The ability of a person or population to resist or be protected from a disease, often because of previous exposure or vaccination.
Immunity
A French-Canadian fur trader and canoe traveler who transported goods and furs between settlements and trading posts in New France.
Voyager
Money, goods, or property a woman brings to her husband or his family upon marriage; often required in early modern Europe and New France.
Dowry
An economic policy in which a country seeks to accumulate wealth and power by controlling trade, exporting more than importing, and establishing colonies.
Mercantilism
Large parcels of land in New France granted by the king to lords (seigneurs) to settle and farm; part of the feudal system.
Seigneuries
A widespread outbreak of a contagious disease affecting many people in a community, region, or population at the same time.
Epidemic
An original document, object, or record created at the time of an event, such as letters, diaries, photographs, or artifacts.
Primary Source
A territory controlled and settled by a foreign power, often used to gain resources or strategic advantage.
Colony
The policy or practice of extending a country’s power and influence over other territories, often through conquest, colonization, or economic domination.
Imperialism
Farmers or settlers who lived and worked on seigneuries in New France; they paid rents and performed duties for the seigneur.
Habitants
A formal document granting rights, privileges, or authority to a person, group, or company; in colonial times, often used to authorize settlement or trade.
Charter
Exclusive control over the trade of a good or service, often granted by a government or king to a company or individual.
Monopoly
Lords or landowners in New France who were granted seigneuries by the king; responsible for managing land and supporting settlers.
Seigneurs
Independent French-Canadian fur traders who lived and worked in the wilderness, trading directly with Indigenous peoples, often without official permission.
Coureur De Bois
A society in which multiple cultural groups maintain their unique traditions and identities while coexisting within a larger community.
Cultural Pluralism
Young women sent by the king of France to New France to marry settlers and help increase the population of the colony.
King's Daughters (Filles De Roi)
The main governing body in New France that made decisions about laws, justice, and administration under the authority of the king.
Sovereign Council
A Catholic religious order of priests and missionaries who came to New France to convert Indigenous peoples to Christianity and provide education.
Jesuits
The official in New France responsible for the military, defense, and representing the king’s authority in the colony.
Governor
Farmers and settlers who lived on seigneuries, worked the land, and paid rents or performed duties for the seigneur.
Habitants
French-Canadian fur traders who traveled long distances by canoe to transport furs and goods between settlements and trading posts.
Voyageur
Independent French-Canadian fur traders who traded directly with Indigenous peoples, often living in the wilderness without official authorization.
Coureur De Bois
Men stationed in New France to defend the colony from attacks by rival European powers or hostile groups, including some Indigenous allies.
Soldiers
The religious institution and its leaders in New France, including priests, bishops, and missionaries, responsible for guiding spiritual life, education, and moral order in the colony.
Catholic Church and Clergy