Louis-Théandre Chartier de Lotbinière
Encyclopedia
Louis-Théandre Chartier de Lotbinière (c.
1612–c.
1688), considered by some sources to have been the 'Father of the Canadian Magistrature', he was the disreputable Lieutenant-General of the Provost's Court of New France. He was the great grandfather of the last Governor General of New France
, Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal
, and in 1667, he gave the first official ball to be held in Canada
.
c.1612, he was the son of René-Pierre Chartier de Lotbiniere (1572–1654), Counsellor in the French Parliament, Royal Professor of Medicine and Premier Medicin du Roi to Louis XIII of France
. His mother, Françoise Bourcier (d.1631), was Lady-in-waiting
to Henrietta Maria of France
and the daughter of Louise Bourgeois Boursier
. His family originated from Dijon
in the fourteenth century, and he included amongst his ancestors Alain Chartier
. The family were ennobled at the beginning of the fifteenth century, and his forebears married into such families as the Chateaubriands, Rochefoucaulds and Polignac
s. According to tradition, one of the early Chartiers owned two estates near Dijon: Binière and Bignière. The manor at Binière was surrounded by a moat in which many lot
fish swam, and so to differentiate between the two he called that one Lotbinière.
As a young man, Louis-Théandre Chartier de Lotbinière lived as the seigneur of Saint-Étienne de Monays, but soon made over this living to his brother, René (d.1655), who had lived in Canada
between 1643 and 1647 as chaplain
to the Ursulines of Quebec
.At Paris
, 1641, Louis-Théandre married Élisabeth d'Amours de Clignancourt (1613–1690), the daughter of Louis d'Amours de Louvieres (d.1640), Sieur de Serain, First Councillor to King Henry IV of France at the Grand Châtelet
. Her brother, Mathieu d'Amours de Chauffours
was a relative of Jean de Lauzon
, the future governor of New France
. Likely at the request of de Lauzon, with whom they made the journey (together with Mathieu d'Amours) Chartier and his family came to New France
, arriving in Quebec
, October 13, 1651.
Lotbiniere was appointed Seigneurial Attorney to the Seneschal’s Court at Quebec, and five years later was promoted to Lieutenant-General for Civil and Criminal Affairs. He kept this office until the autumn of 1663, when the Seneschal’s Court was replaced by the Sovereign Council of New France
. After the removal of Attorney-General Jean Bourdon
and his allies in early 1664, despite the opposition of Bishop François de Laval
, Lotbiniere was appointed Deputy Attorney General of the Sovereign Council of New France
. When Bourdon was re-instated a few months later, Lotbiniere in turn resigned. Furious that Bourdon had been brought back, in the absence of Laval, Lauzon again dismissed Bourdon etc. and made Lotbiniere Attorney-General. Due to a more favourable position Lotbiniere resigned in 1666, and Bourdon was again re-instated.
The French West India Company
, set up in 1664, had been authorized to “establish judges and officers wherever there will be need and wherever it will find it appropriate.” The company made use of this privilege to create a Provost’s Court at Quebec (the Sovereign Council of New France
was only called on in the case of an appeal), and in the spring of 1666 named Lotbiniere Lieutenant General for Civil and Criminal Affairs of the court. He remained in this position until 1677 when he resigned in his son’s favour.
On May 27, 1671, the Ladies of the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec
sold the former residence of Governor Louis d'Ailleboust de Coulonge
to de Lotbiniere, which he immediately made his home. The residence, though much altered, is today the French Consulate in Quebec, and locally known as Duke of Kent House, Quebec
. His son, René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière
, continued to live there with his family until his death in 1709. It was sold to the Maillou family, who leased it from 1743 to Louis-Theandre's great grandson, Michel Chartier de Lotbinière, Marquis de Lotbinière
.
