The Only Canadian Marquis - Lotbinière Goads France Back to North America
Michel-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière was a bit player in the American Revolution, acting as an agent for the French before they joined on the side of the Patriots.
Michel-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière
Michel-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière was born into a wealthy French family of note in colonial Canada.
When he came of age, Lotbinière joined the military and studied as an engineer.
He fought in many of the wars which took place in North America during the first half of the 18th century and established himself as a respected constructor of military works.
Among his impressive efforts were the fortification of Quebec City and, perhaps most notably, the construction of Fort Ticonderoga (known then as Fort Carillon).
Conflicting with the British
After the British won the French and Indian War, most of the French residents of Canada were permitted to go about their business as they had under their previous government.
However, the King of England also banned all settlement west of the Proclamation Line of 1763 in an effort to cease hostilities between Native Americans and colonists.
Part of these lands, in Upstate New York, were owned by Lotbinière.
Michel-Alain attempted to receive permission to settle these lands but was refused. This led him (in as it did for many Virginians) to grow hostile to Great Britain.
Getting the French Back to North America
When the American Revolutionary War broke out, Lotbinière was a major proponent of France joining the fight.
His great hope was that Canada could be taken back by the French and he could return to the good-old-days before the British got involved.
Michel-Alain was hired by France to work secretly securing information for the King before they had officially signed on with the Americans.
Marquis
Lotbinière was not very good at keeping his job a secret and returned to France, with that country joining the war soon thereafter anyway.
He spent the next decade in France, during which time he was given the title of Marquis, the only Canadian born citizen ever to receive that title of nobility.
Between his efforts to beat Britain in the war and his accent into French nobility, he was no longer welcome in British Canada.
Lotbinière returned one last time to sell of his remaining property and moved to New York where he spent his final years until dying in the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1798.
Do you want to learn about other FRENCH FOUNDERS?
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Enjoy these articles:
Inspector General Philip Coudray Gets Murdered by a Horse
Louis Duportail Engineers the American Revolution
Recruiting Canada - Fleury Mesplet’s French Canadian American Revolution
The Lotbiniere Family was extremely important to the development of Canada.
Michel-Alain’s grandson was one of the most important people in the history of that nation. It’s a little after the time period we focus on here, but ‘Patrician Liberal’ is a good read if you’d like to learn more.
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