Map of the area involved in the first intercolonial war (1689-1697), and location of Anse aux Bouleaux on the north shore of the St. Lawrence Estuary, where the wreck of the ship from Phips' fleet was found.

Sir William Phips

William Phips was born into a poor family on February 2, 1651 in what is now the state of Maine. At age 18, he was employed as a shipbuilder's apprentice. Phips continued to work in shipbuilding in Boston, where he married a wealthy widow and set up his own shipyard. In 1684, he left to hunt for treasure that had sunk with a Spanish galleon, the Concepción, off the coast of what is now the Dominican Republic. After three years of searching, Phips discovered the shipwreck and recovered 32 tons of silver. He was knighted for his exploits.

From 1689 to 1692, New France and New England felt the repercussions of the war that raged between their mother countries in Europe. In 1690, the Massachusetts General Court ordered Phips to attack Port Royal in Acadia and Québec City. Even though he did not succeed in capturing Québec, he was appointed Governor of Massachussets by William III in 1692. He died in London two years later.

Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac, was born on May 12, 1620 at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. He served as Governor General and representative of Louis XIV in New France from 1672 to 1682 and from 1689 to 1698. He died in Québec City on November 28, 1698. In Canada, Frontenac is considered the architect of French expansion in North America and the defender of New France against attacks by the Iroquois Confederacy and the British colonies.

Return to index