DCB/DBC Mobile beta
+

As part of the funding agreement between the Dictionary of Canadian Biography and the Canadian Museum of History, we invite readers to take part in a short survey.

I’ll take the survey now.

Remind me later.

Don’t show me this message again.

I have already taken the questionnaire

DCB/DBC News

New Biographies

Minor Corrections

Biography of the Day

ROBINSON, ELIZA ARDEN – Volume XIII (1901-1910)

d. in Victoria 19 March 1906

Confederation

Responsible Government

Sir John A. Macdonald

From the Red River Settlement to Manitoba (1812–70)

Sir Wilfrid Laurier

Sir George-Étienne Cartier

Sports

The Fenians

Women in the DCB/DBC

The Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences of 1864

Introductory Essays of the DCB/DBC

The Acadians

For Educators

The War of 1812 

Canada’s Wartime Prime Ministers

The First World War

LE BAILLIF, GEORGES, Recollet, priest, missionary in Canada; fl. 1620–21.

Having been appointed to the Canadian missions, Le Baillif, member of a noble French family, left Honfleur around 8 May 1620 with Samuel de Champlain, and reached Quebec in mid-July.

Father Le Baillif was the friend and counsellor of Champlain, who had been asked by Henri II, Duc de Montmorency and viceroy of New France, and by the Sieurs Villemenon and Dolu, “to undertake nothing without the participation of this worthy Father.” They assured Champlain “that they would always approve of what he would do in association with Father Le Baillif,” who, continued Chrestien Le Clercq, “was a man of great uprightness, sound doctrine and prudence.” Father Le Baillif had many opportunities to display his talents.

On 17 July 1621 Champlain sent him to Tadoussac, with full authority to settle on his behalf the differences between François Gravé Du Pont and Guillaume de Caën. A provisional agreement was reached, and the dispute was referred back to France.

At the assembly of notables, held at Quebec on 18 August of that year, Father Le Baillif was selected to go and place before the king the complaints of the colony. The esteem already shown to him by Louis XIII made him the natural choice for this responsible appointment. He left Quebec on 7 Sept. 1621.

He was received on two occasions by the king, and submitted to him the needs of New France: the protection of the colony in case of attack by a foreign power; the building of a fort on Cap aux Diamants; the banning of an arms supply to the Indians by the Huguenot business men of La Rochelle; the cessation of the quarrels dividing the two companies of merchants; the maintenance and expansion of the Roman Catholic religion; the forbidding of any observance of the Protestant cult in the colony; the founding of a seminary at Quebec for 50 Indian children; the establishment of a stronger system of justice against wrong-doers; an increase in Champlain’s salary and authority.

The Recollet was successful in respect of the main issues: the conflict between the rival companies came to an end; Protestant worship was forbidden in the colony; the building of a seminary was decided upon and letters patent were promulgated accordingly. Thus, by his influence, Le Baillif made an important contribution to the restoration of peace in the colony.

At the Duc de Montmorency’s request, Father Le Baillif remained in France, as chief representative of the Recollets stationed in Canada. It was in this capacity that he appointed Brother Sagard, who was their first historian, to the Canadian missions; obtained gifts of land for the Trois-Rivières and Tadoussac missions; pleaded in favour of sending Jesuits to New France; and in 1625 presented to Louis XIII the dictionary of the Huron, Algonkin, and Montagnais languages compiled by the Recollet Joseph Le Caron.

By his calm, prudent, and effective action, Father Le Baillif was an agent of peace and progress for the colony in its early days.

G.-M. Dumas

BN, Imprimés, LK12, 774 [Georges Le Baillif], Plainte de la Nouvelle France dicte Canada, à la France, sa Germaine. Pour servir de Factum en vue d’une cause pendante au Conseil (fin 1621 ou début 1622). Champlain, Œuvres (Laverdière), 995f., 1001f., 1008–12, 1018. Le Clercq, First establishment of the faith (Shea), I, 152, 162–66, et passim. Sagard, Histoire du Canada (Tross), I, passim.

Ferland, Cours d’histoire du Canada, I, 192. Jouve, Les Franciscains et le Canada (1615–1629). Hugolin Lemay, “L’œuvre manuscrite ou imprimée des Récollets de la mission du Canada (Province de Saint-Denis), 1615–1629,” RSCT, 3d ser., XXX (1936), sect.i, 115–26. Trudel, Histoire de la Nouvelle-France, II.

General Bibliography

Cite This Article

G.-M. Dumas, “LE BAILLIF, GEORGES,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed March 19, 2024, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/le_baillif_georges_1E.html.

The citation above shows the format for footnotes and endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used in other citation formats:


Permalink:   http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/le_baillif_georges_1E.html
Author of Article:   G.-M. Dumas
Title of Article:   LE BAILLIF, GEORGES
Publication Name:   Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1
Publisher:   University of Toronto/Université Laval
Year of publication:   1966
Year of revision:   2017
Access Date:   March 19, 2024