Thirteenth Governor of New France. Born in the Normandy village of Thorigny-sur-Vire, (France) in 1648. He ranked as captain in the Regiment of Navarre. He came to Canada in 1684, and was appointed Governor of Montréal at the demand of the Sulpician Fathers who were Seigneurs of the island. The situation of the colony at that time was most critical, owing to weakness of New France Governor de la Barre and the woeful error of the French government in sending to the galleys in France some captured Iroquois chiefs. In 1689, he proposed to King Louis XIV to invade New England by land and sea, and obtained the reappointment of Frontenac as New France governor. In 1690, he marched to the defense of Québec, when this city was besieged by Admiral Phips. A valiant and experienced soldier, he aided Frontenac in saving New France from the Iroquois and in raising the prestige of the French flag. In 1694, he was one of the first to receive the Cross of St. Louis Having succeeded Frontenac in 1698, he faced a serious problem with the Iroquois who were caught up in fur trade rivalry between Albany (NY) and New France. Lengthy hostilities had pitted New France and its allies against the Iroquois. To counter the Iroquois, the French fortified their settlements and enclosed Montréal in a palisade, but lives were in constant danger. In attempting to negotiate a treaty with the Iroquois, he needed to include all First Nations allied to the French. However, some of these tribes had been warring with the Iroquois longer than could be remembered. After three years of negotiations, some thirteen hundred individuals from over thirty nations gathered in Montréal for a great feast. Afterwards, "La Grande Paix de Montréal" (The Great Peace Treaty of Montréal) was signed on August 3, 1701 by officials of New France and agreed to by the chiefs of all attending nations, officially ending almost a century of conflict. This treaty is considered as his chief title to fame. That same year he sent Lamothe-Cadillac to found Detroit. One of the most conspicuous figures in Canadian history, he left a reputation of disinterestedness, honour, and probity. He died in his capital city of Québec on May 26, 1703.