small flourish

Chronology

1709
Intendant Jacques Raudot publishes a decree approving the legal ownership of Indian and Black slaves on the territory of New France.

1717
Beginning of the construction of fortifications around the city. Work is ongoing for a period of 27 years.

1717-1721
Construction of a courtroom and prisons.

1721
Major fire in Montréal in the vicinity of Place du Marché; 171 houses are destroyed. Houses located east of rue Saint-Joseph (Saint-Sulpice) as well as the Hôtel-Dieu hospital are once again destroyed in 1734.

1723-1728
Reconstruction of the Hôtel-Dieu hospital.

1729
The slave from Portugal, Marie-Josèphe known as Angélique, is sold by Nicolas Bleeker to François Poulin de Francheville and his spouse Thérèse de Couagne.

1730
June 28
The Poulin de Francheville couple discovers that Angélique is with child; they waste no time having her baptized.

1731
January 11
Angélique gives birth to a boy registered under the name “Eustache, negro of M. Francheville.” The father is a slave as well, Jacques-César, who is owned by the Gamelin family. The child dies.

1732
May 26
Angélique gives birth to twins: Marie-Françoise and Louis, children of Jacques-César. They both die.

Summer
The hot weather ruins the crops.

September
Claude Thibault, salt smuggler, lands in Montréal. His sentence to the gallows has been commuted to a life in exile in Canada. He is of a group of 12 salt smugglers including Jacques Jalleteau.

1733
A smallpox epidemic afflicts approximately 2,000 inhabitants.

November 30
François Poulin de Francheville falls victim to the epidemic.

Fall
The earth shakes and aftershocks are felt for another 40 days.

1734
February 22
Angélique and Claude Thibault flee. They attempt to reach the British colonies.

March 5
Angélique and Thibault are brought back to Montréal. Angélique is returned to her owner and Thibault is thrown in jail.

April 8
Thibault is released from jail.

April 9
Thibault arrives at the home of widow Poulin de Francheville to claim money due before his escape.

April 10
Shortly after the evening prayer, a fire breaks out on the roof of the home of widow Francheville, on rue Saint-Paul. In three hours the city hospital and 45 houses are destroyed.

April 11
A rumour circulates to the effect that the fire could have been set by Angélique and her lover Claude Thibault. The King's prosecutor orders that they be arrested and the judge instructs that the witnesses be subpoenaed to appear in court. Bailiff Jean-Baptiste De Coste finds Angélique in the yard of the hospital where she has sheltered some of her mistress’s possessions.

April 12
Angélique undergoes the first of six interrogations in the course of which she will constantly deny being the perpetrator of the crime.

April 14 and 15
The judge hears in his private hotel the depositions of the first 12 witnesses.

April 16, 17 and 19
The prosecutor requests the intervention of priests from the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice in order to have a letter read in church to parishioners, admonishing them to denounce those who took advantage of the fire to commit robberies. A few individuals are placed under arrest and houses are searched.
The judge issues a warrant for the arrest of Claude Thibault.

April 21, 23 and 24
Interrogation of persons accused of stealing items from the ruins of houses destroyed by the fire.

May 1
Louis Langlois dit Traversy and Marie-Françoise Thomelet bear witness to the character of the accused.

May 3
Second interrogation of Angélique.

May 5
The judge orders the silversmiths of the city to report all persons attempting to sell them damaged or burned objects. The authorities are searching for sacred urns stolen from the Hôtel-Dieu chapel.

May 6
The judge requests to hear statements by Alexis Lemoine Monière, Ignace Gamelin son, Catherine Custeau, Jacques Jalleteau and Jeanne Nafrechoux. With these new testimonies, he makes his way to the jail to interrogate the accused a third time.

May 9
The judge pursues his inquest for robbery by interrogating more suspects.

May 12, 13, 14, 17
The judge proceeds with the re-examination of the witnesses. Angélique is finally presented with the charges laid against her by the prosecutor. She defends herself.

May 12, 14
The judge has the accused confront some of the witnesses.

May 14
Fourth interrogation of the accused.

May 15
Louis Bellefeuille dit Laruine testifies regarding the behaviour of Claude Thibault on the night of the fire and includes details regarding the character of the accused. The judge then confronts the Franchevilles' former servant, Marie-Louise Poirier dit Lafleur, with the accused.

May 19
Louis Dubuisson and François Berey des Essars testify.

May 25
The judge calls for another public cry against Claude Thibault.

May 26
The prosecutor orders the torture of the accused prior to rendering a final judgement. A surprise witness is brought before the judge.

May 27
The judge has the accused confronted with young Charlotte Trottier Desrivières, Volant Radisson and the surgeon Boudard. He proceeds with the re-examination of young Amable Lemoine Monière in order to have her confront Angélique. The day concludes with the first intense interrogation of Angélique, who is forced to sit on a small stool, in the presence of four counsellors.

May 31
The authorities advise the settled Indian nations not to assist French criminals in their attempts to escape. Claude Thibault remains unfound.

June 2
The judge brings in young Marguerite de Couagne to confront the accused.

June 4
The judge summons the owner of the slave, forcing her to appear at the prison in order to confront the accused. The King's prosecutor makes his closing remarks and the judge proceeds with a second intense interrogation of Angélique, who is forced to sit on a small stool, in the presence of the counsellors. The day concludes with their findings of guilt and a sentence of death. The prosecutor appeals the sentence and prepares to take the accused before the Conseil Superieur in Québec City with a copy of the trial proceedings in hand.

June 12
The Conseil Superieur rejects the appeal and sends the accused back with another death sentence carrying less brutal details.

June 21
Angélique is subjected to torture in the ordinary and extraordinary ways in order to have her avow her crime and accomplices. Following honourable amends in front of the parish church, she is executed near the "mare à Bouchard," a pond on rue Saint-Paul.

July 12
The intendant decrees and makes public an ordinance regarding the behaviour to adopt in order to prevent fires.

July 30
The King's prosecutor inspects all chimneys in the city and hands down fines to many Montréal citizens.

August 31
Marguerite César dit Lagardelette is declared legally “mad” and is interned.

October 9
The governor and the intendant write a long letter to the King describing the situation in Montréal and the enormity of the losses suffered.

1735
Reconstruction of the Hôtel-Dieu hospital is completed over the course of the year.
The road between the cities of Québec and Montréal is completed. The road runs along the Saint-Laurent River on the north shore and makes it possible to cover the distance in four days.

October 18
The authorities drop the charges against Thibault.

1742-1744
Reconstruction of the nuns' residence and of the Hôtel-Dieu chapel.

1744
Construction of the stone fortifications is completed.

Return to parent page