Pierre Biard
Encyclopedia
Pierre Biard was a Jesuit missionary
who was given orders by Father Pierre Coton
, confessor and preacher to King Louis XIII, to take charge of the Jesuit mission, located in Acadia
. The colonial territory
in northeastern North America
rejected Father Biard's authority, resulting in a hostile dismissal by the settlers. Father Biard was instructed to establish a mission named Saint Sauveur at Mount Desert Island
(probably at Fernald Point in Somes Sound, near Southwest Harbor, in 1613. Only shortly later, mission of Saint Sauveur was plundered and ruined, Biard was kidnapped, and taken to Jamestown, Virginia
. Once there he was compelled by the marauders to return to Mt Desert Island so that Father Biard and his companion could be framed for instigating the attack. Seeking a way to avoid execution Father Biard hid on the attacking ship that was returning to the English
colony, by chance this resulted in his return to France
. Once in France, his actions and testimony were vindicated by Samuel de Champlain
. He lived out his life as a successful missionary in the south of France, dying in Avignon
in 1622.
, France in 1576. He entered the Jesuit monastic order where he received his education. Later, he was awarded a scholastic chair in the topics of theology
and Hebrew
in Lyon
.
, were finally after many months, able to secure a passage to the Acadia in 21 January 1611. They achieved this by becoming part owners of a ship and its cargo bound for Acadia, purchased through the help of the Marquise de Guercheville. Immediately upon arriving, in Port Royal
on Pentecost Day May 22, they discovered that a considerable number of the colonists opposed his posting vehemently. The religious history of the French colony, up to that time, was primarily Calvinist, due to de Monts
Acadia's founder being a Calvinist. Preceding Father Biard's posting, a secular priest named Josue Flesche, had circumvented Jesuit canon
by indiscriminately baptizing
colonists. The colonists remained hostile; viewing Biard's involvement in the ship purchase as morally questionable. Biard did little to soothe tensions, accusing the governor Charles de Biencourt
as being selfish and materialistic. The settlers asked Biard and Masse to leave the settlement at which point Biard excommunicated the opposing colonists. Succeeding de Monts as proprietor of the colony, Madame de Guercheville arranged for the vessel under René Le Coq de La Saussaye
to stop and pick up Biard and Masse at Port Royal. As instructed, Father Biard was told to found a colony elsewhere.
La Saussaye
took the two Jesuits to Bar Harbor, later to become Bar Harbor, Maine
. Father Biard and Father Masse established the mission of Saint Sauveur, in 1613. Shortly thereafter, hardly having begun the colony, a privateer
named Samuel Argall
plundered the colony and kidnapped Biard, Masse, and four other colonists taking them to Jamestown. There they were nearly hanged, prevented by the authority of Samuel Argall. Knowing the French colonists opinion of Father Biard, the marauders set up Biard and Masse, making it appear as if they had planned the attack for their own financial gains. Implicated as traitors they escaped execution by sailing off with the attacking party, where they would have probably been executed as well.
, a French lawyer, author, and former colonist of the Acadian colony. Lescarbot detested Jesuits but is recorded of speaking of Biard in flattering terms. Biard and his story later became famous and he was made the military chaplain for all the armies of the king. He remained a chaplain and a missionary until his death at Avignon in 1622.
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...
who was given orders by Father Pierre Coton
Pierre Coton
Pierre Coton was a French Jesuit and royal confessor.-Life:Coton studied law at Paris and Bourges, entered the Society of Jesus at the age of twenty-five, and was sent to Milan to study philosophy. Here he became acquainted with Charles Borromeo...
, confessor and preacher to King Louis XIII, to take charge of the Jesuit mission, located in 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...
. The colonial territory
French colonial empires
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
in northeastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
rejected Father Biard's authority, resulting in a hostile dismissal by the settlers. Father Biard was instructed to establish a mission named Saint Sauveur at Mount Desert Island
Mount Desert Island
Mount Desert Island , in Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of it is the 6th largest island in the contiguous United States. Though it is often claimed to be the third largest island on the eastern seaboard of the United States, it is actually second...
(probably at Fernald Point in Somes Sound, near Southwest Harbor, in 1613. Only shortly later, mission of Saint Sauveur was plundered and ruined, Biard was kidnapped, and taken to Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
. Once there he was compelled by the marauders to return to Mt Desert Island so that Father Biard and his companion could be framed for instigating the attack. Seeking a way to avoid execution Father Biard hid on the attacking ship that was returning to the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
colony, by chance this resulted in his return 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...
. Once in France, his actions and testimony were vindicated by Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
. He lived out his life as a successful missionary in the south of France, dying in Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
in 1622.
Life preceding his travels to Acadia
Pierre Biard was born in GrenobleGrenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, France in 1576. He entered the Jesuit monastic order where he received his education. Later, he was awarded a scholastic chair in the topics of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and Hebrew
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
.
