Acadia

(proper noun)

A colonial territory owned by France in the 17th and early 18th centuries, spanning over what is now the northeast USA and the Maritime provinces of eastern Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland).

Related Terms

Examples of Acadia in the following topics:

  • New France and Louisiana

    • New France, colonized by France in the 16th century, included the colonies of Canada, Acadia, Hudson Bay, Newfoundland, and Louisiana.
    • The territory was then divided into five colonies, each with its own administration: Canada, Acadia, Hudson Bay, Newfoundland (Plaisance), and Louisiana.
    • The treaty resulted in the relinquishing of French claims to mainland Acadia, the Hudson Bay, and Newfoundland, and the establishment of the colony of Île Royale (Cape Breton Island) as the successor to Acadia.
    • Britain received the lands east of the Mississippi River, including Canada, Acadia, and parts of Louisiana, while Spain received the territory to the west—the larger portion of Louisiana.

  • Empires in Conflict

    • The most important conflicts were Queen Anne's War, in which the British won French Acadia (Nova Scotia), and the final French and Indian War (1754–1763), when France lost all of Canada.
    • By raiding settlements in the south of present-day Maine, New France and the Wabanaki Confederacy were able to thwart New England expansion into Acadia, whose border New France defined as the Kennebec River in southern Maine.
    • Major Benjamin Church retaliated by raiding Acadia and capturing prisoners for ransom.
    • The privateering was finally curbed in 1710 when Britain provided military support to its American colonists, resulting in the British Conquest of Acadia (which became peninsular Nova Scotia), the main base used by the privateers.
    • By the Treaty of Utrecht, Britain gained Acadia, the island of Newfoundland, the Hudson Bay region, and the Caribbean island of St.

  • European Wars in the Colonies

    • New France and the Wabanaki Confederacy thwarted New England expansion into Acadia by raiding settlements in present-day Maine, whose border New France defined as the Kennebec River in southern Maine.
    • The privateering was finally curbed in 1710 when, under the command of Francis Nicholson, Britain provided military support to American colonists, resulting in the British Conquest of Acadia (which later became peninsular Nova Scotia), the main base used by the privateers.
    • The war ended in 1713, and by the Treaty of Utrecht, Britain gained Acadia, the island of Newfoundland, the Hudson Bay region, and the Caribbean island of St.
    • During the war, the French made four attempts to regain Acadia by capturing the capital, Annapolis Royal.

  • French Colonialization

    • The French colonial empire truly began on July 27, 1605, when Port Royal was founded in the colony of Acadia, in what is now Nova Scotia, Canada.
    • Acadia, a colony of New France that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine to the Kennebec River, was lost to the British in the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

  • Troubled Neighbors

    • The most important wars were Queen Anne's War (1702-1713), in which the British won French Acadia (Nova Scotia), and the final French and Indian War (1754–1763), when France lost all of Canada.

  • The French Empire

    • In 1604, Saint Croix Island in Acadia was the site of a short-lived French colony, which was plagued by illness.

  • The War and Its Consequences

    • Early in the war in 1755, the British had expelled French settlers from Acadia, some of whom eventually fled to Louisiana.

  • The French and Indian War

    • Britain gained control of French Canada and Acadia, colonies containing approximately 80,000 primarily French-speaking Roman Catholic residents.