Treaty of Paris 1763

Paris (1763), Treaty of
The Treaty of Paris (1763), signed 10 February 1763 by France, Britain and Spain after 3 years of negotiations, ended the SEVEN YEARS' WAR. New France was surrendered by Governor Vaudreuil to a British invasion force at Montréal by the Articles of Capitulation on 8 September 1760. Prior to this the native allies of the French had reached an agreement with the British at Oswegatchie (25 August) and the Huron of Lorette had done likewise at Longueuil (5 September). The colony was under military occupation and under military rule until a definitive treaty of peace was negotiated.

By the terms of the treaty, Britain obtained Ile Royale [Cape Breton Island] and Canada, including the Great Lakes Basin and east bank of the Mississippi River, from France, and Florida from Spain. France retained fishing rights in Newfoundland and the Gulf of ST LAWRENCE, acquired Saint Pierre and Miquelon as an unfortified fishing station and had her lucrative West Indian possessions, trading centres in India and slaving station on the Île de Gorée (in present-day Senegal) restored. In accordance with the conditional capitulation of 1760, Britain guaranteed Canadians limited freedom of worship. Provisions were made for exchange of prisoners; Canadians were given 18 months to emigrate if they wished; and government archives were preserved.

Britain had acquired a large empire and France was still able to challenge British naval supremacy, but Spain achieved none of her war aims.

See also ROYAL PROCLAMATION OF 1763.

Author CORNELIUS J. JAENEN

Links to Other Sites
French Canada and the Early Decades of British Rule (1760 - 1791)
A digitized copy of a booklet that examines the issues and policies that defined Britian's administration of its North American colonies in the decades preceeding the implementation of the Quebec Act and the Constitutional Act. From the Canadian Historical Association and Library and Archives Canada.

Forges du Saint-Maurice National Historic Site of Canada
This Parks Canada site presents the intriguing history of French and English iron making operations at Canada's first industrial village.

Fort Pitt Museum
See a timeline of major conflicts involving British, French, American, and Native American forces on the site of the former Fort Duquesne (in western Pennsylvania). From the website for the Senator John Heinz History Center in the US.

Studio 2: William Fowler on the Seven Years' War
An interview with history professor William Fowler, author of "Empire: The Seven Years' War and the Struggle for North America." Fowler stresses that the Seven Years' War, which ended in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris, was actually the first real world war. From TVO.

Battles of 1759 and 1763
This site chronicles key military conflicts in Québec during the 18th century. From The National Battlefields Commission.