Huguenots and the historians of New-France
First historians of New-France
- Marc Lescarbot
- Friendly attitude toward the Huguenots
- Trouble with the French Justice when he
publish his History of New-France in 1609
- Sagard and Charlevoix
- Both are Catholic priests
- They denounce the conducts of the
Huguenots
- Most of the historians and genealogists had minimized the
importance of the role play by the Huguenots in the
discovery and colonization of North-America
Notes:
- Huguenots and historians of New-France
- Most of the historians of New-France and even renowned
genealogists had minimized the role of the Huguenots in
the discovery and colonization of North-America. We have
to wait in the late 1960’s before historians start
to be more objective. The reasons resided in the fact
that most of the historians were Roman Catholic priests
or under the censorship of the Roman Catholic clergy.
- Marc Lescarbot has been the first historian of
New-France, he came in Acadia in 1606. He published his
history in 1609. Even if he was Catholic, he was a very
liberal ones and behave sometimes as a protestant. He
took part in conflicts against the Jesuits, he had many
troubles with the French justice probably for that
reason. His writing are quite favorable to the Huguenots.
- Both are catholic priest. The first one is a Franciscan
and the other a Jesuit. Sagard came to New-France as a
missionary and publish his »History of Canada» in 1632.
Charlevoix came in Canada in 1720 commissioned by the
French government to inquire on the existence of a west
sea. He publish is « General history and description of
New-France» in 1744. For him the Huguenots had a bad
influence on the colonization of New-France.