Except for Francoise Marie Jacquelin and the Battle of Fort LaTour

Francoise Marie Jacquelin arrived in Acadia expecting a marriage and instead found herself at the center of a civil war. She was thrown in a dungeon, sailed the Atlantic several times to secure aid, and ultimately led the defence of Fort La Tour. It is no wonder she is known as the Lioness of Acadia. In this two-parter, we explore how a young woman from France became one of the most formidable figures in early history of what would become Canada, and why her story still resonates today.

Battle of Fort LaTour - etching by C.W. Jeffreys

Sources:

• Greer, Allan. Françoise-Marie de Saint-Étienne de La Tour. The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2008.

• Hannay, James. The Heroine of Acadia. St. John, N.B. : J.A. Bowes, 1910.

• MacDonald, M.A.. Fortune & La Tour: The Civil War of Acadia. Halifax: Nimbus Publishing, 2000.