, never to return to the colony again. In 1680, Intendant Jacques Duchesneau de la Doussinière et d'Ambault
wrote to the minister that Lotbiniere's daughter, Marie-Francoise, the widow of Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson
and the mother-in-law of Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil
, “has lost 1,000 livres which were granted to her last year, and a part of the 600 livres for the present year that her father the Sieur Chartier, to whom she had given powers of attorney, has consumed by his excesses, having continued to live in Paris.” This revelation reflects the character of the “erstwhile” Lieutenant-General of the Provost’s Court. As a relative of Lauzon he had occupied important offices from the time he arrived in New France, but he never enjoyed the Jesuits’ esteem as much as the other settlers of his social standing. Neither did the clergy appear to have looked favourably upon the ball given by him on 4 February 1667, the “first ball in Canada,” (according to the Journal des Jésuites).
In 1676, Ange de Bouges, known as 'la Corruble', was arrested by order of the council, and imprisoned because of his scandalous conduct in the company of some young men. Lotbiniere had him released the following day, and when asked to give an explanation before the council, 'the Lieutenant-General refused to give his reasons, and furthermore his manner was peremptory and lacking in respect. Summoned to appear again, he maintained that he alone had the right to decide upon imprisonments. He resorted to an attitude of arrogance, and refused to justify his action any further. On 3 August the council relieved him of his office, which he resumed however before the end of the month.' (Dictionary of Canadian Biography).
An officer of justice for over thirty years, Jean Talon
deemed Chartier de Lotbiniere as “ill suited to this profession”. He died in France in 1688, and was the father of two children, René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière
, and Louise-Elizabeth, who married Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson
.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1612–c.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1688), considered by some sources to have been the 'Father of the Canadian Magistrature', he was the disreputable Lieutenant-General of the Provost's Court of New France. He was the great grandfather of the last Governor General of New France
Governor General of New France
Governor General of New France was the vice-regal post in New France from 1663 until 1760 and was the last French vice-regal post. It was replaced by the British post of Governor of the Province of Quebec following the fall of New France...
, Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal
Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal
Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal was a Canadian-born French colonial governor in North America...
, and in 1667, he gave the first official ball to be held in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Early life in France
Born at ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
c.1612, he was the son of René-Pierre Chartier de Lotbiniere (1572–1654), Counsellor in the French Parliament, Royal Professor of Medicine and Premier Medicin du Roi to Louis XIII of France
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...
. His mother, Françoise Bourcier (d.1631), was Lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
to Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
and the daughter of Louise Bourgeois Boursier
Louise Bourgeois Boursier
Louise Bourgeois Boursier or Louise Bourgeois or Louyse Bourgeous was a French midwife called The Scholar...
. His family originated from Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
in the fourteenth century, and he included amongst his ancestors Alain Chartier
Alain Chartier
Alain Chartier was a French poet and political writer.He was born at Bayeux, into a family marked by considerable ability. His eldest brother Guillaume became bishop of Paris; and Thomas became notary to the king. Jean Chartier, a monk of St Denis, whose history of Charles VII is printed in vol. III...
. The family were ennobled at the beginning of the fifteenth century, and his forebears married into such families as the Chateaubriands, Rochefoucaulds and Polignac
Polignac
Polignac is the name of several communes in France:* Polignac, Charente-Maritime* Polignac, Haute-Loire, in the Haute-Loire département, dominated by the fortress Château de Polignac with its square donjon tower, 32 m tall...
s. According to tradition, one of the early Chartiers owned two estates near Dijon: Binière and Bignière. The manor at Binière was surrounded by a moat in which many lot
Lophius piscatorius
The angler, also sometimes called fishing-frog, frog-fish or sea-devil, Lophius piscatorius, is a monkfish in the family Lophiidae. It is found in coastal waters of the northeast Atlantic, from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea...
fish swam, and so to differentiate between the two he called that one Lotbinière.
As a young man, Louis-Théandre Chartier de Lotbinière lived as the seigneur of Saint-Étienne de Monays, but soon made over this living to his brother, René (d.1655), who had lived in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
between 1643 and 1647 as chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to the Ursulines of Quebec
Ursulines of Quebec
The Ursuline Convent of Quebec City, , founded in 1639, is the oldest institution of learning for women in North America...
