New France
"Farmers"
Soliders
Fur Traders
The Sovereign Council
The Catholic Church/Clergy
Intendant
Bishop of Quebec
Governor
Many of the soldiers chose a military career because they needed a way of living.
Defended the colony from the Haudenosaunee and the British.
The King offered seigneuries to officers, who encouraged their soldiers to settle on their land.
Habitants
Seigneurs
Merchants
Voyageurs
The Church provided moral direction, and also founded hospitals, orphanages, and schools.
Members of the Catholic Clergy played an open and active role in governing New France
It's job was to keep the colony in good order, and to make it less dependent on France (for meeting its basic needs).
Had to find new ways to exploit the colony for the benefit of France.
Chief Administrator of New France
The Bishop helped provide spiritual and moral guidance, and to open schools, hospitals, and orphanages.
The Bishop helped play an open and active role in governing the colony.
Represented the Catholic Church
Represented the King, controlled the military, and looked after the defence of New France.
Dealt with "external relations" like trade with the First Nations
Habitants farmed lands that seigneurs or landlords owned.
Habitants had to clear the land, plant crops, and build a house in exchange for the right to establish a farm.
They were farmers who lived on seigneuries.
Most seigneurs were men from noble families, but some women and commoners could also become seigneurs.
Seigneurs needed settlers (habitants) to farm their land so that they could keep their land grants.
Seigneurs owned seigneuries, large plots of land, that received the land as grants from the King of France.
Coureur de Bois
Coureur de Bois' worked for themselves (independently).
They seeked out trade with the First Nations traders and supplies of beaver for the fur trade.
Coureur de Bois means "runner of the woods".
They imported goods from France to trade with the Innu, Ouendat, Anishinabe, and other First Nations.
Brought furs from coureur de bois and other colonists who traded in furs for extra income.
Many merchants make their living on the fur trade.
Voyageur means "traveller".
They were men from New France that travelled between the fur merchants in Montréal and the fur trade posts of the Great Lakes, and eventually further west.
The Church played an important role in organizing the French Society.