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Radison and Groseilliers get permission to start HBC
Pierre Radison and his brother-in-law Médart des Groseilliers found fur in modern day Canada and wanted to start a trade. They went to the French king who refused to sponsor them so they went to Prince Rupert and King Charles II of England, who agreed to sponsor them. -
Rupert's Land Claimed
When the treaty for the Company was signed, England claimed all the land around the rivers and streams that run into Hudson's Bay, which is one-third of the land of modern-day Canada. The French were not allowed to come into that area. -
First Public Sales
The Company’s first public sale of lots is held at Garraway’s Coffee House in London. -
Trading Posts Built
The first trading post built after the founding of the Company is Moose Factory (1673), followed by Fort Albany (1674), Fort Severn (1680) and York Factory (1684). HBC traders establish relationships with Aboriginal Peoples who transport European goods to their trading partners who live further inland.
The trading posts are managed by a Factor, a term for a Company agent, a deputy or representative. -
Aboriginal Peoples Helping
Most Aboriginal peoples devoted their time either traveling in order to trade or to trapping fur bearing animals. The concentration on hunting beaver for the fur trade took a number of Aboriginals away from their normal subsistence of hunting and fishing. -
Charles Fort captured
Fort Charles was captured by the French and renamed Fort Saint-Jacques. It remains in French control until the treaty of Ryswick. -
French and British are at War
The soldiers attack the posts by land and sea and gain control of the trading. York Factory is under French control for 16 years which severely limits the supply of furs going to London. When the war ends in 1713, the Company’s trading posts are returned to Britain’s control as part of the Treaty of Utrecht. HBC regains undisputed possession of its posts on Hudson Bay. -
Hudson's Bay Forts captured
Pierre de Troyes, captain in the French army captures a number of Hudson Bay forts by surprise. They included Charles Fort, Moose Factory and Albany Fort. -
Henry Kelsy Travels West of York Factory
Henry Kelsey was part of an HBC party that traveled north to build a post at the mouth of the Churchill River. He headed inland to search for new First Nations trading partners, and used the northern shore of Lake Winnipeg as his main base for travel. He was the first white man to reach the prairies and to learn about the Rocky Mountains from First Nations peoples. He recorded his travels in journals. Later he became the Governor of Rupert’s Land, in charge of all HBC posts in North America. -
English Recapture Forts
The English recover all the James Bay forts, and the men of the
captured garrisons are taken prisoner to England; Pierre Radisson
dies. -
Treaty of Ryswick signed
The Treaty of Ryswick, or Ryswyck, was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick (now Rijswijk) in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the War of the League of Augsburg (Nine Years' War), which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces.[1] Under the terms of the treaty, France renounced some recent territorial gains, but did gain recognition for its control over Acadia and Saint-Domingue (to-be Haiti). -
Bibliography
(n.d.). Retrieved 17, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/empireofthebay/profiles/rg.htm
(n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2017, from http://www.hbcheritage.ca/classroom/timeline
Fur Trade Timeline. (n.d.).
(n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://www.waskaganish.ca/the-fur-trade
Treaty of Ryswick. (May). Retrieved May 29, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Ryswick