.At Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 1641, Louis-Théandre married Élisabeth d'Amours de Clignancourt (1613–1690), the daughter of Louis d'Amours de Louvieres (d.1640), Sieur de Serain, First Councillor to King Henry IV of France at the Grand Châtelet
Grand Châtelet
The Grand Châtelet was a stronghold in Ancien Régime Paris, on the right bank of the Seine, on the site of what is now the Place du Châtelet; it contained a court and police headquarters and a number of prisons....
. Her brother, Mathieu d'Amours de Chauffours
Chauffours
Chauffours is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
was a relative of Jean de Lauzon
Jean de Lauzon
Jean de Lauzon or de Lauson was the French Governor of New France from 1651 to 1657, one of the most challenging times for the colony....
, the future governor of 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...
. Likely at the request of de Lauzon, with whom they made the journey (together with Mathieu d'Amours) Chartier and his family came to 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...
, arriving in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, October 13, 1651.
Official positions in New France
On his arrival in QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
Lotbiniere was appointed Seigneurial Attorney to the Seneschal’s Court at Quebec, and five years later was promoted to Lieutenant-General for Civil and Criminal Affairs. He kept this office until the autumn of 1663, when the Seneschal’s Court was replaced by the Sovereign Council of New France
Sovereign Council of New France
The Sovereign Council of New France was a political body appointed by the King of France and consisting of a Governor General, an Intendant of New France answered to the French Minister of the Marine, And also the Bishop witch helped with laws and land...
. After the removal of Attorney-General Jean Bourdon
Jean Bourdon
Jean Bourdon was the first engineer-in-chief and land-surveyor in the colony of New France, and the first attorney-general of the Conseil Superieur....
and his allies in early 1664, despite the opposition of Bishop François de Laval
François de Laval
This article is in part a sermon and generally comes close to hagiography.Blessed François-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval was the first Roman Catholic bishop of Quebec and was one of the most influential men of his day. He was appointed when he was 36 years old by Pope Alexander VII. He was a member...
, Lotbiniere was appointed Deputy Attorney General of the Sovereign Council of New France
Sovereign Council of New France
The Sovereign Council of New France was a political body appointed by the King of France and consisting of a Governor General, an Intendant of New France answered to the French Minister of the Marine, And also the Bishop witch helped with laws and land...
. When Bourdon was re-instated a few months later, Lotbiniere in turn resigned. Furious that Bourdon had been brought back, in the absence of Laval, Lauzon again dismissed Bourdon etc. and made Lotbiniere Attorney-General. Due to a more favourable position Lotbiniere resigned in 1666, and Bourdon was again re-instated.
The French West India Company
French West India Company
In the history of French trade, the French West India Company was a chartered company established in 1664. Their charter gave them the property and seignory of Canada, Acadia, the Antilles, Cayenne, and the terra firma of South America, from the Amazon to the Orinoco...
, set up in 1664, had been authorized to “establish judges and officers wherever there will be need and wherever it will find it appropriate.” The company made use of this privilege to create a Provost’s Court at Quebec (the Sovereign Council of New France
Sovereign Council of New France
The Sovereign Council of New France was a political body appointed by the King of France and consisting of a Governor General, an Intendant of New France answered to the French Minister of the Marine, And also the Bishop witch helped with laws and land...
was only called on in the case of an appeal), and in the spring of 1666 named Lotbiniere Lieutenant General for Civil and Criminal Affairs of the court. He remained in this position until 1677 when he resigned in his son’s favour.
On May 27, 1671, the Ladies of the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec
Hôtel-Dieu de Québec
The Hotel-Dieu de Québec is a teaching hospital located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada and affiliated with Université Laval's medical school. It is part of the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec , a network of three teaching hospitals and several specialized institutions. Its areas of...
sold the former residence of Governor Louis d'Ailleboust de Coulonge
Louis d'Ailleboust de Coulonge
Louis d'Ailleboust de Coulonge was the French governor of New France from 1648 to 1651 and acting governor from 1657 to 1658.- Biography :...
to de Lotbiniere, which he immediately made his home. The residence, though much altered, is today the French Consulate in Quebec, and locally known as Duke of Kent House, Quebec
Duke of Kent House, Quebec
Duke of Kent House or Kent House is situated on Rue Saint-Louis, behind the Château Frontenac in Quebec City. It is presently serves as the French Consulate...
