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The Clique du Château or Château Clique was a group of wealthy families in Lower Canada
Lower Canada

The Province of Lower Canada was a British colonization of the Americas on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence ....
 in the early 19th century. They were the Lower Canadian equivalent of the Family Compact
Family Compact

This article is about a group in nineteenth century Canadian history. For the pact between the royal families of eighteenth century France and Spain, see Pacte de Famille....
 in Upper Canada
Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario in Canada. Upper Canada officially existed from 26 December 1791 to 10 February 1841 and generally comprised present-day Southern Ontario and, until 1797, the Upper Peninsula of what is now part of the U.S....
. They were known on the electoral scene as the Parti bureaucrate (Bureaucratic Party, also known as the British Party or the Tory Party).

Like the Family Compact, the Château Clique gained most of its influence after the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
.






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The Clique du Château or Château Clique was a group of wealthy families in Lower Canada
Lower Canada

The Province of Lower Canada was a British colonization of the Americas on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence ....
 in the early 19th century. They were the Lower Canadian equivalent of the Family Compact
Family Compact

This article is about a group in nineteenth century Canadian history. For the pact between the royal families of eighteenth century France and Spain, see Pacte de Famille....
 in Upper Canada
Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario in Canada. Upper Canada officially existed from 26 December 1791 to 10 February 1841 and generally comprised present-day Southern Ontario and, until 1797, the Upper Peninsula of what is now part of the U.S....
. They were known on the electoral scene as the Parti bureaucrate (Bureaucratic Party, also known as the British Party or the Tory Party).

Like the Family Compact, the Château Clique gained most of its influence after the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
. Most of the families in the Clique were British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 merchants, although some were French Canadian
French Canadian

French Canadian refers to a nation or ethnic group of French people Kinship and Descent that originated in Canada, New France during the period of French colonization of the Americas beginning in the 17th century....
 seigneur
Seigneurial system of New France

The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudalism system of land distribution used in the French colonial empire of New France....
s who felt that their own interests were best served by an affiliation with this group. Some of the most prominent members were brewer John Molson
John Molson

File:John Molson Sr.jpgJohn Molson was an Anglo-Quebecer who was a major brewer and entrepreneur in Canada, starting the Molson Brewing Company....
 and James McGill
James McGill

James McGill was a Scottish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He was also a prominent member of the Ch?teau Clique.Born on Stockwell Street in Glasgow, Scotland and educated at University of Glasgow, he became one of the Montreal merchants involved in the fur trade south of the Great Lakes from 1770....
, founder of McGill University
McGill University

McGill University is a Public university#Canada located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university....
. Generally, they wanted the French Canadian majority of Lower Canada to assimilate to English culture. This included the abolition of the seigneurial system
Seigneurial system of New France

The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudalism system of land distribution used in the French colonial empire of New France....
, replacing French civil law
Civil law (legal system)

Civil law is a most prevalent legal system in the modern world and the oldest in human history. It is based on a code, or "a systematic collection of interrelated articles written in a terse, staccato style." The two other major legal systems in the world are common law and Islamic law....
 with British common law
Common law

Common law refers to law and the corresponding Legal systems of the world developed through legal opinion of courts and similar tribunals , rather than through statute law or Executive ....
, and replacing the established Roman Catholic Church with the Anglican Church. Their efforts led to the Act of Union (1840), which ultimately failed to assimilate
Cultural assimilation

Cultural assimilation is when an individual or individuals adopts some or all aspects of a dominant culture . Cultural assimilation is a process of socialization....
 all French Canadians but succeeded in preventing their political and economic interests from prevailing over those of Britain.

The Constitutional Act of 1791
Constitutional Act of 1791

The Constitutional Act of 1791 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of Great Britain which changed the government of the province of Quebec to accommodate the many English-speaking settlers, known as the United Empire Loyalists, who had arrived from the United States following the American Revolution....
 had established three branches of government: the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada

The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791....
, an elected lower house; the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Lower Canada

The Legislative Council of Lower Canada was the upper house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The upper house consisted of appointed councillors who voted on bills passed up by the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada....
, an appointed upper house; and the Executive Council, which acted as a kind of cabinet for the lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor

A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. In the United States and many Commonwealth of Nations systems, lieutenant governors are usually deputy heads of state....
. The governor was always an appointed British nobleman, and he appointed members of the Clique as his advisers. The Clique was also able to establish itself in the Legislative Council, leaving the Legislative Assembly, made up of a majority of French-Canadian representatives, with little or no power.

Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau

File:Louis-Joseph Papineau 1878.jpgLouis-Joseph Papineau , born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the seigneurie de la Petite-Nation....
, as a reformer in the Assembly
Assembly

Assembly may refer to:...
, was one of the fiercest opponents of the Chateau Clique. His struggles against the Clique and the Lieutenant Governor, Lord Gosford
Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford

?Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford Order of the Bath , styled Lord Acheson from 1806 to 1807, was a United Kingdom politician who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada and Governor General of British North America in the 19th century....
, led to the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion

The Lower Canada Rebellion is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the United Kingdom colonial power of that province....
 in 1837.

After the rebellion, Upper and Lower Canada were united as the Province of Canada
Province of Canada

The Province of Canada or the United Province of Canada was a British North America#BNA colonies after the American Revolution: in North America from 1841 to 1867....
, but the Château Clique did not disappear like the Family Compact. While the English-speaking population became the majority, the British-appointed governor-generals still attempted to force the French Canadian population to assimilate. Canada East
Canada East

Canada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canada Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French language region....
, as Lower Canada
Lower Canada

The Province of Lower Canada was a British colonization of the Americas on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence ....
 was called after the union, eventually gained some political independence with the union government of Robert Baldwin
Robert Baldwin

Robert Baldwin was born at York . He, along with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, led the first responsible government ministry in Canada, regarded by some as the first truly Canadian government....
 and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine

Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine , 1st Baronet was the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible government in Canada....
.

See also

  • History of Quebec
    History of Quebec

    File:Montreal from Mount Royal4.jpgQuebec has played a special role in History of Canada; it is the site where French settlers founded the colony of Canada, New France in the 1600s and 1700s....
  • Timeline of Quebec history
    Timeline of Quebec history

    This article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, UK or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on History of Quebec....