Pierre BOUCHER
1662 - Pierre Boucher meets King Louis XIV

...As soon as he arrived in the colony, Governor Du Bois d'Avaugour inspected the Trois-Rivieres and Montreal posts, which were the most exposed to Iroquois attacks. His verdict was a bombshell. France must immediately send "powerful support." To overcome the Iroquois "rabble," he said, at least 3,000 soldiers would be needed. with the aim of persuading the king and his court to move forward, the governor delegated Pierre Boucher, a former official of the Trois-Rivieres post, to go to France.

Only 12 when he arrived in New France with his family, Boucher had come to know the colony like the back of his hand. At an early age, he left on a mission with the Jesuits to learn Aboriginal languages and be an interpreter. After a first marriage to a Huron woman who died in childbirth, he later married Jeanne Crevier, settled in Trois-Rivieres, and courageously confronted the Iroquois.

Early in 1662, Boucher had a personal audience with the king and a long talk with Colbert. The listened attentively to his description of New France..., the Iroquois threat had to be eliminated very quickly. "It is not possible to go hunting or fishing for fear of being killed or captured by these rascals," he wrote. Boucher was convinced that the colony could finally prosper once it was rid of this threat.

History of Quebec for Dummies by Eric Bedard, published by John Wiley & Sons, Canada, Ltd.

Learn more about the life of      Pierre BOUCHER.

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