Father Biard's trip to Acadia
In 1608, Father Coton called him away from his professorship with orders to take charge of the mission Acadia, the only Jesuit mission at the time. Biard and his companion, Énemond MasséÉnemond Massé
Énemond Massé was a French Jesuit missionary, one of the first Jesuits sent to New France.-Life:Massé was born at Lyon. Before leaving for French Canada, he was the confessor of Antoinette de Pons, the Marquise de Guercheville...
, were finally after many months, able to secure a passage to the Acadia in 21 January 1611. They achieved this by becoming part owners of a ship and its cargo bound for Acadia, purchased through the help of the Marquise de Guercheville. Immediately upon arriving, in Port Royal
Port Royal, Nova Scotia
Port Royal was the capital of Acadia from 1605 to 1710 and is now a town called Annapolis Royal in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Initially Port Royal was located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, at the site of the present reconstruction of the...
on Pentecost Day May 22, they discovered that a considerable number of the colonists opposed his posting vehemently. The religious history of the French colony, up to that time, was primarily Calvinist, due to de Monts
Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts
Pierre Du Gua de Monts, was a French merchant, explorer and colonizer. A Protestant, he was born in Royan, France and had a great influence over the first two decades of the 17th century...
Acadia's founder being a Calvinist. Preceding Father Biard's posting, a secular priest named Josue Flesche, had circumvented Jesuit canon
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
by indiscriminately baptizing
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
colonists. The colonists remained hostile; viewing Biard's involvement in the ship purchase as morally questionable. Biard did little to soothe tensions, accusing the governor Charles de Biencourt
Charles de Biencourt de Saint-Just
Baron Charles de Biencourt de Saint-Just was a member of the French nobility and military officer...
as being selfish and materialistic. The settlers asked Biard and Masse to leave the settlement at which point Biard excommunicated the opposing colonists. Succeeding de Monts as proprietor of the colony, Madame de Guercheville arranged for the vessel under René Le Coq de La Saussaye
René Le Coq de La Saussaye
René Le Coq de La Saussaye, , from Gaillon-sur-Seine , in France, was appointed agent and lieutenant by Antoinette de Pons, Marquise de Guercheville, for the founding of the mission of Saint Sauveur on Mount Desert Island in the French colony of Acadia....
to stop and pick up Biard and Masse at Port Royal. As instructed, Father Biard was told to found a colony elsewhere.
La Saussaye
René Le Coq de La Saussaye
René Le Coq de La Saussaye, , from Gaillon-sur-Seine , in France, was appointed agent and lieutenant by Antoinette de Pons, Marquise de Guercheville, for the founding of the mission of Saint Sauveur on Mount Desert Island in the French colony of Acadia....
took the two Jesuits to Bar Harbor, later to become Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a famous summer colony in the Down East region of Maine. It is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory and Mount Desert Island...
. Father Biard and Father Masse established the mission of Saint Sauveur, in 1613. Shortly thereafter, hardly having begun the colony, a privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
named Samuel Argall
Samuel Argall
Sir Samuel Argall was an English adventurer and naval officer.As a sea captain, in 1609, Argall was the first to determine a shorter northern route from England across the Atlantic Ocean to the new English colony of Virginia, based at Jamestown, and made numerous voyages to the New World...
plundered the colony and kidnapped Biard, Masse, and four other colonists taking them to Jamestown. There they were nearly hanged, prevented by the authority of Samuel Argall. Knowing the French colonists opinion of Father Biard, the marauders set up Biard and Masse, making it appear as if they had planned the attack for their own financial gains. Implicated as traitors they escaped execution by sailing off with the attacking party, where they would have probably been executed as well.
Pierre Biard return to France
The ship set sail, intending tong no papers and on the point of being hanged, Father Biard managed to save himself and his companions from execution by thoroughly explaining the situation to the authorities. The authorities released him and he was extradited to France.France and later life
Upon returning to France, Biard was subject to a storm of abuse due to the suspicion surrounding the destruction of Port Royal, by the English. Explaining the criticism as outrageous, Champlain vindicated Father Biard's and Masse's testimonies. Biard returned to Lyon and resumed his work as a professor of theology. Biard later decided to try missionary work again, traveling the south of France. He resumed his friendship with Marc LescarbotMarc Lescarbot
Marc Lescarbot was a French author, poet and lawyer, best known for his Histoire de la Nouvelle-France , based on his expedition to Acadia and research into French exploration. Considered one of the first great books in the history of Canada, it was printed in three editions, and was translated...
, a French lawyer, author, and former colonist of the Acadian colony. Lescarbot detested Jesuits but is recorded of speaking of Biard in flattering terms. Biard and his story later became famous and he was made the military chaplain for all the armies of the king. He remained a chaplain and a missionary until his death at Avignon in 1622.