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.
Émilie Deschênes
Produced in Europe, this key was one of the items brought by the French who were attempting to found the colony of Charlesbourg-Royal between 1541 and 1543. It has not been possible to determine what this key opened or to whom it belonged. However, its size indicates that it was designed for a small lock, probably to a cupboard, chest or padlock.
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