René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière
Encyclopedia
René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière (1641–1709) was a French-Canadian Poet
, 1st Seigneur de Lotbinière in New France
(1672), Judge of the Provost and Admiralty Courts and Chief Councillor of the Sovereign Council of New France
.
, he was the son of Louis-Théandre Chartier de Lotbinière
and Élisabeth d'Amours de Clignancourt (1613–1690), daughter of Louis d'Amours de Louvieres (died 1640), Sieur de Serain
, Chief Councillor to King Henry IV of France at the Grand Châtelet
, Paris
. In 1651, at the age of ten, he arrived with his parents in New France
, and was educated there at the Jesuit's College in Quebec City
.
and Mohawks, soon after composing his first known poem. Following in his father's shoes he was appointed Deputy Attorney-General of New France
in 1670. In 1672, he was granted a Seigneury which he named after one of his family's old seigneuries in France, Lotbinière
, which had since been passed to the Chateaubriand family of Combourg
as a wedding dowry. Two years later his name was put forward by the Compagnie des Indes Occidentales and appointed a Councillor of the Sovereign Council of New France
. The following year he was made a Councillor for life by Louis XIV of France
, the only such Councillor to hold the appointment by the King. In 1677, he replaced his father as Lieutenant-General for Civil and Criminal Affairs (Judge) of the Provost Court. In stark contrast to his father, he held this position to the great satisfaction of his peers, yet again drawing the praise of Louis XIV of France
for his honesty and competence. In 1698, he was appointed Judge of the Admiralty Court
. Bishop Jean-Baptiste de La Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier
appointed him a director of the Hôpital général de Québec
, and he also intermittently served as subdelegate to the Intendant of New France
from 1677 to 1706. In 1703, Louis XIV of France
appointed de Lotbiniere Chief Counsellor of the Sovereign Council of New France
, ranking fourth in the hierarchy of the colony, being preceded only by the governor, the intendant, and the bishop.
. In 1673, he had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
of the Quebec Militia, and in 1684 again accompanied Joseph-Antoine de La Barre
in campaigns against the Iroquois
as Commander of the Regiment of Quebec. At the Siege of Quebec 1690 he was the colonel of the Quebec militia in the defence of the colony.
in 1678, he married Marie Madeleine Lambert du Mont (1662–1695), daughter of Eustache Lambert du Mont (1618–1673), Seigneur and Commandant of the Quebec Militia. After his father returned to France
in 1679, they lived at his old house, Duke of Kent House, Quebec
, where all his children were born, and where he died. They were the parents of Eustache Chartier de Lotbinière
(who sold Kent House for £10,000) and the grandparents of Louis-Philippe Mariauchau d'Esgly. His sister married Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil
, Governor General of New France
, making de Lotbinière the uncle of the last Governor General of New France
, Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal
. The Battle of New Orleans
on January 8, 1815, was fought on the plantation of his great-grandson, Ignace Martin de Lino de Chalmette, at Chalmette, Louisiana
.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, 1st Seigneur de Lotbinière in 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...
(1672), Judge of the Provost and Admiralty Courts and Chief Councillor 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...
.
Birth
Baptised 14 November 1641, in the Church of Saint-Nicholas-des-Champs in 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...
, he was the son of Louis-Théandre Chartier de Lotbinière
Louis-Théandre Chartier de Lotbinière
Louis-Théandre Chartier de Lotbinière , 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...
and Élisabeth d'Amours de Clignancourt (1613–1690), daughter of Louis d'Amours de Louvieres (died 1640), Sieur de Serain
Serain
Serain is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France....
, Chief 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....
, 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...
. In 1651, at the age of ten, he arrived with his parents in 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...
, and was educated there at the Jesuit's College in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
.
