Martyrdom of Catherine Mercier and scalps - Ancestor families Mercier
It is about the kidnapping and Catherine Mercier martyrdom in several books on New France. She married Jean Boudart in La Rochelle, France, in 1642. The young couple has happened in Montreal the same time as its founder, Sieur de Maisonneuve? Perhaps!
The first time referred Boudart of Jean and Marie Mercier in North America in 1649. On August 29, they were baptized in Montreal, a child's first name Mary, who died shortly after birth and was buried on September 1 this year.
This took place in 1651 in Ville-Marie, in sight of the Fort, the cruel death of Jean and removal to Catherine unawares by the Iroquois. On May 6, eight or ten of them surprise the Grand-Jean Boudart and one of its neighbors, Jean Chicot, clearing land on the edge of the wood. They set off in pursuit of the two settlers. In his flight, Chicot hides under a recently felled tree, while Jean Boudart heads to his home. Near his house, he met his wife and asked if the house is open.
This took place in 1651 in Ville-Marie, in sight of the Fort, the cruel death of Jean and removal to Catherine unawares by the Iroquois. On May 6, eight or ten of them surprise the Grand-Jean Boudart and one of its neighbors, Jean Chicot, clearing land on the edge of the wood. They set off in pursuit of the two settlers. In his flight, Chicot hides under a recently felled tree, while Jean Boudart heads to his home. Near his house, he met his wife and asked if the house is open.
No, she replied, I closed it.
Ah! then cries Boudart is our death to both of us!
Ah! then cries Boudart is our death to both of us!
Let us flee quickly! '.
Boudart Jean and Catherine Mercier head to the big race toward the house. The Iroquois seize the woman who can not run at the same speed as her husband. Made near the house and almost saved the Grand-Jean leaves moved by the screams and the voice of Catherine and retraces his steps to defend against their enemies. He jumps over the Iroquois with fists. Unable to get rid of the husband attacker or take him prisoner, the barbaric massacre on the same place. They cut off his head they will take as a war trophy. They hold captive as his wife and set off in search of Jean Chicot.
Once they discover it, the unfortunate companion Jean Grand-violently resist his attackers. He defends himself, even unarmed, against these barbarians with great force. He hits so hard and foot of the attackers fail to train with them, nor to take him prisoner. Fearing against-attack alerted French who come to the aid of Chicot, the Iroquois decided to scalping the companion of Grand-Jean.
Winners of this sneak attack on the pioneers of the young infant colony of Ville-Marie, the attackers are moving in speed toward the St. Lawrence, the old port of Montreal today with the scalp of Jean Chicot, including a small part of his skull, the head of Jean Grand-Boudart and unfortunate captive, Catherine Mercier. What spoils for these barbarians who return to their country!
The funeral of Jean Boudart took place the day after his beheading. The burial certificate written in Latin, contains the following details. The translation of Father Adrien Pouliot SJ
The year of 1651 Lord, May 6, Boudart Jean was killed by the Iroquois (Hirocis); his wife, Catherine Mercier, was made captive. Both were of great virtue; both had received shortly before, they frequented the sacraments frequently. The next day May 7, the same John Boudart was buried in our cemetery Claude Pijart by me, a priest of the Society of Jesus.
"Or was the cemetery of the Jesuits in the Island of Montreal? How does one place has filed headless body of John Boudart took place the day after his beheading. The burial certificate written in Latin, contains the following details. Could the author to specify the exact place of burial.
The Scalp
According Faillon the scalped Chicot survived nearly 14 years without hair or a portion of the skull that the Iroquois had abducted him on May 6 1651.
The poor Catherine Mercier was put to death some two months after his abduction. She was still alive 5 July 1651. The Iroquois made her die 'in ordinary punishments' which included mutilation and burning the body of the victim. On October 28, 1651, Father Paul Ragneau described his martyrdom follows: A asFrench woman was taken in Ville-Marie, in May, for about fifty Iroquois, while at the sight of the fort, and taken captive. Since then she has been cruelly burned by these barbarians, after they had snatched her breasts, they had cut off his nose and ears, and they had unloaded on this poor innocent lamb, the weight of their rage, revenge for the death of eight of their men who had remained in a fight this summer. God gave courage and devotion to the poor woman; amid torments, ever she implored her aid. His eyes were glued to the sky and his heart was faithful to God until death. Exhaling, she still had to mouth the name of Jesus, invoked as long as it lasted sorrows.
