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Threatened
by Iroquois and British attacks, the
French in Canada created a society organized
for war. By the 1650s, settlers and traders
had built wooden palisades and organized
tiny militias to defend their settlements
at Québec City, Montréal,
and Trois-Rivières. In 1669, Louis
XIV, King of France, required all Canadien
males aged 16 to 60 to join militia companies
and undergo military training. Learning
from their Huron and Algonkian allies,
these civilian soldiers used canoes,
snowshoes, moccasins, and leggings, and
the hit-and-run tactics of “la
petite guerre.” Supported by First
Peoples allies and a small garrison of
professional soldiers, the Canadien militia
formed the backbone of the colony’s
military forces until the Seven Years’
War (1756-1763).
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