History Browser

Part of Quebec's defences is shown firing upon the invaders’ ships during October 1690. The upper town was protected by a good wall with intermittent batteries. There were more defensive works up towards the Chateau Saint-Louis near Cape Diamond. In the lower town, facing the harbour, there were two strong French shore batteries armed with heavy 18 and 24-pounder naval cannon. Inland, a line of earthworks punctuated with 11 redoubts enclosed the city from the western side. This 19th century print is inaccurate in some details (for instance, the Château Saint-Louis which only had one storey in 1690) but gives a good sense of the general action. (Library and Archives Canada, C-006022)

A brief description of the attack on Quebec led by Admiral William Phips. This was in response to the attack on Schenectady by the French. Taken from the television series entitled "Canada: A People's History." Includes links to educational resources, bibliography, games, puzzles, and video clips.

Sir William Phips (1650-1694) is shown on the deck of one of the ships hired on credit by the New England colonies to carry an army of Massachusetts militia to Quebec. It is probably when they arrived in October 1690 that Phips and his officers realized what a formidable natural fortress Quebec really was.

This publication offers nine examples of Canadian campaigns chosen from different periods of history. It also includes a very brief history of the development of Canadian Army organization. The Principles of War, in the form adopted by the Canadian Chiefs of Staff, are printed as an appendix.

Join a French soldier, Vadeboncoeur, and explore the history of Quebec's defense and fortifications. This journey into the past will have your students "defending Québec" during three different periods: 1645, 1690 and 1745.

Founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, Quebec City was the capital of the French colony until 1759, when British troops conquered it. The city and the colony were brought into the British empire in 1763 by the treatise of Paris. Canada and the city of Quebec remained an English colony until the confederation of Canada in 1867

This painting by C.W. Jefferys shows Governor General Frontenac giving his famous reply to the American invaders' demand for the surrender of Quebec in 1690 - 'The only response I have for your general is through the muzzles of my cannons.' (Library and Archives Canada, C-073710)

This map shows the theatre of war for the campaigns in New France ('Nouvelle-France') and New England ('Nouvelle-Angleterre') between 1686 and 1711.

Encouraged by success at Port-Royal, the New Englanders sent a fleet and army under Phips to try to capture Quebec. The defenders, led by Count Frontenac, drove off the attack. The Americans, who had financed the attack on credit, were greatly chastened.