Louisbourg

• Main Author: Davis, Paul K
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University PressNew York, NY 2003
• Subjects: Breton Island; Canada; Lawrence River
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195219302.003.0047; https://academic.oup.com/book/chapter-pdf/52513069/isbn-9780195219302-book-part-47.pdf

Abstract Throughout the seventeenth century and into the eighteenth, Britain and France both colonized in North America. Britain, arriving first, occupied territory stretching along the eastern coast of the continent, while France was obliged to accept the less productive area of modern Canada. The northern territory had its economic benefits, however, and the French made large profits on furs and fishing. The British American colonists, however, also claimed the waters that the French fished, so not only the fishing rights but also the resulting supply of dried fish to European markets resulted in intense colonial rivalry. European wars had their North American aspects. After the War of the Spanish Succession ended with the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, France’s King Louis XIV decided to build a strong fort on the Ile Royale (modern Cape Breton Island) to act as a base for French shipping and protection for the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. Thus was Louisbourg conceived and born. Construction began in 1720 and went on in a haphazard fashion for the next twenty years. At its completion, it was hailed as the Gibraltar of North America, but it suffered in the years immediately following from poor maintenance, insufficient artillery, and a less than enthusiastic population. The garrison was made up of French marines and Swiss mercenaries, neither possessing high morale.