After two initial voyages to Canada, between 1535 and 1536, French navigator Jacques Cartier set out in 1541 to found a permanent French colony in Canada. He was aided in this venture by Jean-François de la Roque de Roberval. The two navigators and some 1,500 colonists settled at Cap-Rouge, now a suburb of Québec City. After two disastrous winters of deep freeze, hunger and conflict with Indigenous Peoples, the colony was abandoned in 1543. Browse these many images to discover Charlesbourg-Royal, the first and then abandoned French colony in Québec City.
Marc-André Grenier
In 2005, archaeologists located the remains of the first French attempt to colonize the area: the Charlesbourg-Royal site. Archaeological excavations followed in 2007, 2008 and 2010. More than 6,000 artifacts were found. These precious objects make it possible to study the first settlers’ living conditions and their encounters with Indigenous Peoples.
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