The Canadian case is a scandal in the Kingdom of France , resulting in one of the most famous lawsuits of the 18th century .
After the loss of New France in the Franco-Indian War (formerly part of the more global Seven Years' War ), the French authorities decided to find scapegoats in the face of the leadership of the lost region (according to the Paris Peace Treaty of 1763, which left Britain ).
Since the commander-in-chief of the French troops in North America, Louis Joseph de Moncalme, died during the siege of Quebec in 1759 and given the reluctance of King Louis XV to judge the military and naval ministries, the main defendants were New France's Quartermaster Francois Bigot ( fr. François Bigot ), General the governor of New France, Pierre de Rigot de Vaudreuil ( fr. Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil ) and other administrators of New France. Bigot and Vodrey were enclosed in the Bastille on November 17, 1761 and March 30, 1762 , respectively.
The case lasted two years, after detecting corruption and financial scandals, 55 defendants participated in the trial. Vodrey was found not guilty on December 10, 1763 , and Bigot was sentenced to pay 1.5 million livres of restitution.
Links
- Denis Vaugeois , Les Juifs et la Nouvelle-France , les Éditions Boréal Express, 1968.
- Gérard Saint-Martin, Québec 1759-1760! Les plaines d'Abraham, L'adieu à la Nouvelle-France? , Économica, 2007, ISBN 978-2-7178-5350-6