. His son, René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière
René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière
René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière was a French-Canadian Poet, 1st Seigneur de Lotbinière in New France , Judge of the Provost and Admiralty Courts and Chief Councillor of the Sovereign Council of New France.-Birth:...
, continued to live there with his family until his death in 1709. It was sold to the Maillou family, who leased it from 1743 to Louis-Theandre's great grandson, Michel Chartier de Lotbinière, Marquis de Lotbinière
Michel Chartier de Lotbinière, Marquis de Lotbinière
Michel Chartier de Lotbinière, 1st Marquis de Lotbinière , Seigneur of Vaudreuil, Lotbinière and Rigaud, Quebec etc. On his advice, the Marquis de Montcalm successfully attacked Fort William Henry in 1757...
.
Return to France and reputation
He had taken his stepmother to court over his inheritance which necessitated him to be in France in 1659 and 1677. In the autumn of 1679, he returned to FranceFrance
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...
, never to return to the colony again. In 1680, Intendant Jacques Duchesneau de la Doussinière et d'Ambault
Jacques Duchesneau de la Doussinière et d'Ambault
Jacques Duchesneau de la Doussinière et d'Ambault, chevalier , was intendant of New France from 1675 to 1682. His other offices included counsellor to His Majesty, treasurer of France, commissary for the generality of Tours c. 1664 and general of the king’s finances in Touraine...
wrote to the minister that Lotbiniere's daughter, Marie-Francoise, the widow of Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson
Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson
Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson was the administrator of Acadia in 1677-1678.Born at Saint-Hilaire de Soulanges, Marne in Champagne, France, son of Claude de Joybert, Seigneur de Soulanges. As a young man he served in Portugal before coming to Quebec in 1665 as a Lieutenant in the...
and the mother-in-law of Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil
Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil
Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil was a French politician, who was Governor-general of New France from 1703 to 1725....
, “has lost 1,000 livres which were granted to her last year, and a part of the 600 livres for the present year that her father the Sieur Chartier, to whom she had given powers of attorney, has consumed by his excesses, having continued to live in Paris.” This revelation reflects the character of the “erstwhile” Lieutenant-General of the Provost’s Court. As a relative of Lauzon he had occupied important offices from the time he arrived in New France, but he never enjoyed the Jesuits’ esteem as much as the other settlers of his social standing. Neither did the clergy appear to have looked favourably upon the ball given by him on 4 February 1667, the “first ball in Canada,” (according to the Journal des Jésuites).
In 1676, Ange de Bouges, known as 'la Corruble', was arrested by order of the council, and imprisoned because of his scandalous conduct in the company of some young men. Lotbiniere had him released the following day, and when asked to give an explanation before the council, 'the Lieutenant-General refused to give his reasons, and furthermore his manner was peremptory and lacking in respect. Summoned to appear again, he maintained that he alone had the right to decide upon imprisonments. He resorted to an attitude of arrogance, and refused to justify his action any further. On 3 August the council relieved him of his office, which he resumed however before the end of the month.' (Dictionary of Canadian Biography).
An officer of justice for over thirty years, Jean Talon
Jean Talon
Jean Talon, Comte d'Orsainville was a French colonial administrator who was the first and most highly regarded Intendant of New France under King Louis XIV...
deemed Chartier de Lotbiniere as “ill suited to this profession”. He died in France in 1688, and was the father of two children, René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière
René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière
René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière was a French-Canadian Poet, 1st Seigneur de Lotbinière in New France , Judge of the Provost and Admiralty Courts and Chief Councillor of the Sovereign Council of New France.-Birth:...
, and Louise-Elizabeth, who married Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson
Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson
Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson was the administrator of Acadia in 1677-1678.Born at Saint-Hilaire de Soulanges, Marne in Champagne, France, son of Claude de Joybert, Seigneur de Soulanges. As a young man he served in Portugal before coming to Quebec in 1665 as a Lieutenant in the...
.