What were the territorial and military consequnces of the fur trade on New France?

Territorial Consequences
The most important territorial consequence for New France was
  • the growth of its territory.

Over a period of one hundred fifty years New France's territory spread from a tiny colony on the St. Lawrence River to one that extended from the Atlantic to the Prairies, and from the lands surrounding Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. The demands of the fur trade and missionary zeal led to the exploration of the continent by explorers such as Jolliet and Marquette, LaVérendrye, LaSalle, Father Albanel and Radisson.

Military Consequences
The fur trade brought about a series of
  • alliances with the Native populations.
The French allied themselves with the Hurons and Algonquians while the Dutch, and later the English, allied themselves with the Iroquois. This led to numerous battles and skirmishes between the Europeans and their Native allies over the control of the fur trade. In 1649, the Hurons were destroyed by the Iroquois forcing the French to use coureurs de bois as their middlemen in the fur trade.

The expansion of New France's territory also brought about the

  • encirclement of the English colonies.
The English felt threatened by this since their own expansion westwards and their access to fur resources was now limited . This as well leads to numerous battles and wars and to the eventual conquest of New France by the English in 1760.

Try the following questions on the Topic 3: Territorial and Military Consequences