Charles de Biencourt de Saint-Just
Charles de Biencourt de Saint-Just was a French colonial leader born around 1591 or 1592 in Champagne, France. He was the son of Jean de Biencourt, baron of Poutrincourt, and spent part of his early life in Acadia, a region in present-day Canada. Biencourt first arrived at Port-Royal in 1606, learning the language and customs of the local Mi'kmaq First Nations people. After returning to France for a short period due to funding issues, he returned to Acadia in 1610 with his father and a priest to continue missionary work and engage in fur trading.
Despite his efforts, Biencourt faced significant challenges as a leader, particularly with the arrival of Jesuit priests in 1612, which intensified rivalries in the region. A notable setback occurred in 1613 when he was absent during an English attack on Port-Royal, leading to considerable destruction and hardship. Although Biencourt and a small group remained and initially rebuilt the settlement, their success dwindled due to a lack of support from France and a decline in new settlers. In his later years, he reportedly lived among the Mi'kmaq, and he died around 1623 or 1624 near Port-Royal.
Subject Terms
Charles de Biencourt de Saint-Just
Colonial leader
- Born: ca. 1591/1592
- Birthplace: Champagne, France
- Died: ca. 1623/1624
- Place of death: Port-Royal, Acadia (Nova Scotia)
Contribution: French colonizer Charles de Biencourt de Saint-Just, together with his father, commanded Port-Royal, Acadia, a French colony established in North America in 1605. The first settlement of Port-Royal endured many hardships and ultimately failed after 1613; however, Biencourt’s ability to communicate with the aboriginal people helped the colony survive its earliest years.
Early Life and Education
Charles de Biencourt de Saint-Just was born in 1591 or 1592 in Champagne, France, to Jean de Biencourt, baron of Poutrincourt and Saint-Just, and Claude Pajot. In 1606, Biencourt traveled with his father to the new settlement at Port-Royal and quickly learned the customs and language of the Mi’kmaq First Nations tribe living there. Although Biencourt and his father arrived in Acadia in 1606, they returned to France in 1607 because of insufficient funding for the colony. While in France, they attempted to start a fur-trading business but were unsuccessful. They returned to the Port-Royal area three years later, in 1610.
Career
As Biencourt and his father embarked once again for Acadia, they took a priest with them, hoping to convert the Mi’kmaq people to Catholicism. Here again, Biencourt’s ability to speak the Algonquian Mi’kmaq language (one of the larger family of Macro-Algonquian languages) proved helpful.
Not long after their arrival, Biencourt transported a number of furs to France in 1611, hoping to attain a petition for trading privileges. Upon arriving in France and presenting the furs and petition, Biencourt was granted the title of vice-admiral of the seas of New France. He was sent back to Port-Royal and continued the missionary work begun in 1610.
Not long after Biencourt arrived in Acadia, his father returned to France, hoping to get more monetary assistance for the colony. In his absence, Biencourt took charge of Port-Royal. Facing numerous difficulties and conflicts, Biencourt was an ineffective leader. In 1612, the situation worsened with the arrival of Jesuit priests, marking the beginning of a rivalry between the Jesuits and Biencourt.
In 1613, Biencourt was absent during an English attack on Port-Royal. Buildings were destroyed, crops were ruined, and the settlement was left with little hope of survival. Biencourt’s father returned to the colony in 1614. Taking stock of the devastation, he and Biencourt learned that only a watermill and some animals, weapons, and crops remained. The supplies were sparse, and Biencourt’s father encouraged many people to return to France. However, Biencourt and a few others chose to remain in Acadia, and Biencourt’s father officially gave him command over the Port-Royal colony.
Those who remained in Acadia worked hard from 1614 to 1617 and established a successful fur-trading and fishing industry. However, their success was short-lived, partly because France would not assist Biencourt in his endeavors and fewer new recruits were settling in the colony. From 1618 on, the success of Port-Royal declined.
Personal Life
During his last few years, it is believed that Biencourt lived among the Mi’kmaq nation. He died sometime in either 1623 or 1624 near the Port-Royal settlement.
Bibliography
Jones, Elizabeth. Gentlemen and Jesuits: Glory and Adventure in the Early Days of Acadia. Halifax: Nimbus, 2002. Print.
“The Port Royal Habitation: Four Hundred Years of European Settlement in North America.” Nova Scotia Archives. Province of Novia Scotia, 16 Jan. 2006. Web. 31 July 2013.
Reid, John G., and Emerson W. Baker. Essays on Northeastern North America, Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2008. Print.
Ryder, Huia. “Biencourt de Saint-Just, Charles de.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. 1. University of Toronto, 1979. Web. 31 July 2013.
Wachtel, Joseph Robert. “Very Advantageous Beginnings”: Jesuit Conversion, Secular Interests, and the Legacy of Port Royal, 1608–1620. Diss. Miami University, 2008. Oxford: Miami U, 2008. Print.