fter ten years of war against England, France's treasure was
depleted. Louis XIV and his ministers hoped to correct the
deficit with the help of the colonies in the New World. Pierre
le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, a French-Canadian fur trader,
presented to the King of France a plan for founding a colony
at the mouth of the Mississippi River. His sponsor was Louis
de Phelypeaux, Comte de Pontchartrain. In the company of his
brother, Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, Iberville
left France in October of 1698 with four ships and 200 settlers,
including women and children. On March 2, 1699, after arriving
at Mobile Bay, Iberville found the mouth of the Mississippi
and began traveling upstream. He encountered a bayou, which
he named Mardi Gras in honor of the day. Iberville established
colonies at Biloxi and Ocean Springs. He went back to France
and returned to Louisiana the following year. After his death
of yellow fever in La Habana in 1706, his brother Bienville
became the Governor of Louisiana. The first concessions of
land in what would be New Orleans were granted in 1708. Life
in the colony was very difficult and the settlers depended
on supplies from France, which was at war against Spain. Louis
XIV gave control of Louisiana to Antoine Crozat, a wealthy
banker, for a term of 15 years.
 |
|
A
Map of New France Containing Canada and Louisiana
in North America (1712-17) This map, a hand-colored
engraving by Herman Moll, shows the territory of Louisiana
entrusted by King Louis XIV to Antoine Crozat for
colonial exploitation.
The Historic New Orleans Collection
|
Control of the colony passed to the Company of the West,
known later as the Company of the Indies. After the death
of Louis XIV, a Regent, Duc Philippe of Orleans, occupied
the throne of France. John Law, a Scotsman of dubious past,
became an advisor to the Regent. He devised a plan to populate
Louisiana by selling shares and bringing people to the colony
willingly or by force. The person selected by Law to implement
the Company's venture was Bienville, who at 37 was named
Governor for a second term. Construction on the site of
the new city--called Nouvelle Orleans in honor of the Regent--began
in 1718 under Bienville's direction, against the advice
and suggestions of everyone else involved, including the
Royal Engineers and Law himself. Bienville prevailed, selecting
the site that Iberville had chosen earlier (approximately
where Esplanade Avenue is today). In June of 1718, three
ships arrived at the new city, bringing 800 new people in
addition to the 700 already there. Pierre le Blond de la
Tour, the Royal Engineer, signed the first completed plan
of New Orleans in April 1722. Streets were laid out in a
grid pattern, with St. Louis Parish and the Place d'Armes
in the same location where St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson
Square are today. In 1723 New Orleans became the capital
of Louisiana, after Biloxi, the city chosen by the Superior
Council, had burned down. Bienville remained as governor
until 1725, and was responsible for the arrival of the Ursuline
nuns, who built their first convent in 1730.
|
|
|
Taking
Possession of Louisiana and the River Mississippi
by Cavalier De La Salle (c. 1860) This color lithograph
by Bocquin was printed by Lemercier & Cie. It illustrates
the historic moment when the newfound territory received
its name in honor of King Louis XIV of France.
The Historic New Orleans Collection
|
In 1731 the Company had returned Louisiana to France. The
population was 7,000. For a third time, Bienville received
the investiture of governor. In 1743, after 44 years in
Louisiana, he requested to be relieved of his command and
went back to France. The Jesuits settled in his abandoned
plantation. Pierre Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudrieul, replaced
Bienville until 1753, when he was appointed Governor of
Canada. Vaudrieul established the first levee system in
New Orleans. After his departure to Canada, Vaudrieul was
replaced by Louis Billouart, Chevalier de Kerlerec. The
new governor never came to terms with his commissioners.
Kerlerec was recalled to France and sent to La Bastille.
At the end of the war, France lost all its colonies in the
Americas, the most important being Canada. To consolidate
its victory, England declared war against Spain. On November
13, 1762, Charles III of Spain received Louisiana from Louis
XV, after signing the secret treaty of Fontainbleau. When
the Treaty of Paris was signed on February 10, 1763, the
English received Florida from Spain as compensation. Louisiana
was in Spain's hands.
 |
|
View
of Jackson Square, New Orleans (1855) In this original
color lithograph, Jackson Square is framed by St.
Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo, and the Pontalba Apartments,
among other historic buildings (originally published
by DŸrler and Pessou & Simon).
The Historic New Orleans Collection
|
|