Career
As an officer in the 1660s he took part in some early campaigns against the IroquoisIroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
and Mohawks, soon after composing his first known poem. Following in his father's shoes he was appointed Deputy Attorney-General 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...
in 1670. In 1672, he was granted a Seigneury which he named after one of his family's old seigneuries in France, Lotbinière
Lotbinière
-Places:*Lotbinière Regional County Municipality, Quebec**Lotbinière, Quebec, a municipality**Sainte-Agathe-de-Lotbinière, Quebec, a municipality**Saint-Édouard-de-Lotbinière, Quebec, a parish...
, which had since been passed to the Chateaubriand family of Combourg
Combourg
Combourg is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France.-Demographics:Inhabitants of Combourg are called Combourgeois and, more rarely Combournais.-History:...
as a wedding dowry. Two years later his name was put forward by the Compagnie des Indes Occidentales and appointed a Councillor 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...
. The following year he was made a Councillor for life by Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, the only such Councillor to hold the appointment by the King. In 1677, he replaced his father as Lieutenant-General for Civil and Criminal Affairs (Judge) of the Provost Court. In stark contrast to his father, he held this position to the great satisfaction of his peers, yet again drawing the praise of Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
for his honesty and competence. In 1698, he was appointed Judge of the Admiralty Court
Admiralty court
Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries and offences.- Admiralty Courts in England and Wales :...
. Bishop Jean-Baptiste de La Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier
Jean-Baptiste de la Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier
Jean-Baptiste de la Croix de Chevrière de St. Vallier was appointed to the see of Quebec as bishop in 1685 by Louis XIV. But, Blessed Pope Innocent XI was not granting any more bulls of investiture....
appointed him a director of the Hôpital général de Québec
Hôpital général de Québec
LHôpital général de Québec is a hospital located in the tiny municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Anges, Quebec , surrounded by the La Cité–Limoilou borough of Quebec City . It was classified as an historic site in 1977 by the Quebec government...
, and he also intermittently served as subdelegate to the Intendant of New France
Intendant of New France
New France was governed by three rulers: the governor, the bishop and the intendant, all appointed by the King, and sent from France. The intendant was responsible for finance, economic development, and the administration of justice . He also presided over the Sovereign Council of New France...
from 1677 to 1706. In 1703, Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
appointed de Lotbiniere Chief Counsellor 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...
, ranking fourth in the hierarchy of the colony, being preceded only by the governor, the intendant, and the bishop.
Military
De Lotbinière had maintained his connections to the military after his early campaigns against the IroquoisIroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
. In 1673, he had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
of the Quebec Militia, and in 1684 again accompanied Joseph-Antoine de La Barre
Joseph-Antoine de La Barre
Joseph-Antoine le Fèbvre de LaBarre was the Governor of New France from 1682 to 1685. He had previously been Governor of Auvergne and of the French Antilles ....
in campaigns against the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
as Commander of the Regiment of Quebec. At the Siege of Quebec 1690 he was the colonel of the Quebec militia in the defence of the colony.
Family
At Quebec CityQuebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
in 1678, he married Marie Madeleine Lambert du Mont (1662–1695), daughter of Eustache Lambert du Mont (1618–1673), Seigneur and Commandant of the Quebec Militia. After his father returned 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...
in 1679, they lived at his old house, 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...
, where all his children were born, and where he died. They were the parents of Eustache Chartier de Lotbinière
Eustache Chartier de Lotbinière
Eustache Chartier de Lotbinière , Seigneur de Lotbinière, Councillor of the Sovereign Council of New France and Keeper of the Seals of New France; Vicar-General, Archdeacon and the first Canadian Dean of Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral.-Birth:...
(who sold Kent House for £10,000) and the grandparents of Louis-Philippe Mariauchau d'Esgly. His sister married 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....
, 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...
, making de Lotbinière the uncle 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...
. The Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
on January 8, 1815, was fought on the plantation of his great-grandson, Ignace Martin de Lino de Chalmette, at Chalmette, Louisiana
Chalmette, Louisiana
Chalmette is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 32,069 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.