The government of Trois-Rivières is one of three administrative divisions of Canada until 1764, the other two being the Government of Québec and Government of Montreal. At the time of the New France, the colony was divided into five individual governments: one in Quebec, the Trois-Rivières, one in Montreal, one in Newfoundland and one in Acadia. There was also a project that has not been done, create another government, that of Detroit. Each of these regions was known as the government because it was headed by a governor. The government of Trois-Rivières is the smallest of the three governments of the St. Lawrence Valley in area and population.
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History
It does not seem to act promulgating the creation of the three governments of Canada under the French regime (1608-1763). In this, the model here is similar to that of France. At that time, the valley of the St. Lawrence were three population centres: Québec (from 1608), Trois-Rivières (from 1634) and Montreal (from 1642). It then became necessary to create three governments. In Trois-Rivières, the first captain to hold the title of governor Francis Champflour in 1643. Thus appeared the three governments of New France.
At its inception in 1643, the Government of Trois-Rivières had only one permanent establishment, the position of Trois-Rivières. Manors had been granted around (Hertel fief in 1633, Godefroy fief in 1633, lordship Jesuits in 1634 lordship of La Madeleine in 1636, Godefroy de Lintot fief in 1637 Dutort lordship in 1637, lordship of Batiscan in 1639), while others were projected (fief de l'Arbre à-la-Croix in 1644, Marsolet fief in 1644). Despite several attempts, no one lived in these lordships because of the Iroquois threat, it was not until 1665 with the arrival of Carignan-Sallières. The stand of the Government of Trois-Rivières will begin on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River from Trois-Rivières down to the east, probably for the sole reason that the rest of the country was in a flood zone. Trois-Rivières is the first occupied, followed by Cap-de-la-Madeleine little after 1640, the Champlain from 1664 or 1665, the Batiscan to 1666 and Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade from 1667.
In 1648, the governor of Trois-Rivières became a member of the Council of Quebec, created the previous year. In 1651, the Government of Trois-Rivières has a Seneschal (court).
The government of Trois-Rivières was maintained by the British during the military regime (1760-1764), with the difference that during this period, each government is autonomous and was not submitted to the Quebec Governor. Each government resorted to a currency of a different course, required a passport for entry and exit. The two boundaries separating the three governments were a crossing equipped with a garrison: one in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Joliette, between the Governments of Québec and Trois-Rivières, and the other Maskinongé, between governments of Trois-Rivières and Montreal.
The government of Trois-Rivières was abolished on 10 when the British replaced the three governments by two districts, one in Quebec and Montreal. The Saint-Maurice River marked the division between the two districts.
Territory
The government of Trois-Rivières extended from Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade to Maskinongé on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, and Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets to Yamaska on the south shore. It was the closest of the three government contracts.
In the north, it extended vaguely to land the Hudson Bay, and south to the New England.
These limits have not been set at the creation of the government in 1643. The size of government has extended until the area of Trois-Rivières government meeting that the Government of Quebec and the Government of Montreal.
Its territory corresponds to the current regions of the Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec. It also included the eastern part of the region of Townships.
Lordships
The government of Trois-Rivières had up to 51 fiefs and lordships.
Thirty-four (34) lordships on the North Shore: 1. Sainte-Anne-East 2. Sainte-Anne-West 3. Sainte-Marie 4. Batiscan 5. Champlain 6. Cap-de-la-Madeleine 7-10. Islands of Saint-Maurice (Island Pigs or Pottery, St. Kitts, St. Joseph Island, Trinidad and Saint-Quentin) 11. Hertel 12. High-Boc 13. Niverville 14 Commune. 15. Coteau St. Louis 16. Sainte-Marguerite 17. Jesuits 18. Vieuxpont 19. Labadie 20. Boucher 21. Tonnancour 22. Saint-Maurice 23. Gastineau 24. Robert 25. Grosbois East 26. Grosbois West 27. Dumontier 28. Grandpre 29. Rivière-du-Loup 30. St. John 31. Maskinongé 32. Carufel 33. Dusablé 34. Lac Maskinongé
Seventeen (17) lordships on the south shore: 35. Yamaska 36. St. Francis 37. Lussaudière 38. Pierreville 39. Deguire 40. Baie-du-Febvre 41. Courval 42. Nicolet 43. Ile Moras 44. Roquetaillade 45. Godefroy 46. Marie Island 47. Bécancour 48. Dutort 49. Cournoyer 50. Gentilly 51. Lévrard
51 of these lordships, there are only two stately homes on the north shore (Cap-de-la-Madeleine and Niverville), and one on the south shore (Lévrard). As for the manorial mills, there remain only three on the north shore (Commune, Pointe-du-Lac Saint-Jean) and one on the south shore (Gentilly).
Parishes
From 1608 to 1764, these 51 manors, appeared eighteen (18) parishes and two missions.
Eleven (11) parishes on the North Shore:
1. Sainte-Anne 2. Batiscan 3. Sainte-Geneviève 4. Champlain 5. Cap-de-la-Madeleine 6. Trois-Rivières 7. Les Forges 8. Pointe-du-Lac 9. Yamachiche 10. Rivière-du-Loup 11. Maskinongé
Seven (7) parishes and two Native American missions on the south side:
12. Yamaska 13. Saint-François-du-lac 14. Mission St. Francis (current Odanak) 15. Baie-du-Febvre 16. Nicolet 17. Bécancour 18. Mission Bécancour (current Wolinak) 19. Gentilly 20. Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets
Each of these twenty parishes had its church and rectory. There are only two churches dating from the French regime (Cap-de-la-Madeleine 1715 and Recollects Anglicans-1754) and no parsonage. If the buildings no longer exist, there are works of art of this period in Sainte-Anne, Batiscan, Champlain, Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Trois-Rivières, Maskinongé, Saint-François-du-Lac and Gentilly.
Organisation
A series of ups and minor officials was appointed to assume the organization of each government. In particular governor (in Quebec, it was the Governor General), add a king's lieutenant to attend a sub-delegated the steward (the commissary or the Commissioner of the Navy or the general-voyer or warehouseman), a staff, guards for governor, with a Court of Justice judge, assistant prosecutor, clerk, notary, judge a castle to house the governor and his staff. Officers Staff have real rights and honorary rights.
Governors
To ensure the unity of the colony, individual governors of Trois-Rivières and Montreal were submitted to the Governor General that they were, in fact, Lieutenant Governors.
The first title is Governor Francis Champflour in 1643. Those above the list bore the title of captain.
Lieutenants of the King (Lieutenants de roi)
According to Pierre-Georges Roy, "The King's lieutenants were lieutenants individual governors. They occupied most of the military part of the troops and fortifications and suppléaient governors in their absence".
Majors
According to Pierre-Georges Roy, majors " were in charge of the police troops and saw the details of the military administration."