'According Faillon the Iroquois war against the French and their Indian allies had all the religion to reason politics. Most indigenous of the residence in Trois-Rivières, newly converted to Catholicism, said under the same circumstances. It is to fight the enemies of prayer that we willingly expose our lives and if we die fighting, we believe die in defense of the Faith.
The poor Catherine Mercier was put to death some two months after his abduction. She was still alive 5 July 1651. The Iroquois made her die 'in ordinary punishments' which included mutilation and burning the body of the victim. On October 28, 1651, Father Paul Ragneau described his martyrdom follows: A asFrench woman was taken in Ville-Marie, in May, for about fifty Iroquois, while at the sight of the fort, and taken captive. Since then she has been cruelly burned by these barbarians, after they had snatched her breasts, they had cut off his nose and ears, and they had unloaded on this poor innocent lamb, the weight of their rage, revenge for the death of eight of their men who had remained in a fight this summer. God gave courage and devotion to the poor woman; amid torments, ever she implored her aid. His eyes were glued to the sky and his heart was faithful to God until death. Exhaling, she still had to mouth the name of Jesus, invoked as long as it lasted sorrows.
'According Faillon the Iroquois war against the French and their Indian allies had all the religion to reason politics. Most indigenous of the residence in Trois-Rivières, newly converted to Catholicism, said under the same circumstances. It is to fight the enemies of prayer that we willingly expose our lives and if we die fighting, we believe die in defense of the Faith.
The European war mentality that prevailed for centuries overseas, she has was taken by the French and the English in North American land? Catherine Mercier Why is it not mounted on the altars along the Jesuits and their given Fathers were martyred about the same time in North American land and canonized at the beginning of this century? Probably because she was a woman and that she was married.
The scalp
The scalp hair is an enemy, taken after an incision around the scalp. It is a symbolic ritual practice of ancient Iroquoian societies.
The Indians believed that the mind, the soul resided in the scalp because the hair continue to grow after death. The scalp was a way for warriors to capture the soul of the dead, their vital energy. We were going to eat the brains of fighters for appropriating their strength. It was also to find some relatives, died in battle and eaten by enemies.
Sun, war and hair are intimately linked in the Iroquois belief. They are also designated by the same word. The skull's skin with his hair was attached to a hoop decorated with a wicker made of ash slats.
The Indians believed that the mind, the soul resided in the scalp because the hair continue to grow after death. The scalp was a way for warriors to capture the soul of the dead, their vital energy. We were going to eat the brains of fighters for appropriating their strength. It was also to find some relatives, died in battle and eaten by enemies.
Sun, war and hair are intimately linked in the Iroquois belief. They are also designated by the same word. The skull's skin with his hair was attached to a hoop decorated with a wicker made of ash slats.
"Like fur, scalp and even acquired a prisoner exchange value on the colonial market North American "with the arrival of whites.
The fate of prisoners
Prisoners who were not adopted were used as slaves or killed. Violent death was considered a bad death: ideally, you had to die with his family, after exhausting his forces. Torture would have been intended to overcome the resistance of the enemy. As soon as he showed his weakness, you could run it.
word Thecomes from the "Iroquois"nickname than "Irinakhoiw"their enemies and gave them meaning "snake languages." The Iroquois men were fiercest thewarriors ofAmerica.
The disease, which has killed more than guns, has decimated populations, which forced the clans to undertake more wars.
The scalp practiced by Native Americans is not, contrary to what was long thought, a simple war trophy.
