Charles de Biencourt de Saint-Just
Encyclopedia
Baron Charles de Biencourt de Saint-Just (1591 or 1592, Champagne, France
– 1623 or 1624, Port-Royal
of what was then Acadia
, New France
) was a member of the French nobility
and military officer
. He is best known as the successor to his father, Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just
as commander of the settlement at Port-Royal
and the King's Governor of Acadia from his father's death in 1615 until his own death. Because of his father's frequent trips to France
, he had been previously acting in that capacity.
Poutrincourt oversaw Acadia under the authority of Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons until 1607 when he was notified that the King had rescinded de Mons' monopoly
and that the Crown's contribution to the costs to maintain Port-Royal would not be continued.
Following the murder
of King Henry IV
and the ascension to the French throne by Louis XIII
, under Marie de' Medici's
regency, Biencourt and his father were authorized to return to Acadia. Their mandate required them to take along a Roman Catholic priest who would be responsible for the colony's welfare and for missionary
work to convert the native peoples
.
In 1611, Biencourt returned to France with a shipload of furs during which time the Crown appointed him Vice-Admiral of Acadia. Biencourt arranged financing for his colonial business ventures from two Huguenot
businessmen from Dieppe
but that was withdrawn when he was compelled by the King to take two Jesuit
priests with him to Acadia to expand the Roman Catholic missionary work among the natives. New financing was arranged with the Jesuit Society becoming the partners of Jean de Poutrincourt and Thomas Robin de Coulogne, sharing in the profits from their colonial trading activities.
Champagne, France
Champagne is a historic province in the northeast of France, now best known for the sparkling white wine that bears its name.Formerly ruled by the counts of Champagne, its western edge is about 100 miles east of Paris. The cities of Troyes, Reims, and Épernay are the commercial centers of the area...
– 1623 or 1624, Port-Royal
Habitation at Port-Royal
The Habitation at Port-Royal was the first successful French settlement of New France in North America, and is presently known as Port-Royal National Historic Site, a National Historic Site located on the northern side of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, Canada...
of what was then Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
, New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
) was a member of the French nobility
French nobility
The French nobility was the privileged order of France in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern periods.In the political system of the Estates General, the nobility made up the Second Estate...
and military officer
Military of France
The French Armed Forces encompass the French Army, the French Navy, the French Air Force and the National Gendarmerie. The President of the Republic heads the armed forces, with the title "chef des armées" . The President is the supreme authority for military matters and is the sole official who...
. He is best known as the successor to his father, Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just
Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just
Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just was a member of the French nobility best remembered as a commander of the French colonial empire, one of those responsible for establishing the most successful among early attempts to establish a permanent settlement in the North American...
as commander of the settlement at Port-Royal
Habitation at Port-Royal
The Habitation at Port-Royal was the first successful French settlement of New France in North America, and is presently known as Port-Royal National Historic Site, a National Historic Site located on the northern side of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, Canada...
and the King's Governor of Acadia from his father's death in 1615 until his own death. Because of his father's frequent trips to France
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...
, he had been previously acting in that capacity.
Poutrincourt oversaw Acadia under the authority of Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons until 1607 when he was notified that the King had rescinded de Mons' monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
and that the Crown's contribution to the costs to maintain Port-Royal would not be continued.
Following the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of King Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
and the ascension to the French throne by Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
, under Marie de' Medici's
Marie de' Medici
Marie de Médicis , Italian Maria de' Medici, was queen consort of France, as the second wife of King Henry IV of France, of the House of Bourbon. She herself was a member of the wealthy and powerful House of Medici...
regency, Biencourt and his father were authorized to return to Acadia. Their mandate required them to take along a Roman Catholic priest who would be responsible for the colony's welfare and for missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
work to convert the native peoples
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
.
In 1611, Biencourt returned to France with a shipload of furs during which time the Crown appointed him Vice-Admiral of Acadia. Biencourt arranged financing for his colonial business ventures from two Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
businessmen from Dieppe
Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
but that was withdrawn when he was compelled by the King to take two Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
priests with him to Acadia to expand the Roman Catholic missionary work among the natives. New financing was arranged with the Jesuit Society becoming the partners of Jean de Poutrincourt and Thomas Robin de Coulogne, sharing in the profits from their colonial trading activities.