Médard des Groseilliers
Encyclopedia
Médard Chouart des Groseilliers (1618–1696) was a French explorer and fur trade
r in Canada
. He is often paired with his brother-in-law Pierre-Esprit Radisson
who was about 20 years his junior. Their decision to enter the English service led to the foundation of the Hudson's Bay Company
which in turn was a major factor in making western Canada English.
He was born at Charly-sur-Marne
in France and later called himself Sieur des Groseilliers after a farm his parents managed. Some English documents call him Mr. Gooseberry
which is the translation of his name. He came to Quebec about 1641 and became a donné or lay helper at the Jesuit missions in the Huron country. Here he learned the skills of a coureur des bois
. In 1647 he married Helène, the daughter of Abraham Martin whose land later became famous as the Plains of Abraham
. In 1653 he married his second wife, the widowed step-sister of Pierre-Esprit Radisson
. After the Iroquois destroyed the Huron missions he worked to re-establish trade, especially in the Lake Superior region. He and Radisson went to Lake Superior in 1658/60 where they were among the first Europeans to contact the Sioux
who then lived near the lake. From Cree
traders they came to understand that the main source of furs lay northwest of the lake. In 1661/63 they journeyed to an uncertain location (guesses range from Lake Winnipeg to Rupert House). On their return they were fined most of their profits because they had left Quebec without a license. [The French in Canada had to choose between two policies. They could either build up a dense European settlement on the Saint Lawrence and let Indians bring furs to them or spread out into a wilderness too large to administer or protect. Groseilliers was caught when the first policy was in effect.]
Groseilliers went to France to appeal, without success. From France he seems to have tried to organize an expedition into Hudson Bay. Disgusted with the French authorities, he and Radisson went to Boston where they organized another expedition into the bay which was turned back by the ice. At Boston in 1665 they met George Cartwright who had been involved in the 1664 British conquest of New York. Cartwright passed them to Sir George Carteret
in England. Captured by Dutch privateers, they were put ashore in Spain. Reaching England, they were presented to King Charles and entered the circle of the Duke of York
and Prince Rupert and General Monck
. This combination of wilderness knowledge and political backing led to the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company. Plans were made, but nothing could be done because of the Dutch war. On June 3, 1668 two ships left England for Hudson Bay: the Nonsuch
with Groseilliers and the Eaglet with Radisson. The Eaglet was caught in a storm and had to return. On 25 September the Nonsuch reached the mouth of the Rupert River
where they built a fort for the winter. They left the following June and reached England in October of 1669 with a rich cargo of furs. The Hudson's Bay Company was founded in May 1670. In 1670 Radisson and Groseilliers returned to the bay, claiming Port Nelson
and trading at Rupert House They seem to have made several more trips. In 1674 he was at Rupert House when Father Charles Albanel
arrived from Quebec to interfere with the English. The priest was taken into custody and sent to England on the same ship as Radisson and Grosseilliers. Father Albanel, and an offer of money, induced them to return to the French service.
Having twice betrayed their masters, they hoped for favorable treatment in France but did not find it. They were shipped back to Canada where Frontenac was also suspicious. Groseilliers returned home to Trois-Rivieres and Radisson went to France. Without occupation, Radisson became a midshipman under Jean II d'Estrées
and was nearly drowned at Las Aves. He went to England in an attempt to retrieve his wife, but her father would not allow her to go to France. He made feelers to rejoin the HBC, but these were rejected. In 1681 in Paris Radisson was approached by Charles Aubert de La Chesnaye
and the following year they formed the Compaignie du Nord or Compaignie de la Baie D'Hudson to compete with the Hudson's Bay Company by taping the richer furs northwest of the English posts on James Bay. The English had the same idea. In 1682 the brothers-in-law arrived at the mouth of the Hayes River
and settled in. Six days earlier an unofficial expedition had arrived from Boston at the mouth of the Nelson River
(Benjamin Guillam in the Bachelor's Delight). The French became aware of the Bostonians when they fired a cannon for a funeral. France and England not being at war, the Radisson and Gillam made a truce. Returning from his meeting with Guillam, Radisson saw two more ships. These were the official Hudson's Bay Company ships (Prince Rupert and Albemarle under Zachariah Gillam
). Lighting a signal fire to keep the two English groups from meeting, Radisson made a second truce. On 21 October the Prince Rupert was lost in a storm. Later the two French ships were crushed by the ice and one had to be repaired by cannibalizing the other. The following February the Boston party was captured by the French. The HBC men were captured, probably in early summer when the Albemarle left for James Bay. On 27 July 1683 the French left for Quebec in the Bachelor's Delight with 2000 pelts. Most of the English were sent to the English posts in the repaired French ship. Groseilliers' son Jean-Baptiste Chuart and seven men were left at Port Nelson. In August the Albemarle returned from James Bay. It is not clear what happened, but both sides were able to trade for furs. [Parts of this story do not make sense. Most of it comes from Radisson's account which is known to be inaccurate in places.]