1622 Peace bequeathed by Champlain,gradually eroded over the thirty years while Iroquois the obtain Dutch established Fort ( OrangeToday Albany, NY), firearms in exchange for beaver pelts. French, The for their part, refuse this kind of barter, or do so to a very limited with Hurons converted to Christianity. Eager to avenge the defeats they suffered at the hands of French, and is now equipped to do so, Iroquois the are becoming increasingly hostile.
The fate of prisoners
Prisoners who were not adopted were used as slaves or killed. Violent death was considered a bad death: ideally, you had to die with his family, after exhausting his forces. Torture would have been intended to overcome the resistance of the enemy. As soon as he showed his weakness, you could run it.
word Thecomes from the "Iroquois"nickname than "Irinakhoiw"their enemies and gave them meaning "snake languages." The Iroquois men were fiercest thewarriors ofAmerica.
The disease, which has killed more than guns, has decimated populations, which forced the clans to undertake more wars.
The scalp practiced by Native Americans is not, contrary to what was long thought, a simple war trophy.
1622 Peace bequeathed by Champlain,gradually eroded over the thirty years while Iroquois the obtain Dutch established Fort ( OrangeToday Albany, NY), firearms in exchange for beaver pelts. French, The for their part, refuse this kind of barter, or do so to a very limited with Hurons converted to Christianity. Eager to avenge the defeats they suffered at the hands of French, and is now equipped to do so, Iroquois the are becoming increasingly hostile.
The latent conflict finally broke out in 1641, Governor when Montmagny,accompanied by his entire Subsequently, part by boat to meet their leaders near Trois-Rivières,to parley with them. In true European style, it makes up in a canoe handlebars - the flagship of the company - and a herald. - The protocol messenger
"The canoe and handlebars, and the herald" are received with scorn by who Iroquois,boo outfalls, shoot arrows on their boats, boast the scalp of an Algonquin allied with the French. Outraged "all these insolence" Montmagny responds by discharges swivel guns and muskets. This is the beginning of a quarter century of hostilities The situation
...is at this point when, in May 1642, a group of settlers, led by a former officer, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, is travels to the island of Montreal to found an institution. This requires a good dose of recklessness, because the place, close to the territory of the Iroquois, is particularly exposed to their attacks. The newcomers built a fort and, the following year, it settled artillery. If the people of Quebec are experiencing relative security, it does not hold true for those institutions Trois-Rivières and Montreal, where one never goes out "without his gun, sword and gun" . In fact, the danger is such that every person must be his own advocate. It is not surprising that we prefer to ask the king of the settlers who are "all people heart for war," knowing use "trowel in one hand and the sword in the The
other."defense of the colony is nonetheless organized. In August 1642, Governor Montmagny, France who received a contingent of forty soldiers, ordered the construction of a fort at the mouth of the Richelieu River, where now stands the city of Sorel to block the traditional route of the Iroquois invasions. In addition, the Queen of France, Anne of Austria, who is also interested in Canadian affairs, though especially from the perspective of the protection of missions, spends 100,000 pounds to raise and equip a company of 60 soldiers. This was done during the winter of 1643-1644. "Which company was distributed in different neighborhoods of this country," says a chronicle of the time.
These soldiers arrived in Quebec City in June 1644. On 7 September, having traveled 1300 kilometers on foot and by canoe, twenty-two ( 22) of them succeeded "Hurons", that is to say to the mission of St. Mary, on the shores of Lake Huron, where they stayed with the Jesuits and shared their table. In September 1645, they returned to Ville-Marie, escorting a convoy of some 60 canoes "loaded quantity beaver" This expedition was remarkable in several respects. First, it was the first time a French garrison, or even European, was sent to defend a position as far into the west. Then the soldiers went up the guard not in a very solidly built, equipped with guns, but in a mission with a simple fence protected the Native mode. Finally, the economic impact of the fur convoy returned safely thanks to the vigilance of their escort, was considerable.
These "soldiers of the Queen" were however insufficient to guarantee the security of the French and their allies. After 1645, their detachment seems to melt into the regular garrison, as it is no longer mentioned. At that time, the colony has perhaps sixty soldiers, divided between Montreal, Trois-Rivières and Quebec.
January 31, 2016
