories in North America, the trading company Compagnie de la Nouvelle France ( Company of New France ). However, this was not in a position to provide protection against the Iroquois, which has long fought against the French. So the king appointed on March 21, 1663 a Louis Robert de FORTEL Intendant of New France, but went FORTEL never there.
On March 23, 1665 Talon was sent as a director in the colony of New France by the king. On March 23, he sailed together with the new Governor Daniel de Rémy de Courcelle on board the Saint -Sébastien for Gaspé, on September 12, he reached Quebec.
To combat the Iroquois sent France from 1665 when more than a thousand man - Salières comprehensive Carignan Regiment. The commander Remy de Courcelle sent it in January and February 1666 in a winter campaign, frozen to death in the 400 men, without having seen a mohawk. Nevertheless, the pox forced the Iroquois to seek peace. Talon asked on September 1, in a memorandum strongly to the destruction of the five Iroquois nations. On July 10, 1667 came to a peace agreement, which lasted until the early 1680s.
Talon tried, even though the vast majority of the regiment withdrew again to locate as many of the soldiers in the country. To the long term to support the colony, Louis XIV 700 to 900 women, called "Daughters of the King", especially from Paris and Rouen, equip and bring in the colony. They received 30 livres for clothing and 60 for the crossing. Talon forced the settlers to marry the young women by otherwise threatened them with deprivation of their rights to fishing, hunting and trapping. In 1671 he reported 600 to 700 births at Colbert.
In addition, in 1500 the settlers were recruited. The descendants of many of these debt slaves - they had mostly work off the cost of the crossing - were however referred to as socially low -standing " Engages " - 1665 they represented a quarter of the male population over 14 years. Marriages between French colonists and Indians were also encouraged. For their descendants, the Métis were born. In February and March 1666 Talon conducted the first census. The number of settlers amounted to 3,215 in 538 families. Are occupational information to 763 people. Most of them were ministers ( servants ), namely 401 Added to this were the 1000-1200 man of the royal army. 30 clerics were added, the entire clergy of the bishop, 18 priests and 31 Jesuits existed. There were 19 Ursulines, 23 nuns of Religieuses Hospitalières de Saint -Joseph, and four secular Ladies of the Order. By 1673 the population grew by about 9,000 people.
Talon promoted feudalism, ie the transfer of the ruling in France, corporate, property and economic order in the colony. Thus Pierre de Sorel, Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecoeur and François Jarret de Verchères received huge manors ( Seigneuries ) on the Richelieu River, where the Carignan - Salières Regiment had built forts, such as Saint Jean. On 5th June 1672 Talon tried to prevent the escape from the feudal system, by forbidding families to go into the woods, but he failed in this case. Already 1665/66 did he invest in Quebec three farming villages, taking the local Jesuits of Notre- Dame-des- Anges, who owned this reason since 1626, this brought with the support of Colbert to surrender the land for settlement. Other projects followed. Diversification and independence from France were on Talon at a premium. Thus, the colony became independent from pigs and horses from France, as they were now grown themselves. He also had a brewery built from 1668 to 1670 in Quebec City. However, this presented by Talons return already ceased operation in 1675, she sold Talon 1685. 1667 he commenced exports timber to the West Indies, but also the industry came in with his progress.
In addition, he promoted the plans Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, to find a way to the Pacific and East Asia towards 1663 .. thus succeeded on the Great Lakes and the Mississippi area to act, the La Salle finally reached in 1682. This one also wanted to escape the English competition, the 1670 Hudson 's Bay Company founded.
Actually, Talon should remain only two years, and by extension, he left the first time on November 10, 1668 Québec. He was succeeded by Claude de Bouteroue d' Aubigny. Colbert and the king, who for an hour chatting with him, persuaded him to return to New France. Talon sat through freer trade for the colony and against the monopoly of the Compagnie des Indes Occidentales to 200,000 livres of Colbert commitment, and also more settlers and young women, as well as soldiers. On 15 July he sailed from La Rochelle westward. However, a storm threw him to the coast at Lisbon and only on August 18, 1670, he reached Quebec.
In 1672 he returned and was given a position in the king's court. He lived in the Château de Mariemont, which he owned since 1670. His tenure at Quebec, which had been separated by the estate of Notre- Dame-des- Anges, was called Les Islets. It was in today's Montmorency Park, was in 1671 raised to the barony, and finally in 1675 to the county Orsainville. The king was still beating, add the places Bourg -Royal, Bourg -la -Reine and Bourg -Talon. The house he had in 1667 Joseph -Denis Ruette d'Auteuil bought for 6,500 livres, and even once invested 2,500 livres for conversions.
Occasionally, Talon sat for his nephew, François -Marie Perrot, governor of Montreal, a. As Talon in 1681 thought about returning to Canada, it rejected the Jesuits from for fear of promoting the sale of alcohol to the Indians. With James II of England, who was in exile in Paris, he formed a friendship. In the capital, he lived in the Rue du Bac. 1692, he sold his two positions at court, as valet of the King (premier valet) and as secretary for 253,000 livres.
On April 29, 1694 he put on his will. Talon died on November 24, 1694 in Chalons- sur- Marne. He was buried in the chapel of Sainte -Catherine in Notre -Dame -en- Vaux in Châlons -en -Champagne.