When the brothers-in-law reached Quebec the authorities had a problem. England and France were at peace. Further the Catholic Duke of York
was now governor of Hudson's Bay Company and was expected to become king and rule in the French interest. The Bachelor's Delight was either confiscated or sent back to Boston with Benjamin Guillam . The brothers-in-law were made to pay the regular Quebec tax which was questionable since it was not certain that Hudson Bay was in Quebec. In 1684, for diplomatic reasons, France compensated the Hudson's Bay Company for its losses. Radisson went to France to straighten out the legal problems. Newman says that Groseilliers, now 65, retired in disgust to a small seigneury at Trois-Rivières
and died in 1696. Morton says that he went to France with Radisson and separated from his brother-in-law when the latter rejoined the English. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography says that his fate is uncertain.
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
r 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...
. He is often paired with his brother-in-law Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson was a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer. He is often linked to his brother-in-law Médard des Groseilliers who was about 20 years older. The decision of Radisson and Groseilliers to enter the English service led to the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company.Born near...
who was about 20 years his junior. Their decision to enter the English service led to the foundation of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
which in turn was a major factor in making western Canada English.
He was born at Charly-sur-Marne
Charly-sur-Marne
Charly-sur-Marne is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.Charly was an old fortified city dating from 9th century Burgundy, it was renamed Charly-sur-Marne in 2006.-Geography:...
in France and later called himself Sieur des Groseilliers after a farm his parents managed. Some English documents call him Mr. Gooseberry
Gooseberry
The gooseberry or ; Ribes uva-crispa, syn. R. grossularia) is a species of Ribes, native to Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia...
which is the translation of his name. He came to Quebec about 1641 and became a donné or lay helper at the Jesuit missions in the Huron country. Here he learned the skills of a coureur des bois
Coureur des bois
A coureur des bois or coureur de bois was an independent entrepreneurial French-Canadian woodsman who traveled in New France and the interior of North America. They travelled in the woods to trade various things for fur....
. In 1647 he married Helène, the daughter of Abraham Martin whose land later became famous as the Plains of Abraham
Plains of Abraham
The Plains of Abraham is a historic area within The Battlefields Park in Quebec City, Quebec, that was originally grazing land, but became famous as the site of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which took place on 13 September 1759. Though written into the history books, housing and minor...
. In 1653 he married his second wife, the widowed step-sister of Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson was a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer. He is often linked to his brother-in-law Médard des Groseilliers who was about 20 years older. The decision of Radisson and Groseilliers to enter the English service led to the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company.Born near...
. After the Iroquois destroyed the Huron missions he worked to re-establish trade, especially in the Lake Superior region. He and Radisson went to Lake Superior in 1658/60 where they were among the first Europeans to contact the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
who then lived near the lake. From Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
traders they came to understand that the main source of furs lay northwest of the lake. In 1661/63 they journeyed to an uncertain location (guesses range from Lake Winnipeg to Rupert House). On their return they were fined most of their profits because they had left Quebec without a license. [The French in Canada had to choose between two policies. They could either build up a dense European settlement on the Saint Lawrence and let Indians bring furs to them or spread out into a wilderness too large to administer or protect. Groseilliers was caught when the first policy was in effect.]
Groseilliers went to France to appeal, without success. From France he seems to have tried to organize an expedition into Hudson Bay. Disgusted with the French authorities, he and Radisson went to Boston where they organized another expedition into the bay which was turned back by the ice. At Boston in 1665 they met George Cartwright who had been involved in the 1664 British conquest of New York. Cartwright passed them to Sir George Carteret
George Carteret
Vice Admiral Sir George Carteret, 1st Baronet , son of Elias de Carteret, was a royalist statesman in Jersey and England, who served in the Clarendon Ministry as Treasurer of the Navy...
in England. Captured by Dutch privateers, they were put ashore in Spain. Reaching England, they were presented to King Charles and entered the circle of the Duke of York
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
and Prince Rupert and General Monck
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...
. This combination of wilderness knowledge and political backing led to the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company. Plans were made, but nothing could be done because of the Dutch war. On June 3, 1668 two ships left England for Hudson Bay: the Nonsuch
Nonsuch (ship)
The Nonsuch was the ketch that sailed into Hudson Bay in 1668-1669 under Zachariah Gillam, in the first trading voyage for what was to become the Hudson's Bay Company two years later. Originally built as a merchant ship in 1650, and later the Royal Navy ketch HMS Nonsuch, the vessel was sold to Sir...
with Groseilliers and the Eaglet with Radisson. The Eaglet was caught in a storm and had to return. On 25 September the Nonsuch reached the mouth of the Rupert River
Rupert River
The Rupert River is one of the largest rivers in Quebec, Canada. From its headwaters in Lake Mistassini, the largest natural lake in Québec, it flows west into Rupert Bay on James Bay. The Rupert drains an area of . There is some extremely large whitewater on the river, but paddlers can avoid...
