DEVAUDREUIL, PHILIPPEDERIGAUD
de Vaudreuil, Philippe de Rigaud
(ca. 1643–October 10, 1725)
French Colonial Governor
F
or more than two
decades, dogged
Governor Rigaud
de Vaudreuil shepherded
the province of New
France through an ex-
tremely critical era. He
authorized numerous raids
against New England,
kept the dreaded Iroquois
steadfastly neutral, and
enhanced Canada’s role
in the western fur trade.
Philippe de Rigaud de
Vaudreuil was born in Lan-
guedoc, France, around
1643, into an old aristo-
cratic lineage dating back
to the Middle Ages. The
family was impoverished,
but still of noble birth an-
cestry. This background
made him suitable for ser-
vice in an elite army formation, so in 1672 he
joined the famous Musketeers, of which the
king himself was captain. That year he cam-
paigned in Flanders and particularly distin-
guished himself. In 1677, Vaudreuil exposed
himself so bravely throughout the siege of Va-
lenciennes that he came to the personal atten-
tion of Louis XIV. However, his peacetime
prospects were less than encouraging. Being a
lowly captain and lacking money to purchase
a higher commission, Vaudreuil opted for ser-
vice in distant Canada with troops of the
Provincial Marine. He arrived at Quebec in
1687 and commenced drilling and equipping
several companies of infantry for service
against the ferocious Iroquois. The following
year he gained an appointment as acting gov-
ernor of Montreal and, while serving in this ca-
pacity, committed a major military mistake.
During a lull in the fighting, Vaudreuil mistak-
enly allowed civilians to
leave the city’s fortifica-
tions and return to their
homes in the outlying dis-
tricts. The Iroquois, alert
for such a move, quickly
fell upon the settlement
of Lachine, massacring
several inhabitants. No
blame was attached to
Vaudreuil for the disaster,
although the incident
highlighted his unfamil-
iarity with New World
warfare. Nonetheless, he
was a brave and capable
soldier and subsequently
accompanied Governor
Louis de Buade, Comte
de Frontenac, on sev-
eral successful forays
against Indian villages in
New York. In 1690, he was
also present at Quebec when Frontenac de-
feated an attacking force under Sir William
Phips. By war’s end he had gained recognition
from the French court and the Cross of St.
Louis, France’s highest military honor. He also
took a Canadian bride, which further endeared
him to the local population.
When Frontenac died in November 1698,
there was a mad scramble to succeed him as
governor of New France. Vaudreuil made
earnest solicitations of the minister of the ma-
rine, based upon his military reputation, but
he was viewed as too inexperienced for so im-
portant a post. Accordingly, François de Cal-
lieres became governor of New France and
Vaudreuil was formally installed as governor
of Montreal. The young soldier apparently
recognized his limitations, for he immersed
himself in his new duties and strove to learn
everything possible about civilian administra-Philippe de Rigaud de Vaudreuil
National Archives of Canada