where they built a fort for the winter. They left the following June and reached England in October of 1669 with a rich cargo of furs. The Hudson's Bay Company was founded in May 1670. In 1670 Radisson and Groseilliers returned to the bay, claiming Port Nelson
Port Nelson, Manitoba
Port Nelson is today a ghost town at the mouth of the Nelson River on Hudson Bay, in Manitoba, Canada. At its peak it had a population of about 1000 people. Immediately to the south is the mouth of the Hayes River. Although the Nelson is much larger, the Hayes is a better route into the interior...
and trading at Rupert House They seem to have made several more trips. In 1674 he was at Rupert House when Father Charles Albanel
Charles Albanel
Charles Albanel was a Freech missionary explorer in Canada, and Jesuit priest. In 1649, he arrived in Canada, at Tadoussac. In 1672, at the time when the Hudson's Bay Company was beginning operations, he was a leader of a French party that went by the Saguenay River, Lake Mistassini, and the...
arrived from Quebec to interfere with the English. The priest was taken into custody and sent to England on the same ship as Radisson and Grosseilliers. Father Albanel, and an offer of money, induced them to return to the French service.
Having twice betrayed their masters, they hoped for favorable treatment in France but did not find it. They were shipped back to Canada where Frontenac was also suspicious. Groseilliers returned home to Trois-Rivieres and Radisson went to France. Without occupation, Radisson became a midshipman under Jean II d'Estrées
Jean II d'Estrées
Jean II d'Estrées, , was a Marshal of France, and an important naval commander of Louis XIV.Jean d'Estrées was born in a noble family from Picardie...
and was nearly drowned at Las Aves. He went to England in an attempt to retrieve his wife, but her father would not allow her to go to France. He made feelers to rejoin the HBC, but these were rejected. In 1681 in Paris Radisson was approached by Charles Aubert de La Chesnaye
Charles Aubert de La Chesnaye
Charles Aubert de La Chesnaye was a French businessman active in Canada. The richest financier and businessman in New France, he played an important part in the colony's economic life , owned several seigneuries and was a member of the Sovereign Council of New France...
and the following year they formed the Compaignie du Nord or Compaignie de la Baie D'Hudson to compete with the Hudson's Bay Company by taping the richer furs northwest of the English posts on James Bay. The English had the same idea. In 1682 the brothers-in-law arrived at the mouth of the Hayes River
Hayes River
The Hayes River is a river in Northern Region, Manitoba, Canada that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was an historically important river in the development of Canada, and is today a Canadian Heritage River and the longest naturally flowing river in Manitoba.-Course:The...
and settled in. Six days earlier an unofficial expedition had arrived from Boston at the mouth of the Nelson River
Nelson River
The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its full length is , it has mean discharge of , and has a drainage basin of , of which is in the United States...
(Benjamin Guillam in the Bachelor's Delight). The French became aware of the Bostonians when they fired a cannon for a funeral. France and England not being at war, the Radisson and Gillam made a truce. Returning from his meeting with Guillam, Radisson saw two more ships. These were the official Hudson's Bay Company ships (Prince Rupert and Albemarle under Zachariah Gillam
Zachariah Gillam
Zachariah Gillam was one of a family of New England sea captains involved in the early days of the Hudson's Bay Company....
). Lighting a signal fire to keep the two English groups from meeting, Radisson made a second truce. On 21 October the Prince Rupert was lost in a storm. Later the two French ships were crushed by the ice and one had to be repaired by cannibalizing the other. The following February the Boston party was captured by the French. The HBC men were captured, probably in early summer when the Albemarle left for James Bay. On 27 July 1683 the French left for Quebec in the Bachelor's Delight with 2000 pelts. Most of the English were sent to the English posts in the repaired French ship. Groseilliers' son Jean-Baptiste Chuart and seven men were left at Port Nelson. In August the Albemarle returned from James Bay. It is not clear what happened, but both sides were able to trade for furs. [Parts of this story do not make sense. Most of it comes from Radisson's account which is known to be inaccurate in places.]
When the brothers-in-law reached Quebec the authorities had a problem. England and France were at peace. Further the Catholic Duke of York
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
was now governor of Hudson's Bay Company and was expected to become king and rule in the French interest. The Bachelor's Delight was either confiscated or sent back to Boston with Benjamin Guillam . The brothers-in-law were made to pay the regular Quebec tax which was questionable since it was not certain that Hudson Bay was in Quebec. In 1684, for diplomatic reasons, France compensated the Hudson's Bay Company for its losses. Radisson went to France to straighten out the legal problems. Newman says that Groseilliers, now 65, retired in disgust to a small seigneury at Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
and died in 1696. Morton says that he went to France with Radisson and separated from his brother-in-law when the latter rejoined the English. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography says that his fate is uncertain.
Sources
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Arthur S. Morton, A History of the Canadian West to 1870-71, no date, but circa 1940 (University of Toronto Press; 2d edition 1973 ISBN 978-0802040336)
- Peter C. Newman, Empire of the Bay, 1998 ISBN 978-0140274882