Château Clique
Encyclopedia
The Clique du Château or Château Clique was a group of wealthy families in Lower Canada
in the early 19th century. They were the Lower Canadian equivalent of the Family Compact
in Upper Canada
. They were known on the electoral scene as the Parti bureaucrate (Bureaucratic Party, also known as the British Party or the Tory Party).
Like the Family Compact, the Château Clique gained most of its influence after the War of 1812
. Most of the families in the Clique were British
merchants, although some were French Canadian
seigneur
s who felt that their own interests were best served by an affiliation with this group. Some of the most prominent members were brewer John Molson
and James McGill
, founder of McGill University
. Generally, they wanted the French Canadian majority of Lower Canada to assimilate to English culture. This included the abolition of the seigneurial system
, replacing French civil law
with British common law
, and replacing the established Roman Catholic Church with the Anglican Church. Their efforts led to the Act of Union (1840), which ultimately failed to assimilate
all French Canadians but succeeded in preventing their political and economic interests from prevailing over those of Britain.
The Constitutional Act of 1791
had established three branches of government: the Legislative Assembly
, an elected lower house; the Legislative Council
, an appointed upper house; and the Executive Council, which acted as a kind of cabinet
for the lieutenant governor. The governor was always an appointed British nobleman, and he appointed members of the Clique as his advisers. The Clique was also able to establish itself in the Legislative Council, leaving the Legislative Assembly, made up of a majority of French-Canadian representatives, with little or no power.
Louis-Joseph Papineau
, as a reformer in the Assembly, was one of the fiercest opponents of the Chateau Clique. His struggles against the Clique and the Lieutenant Governor, Lord Gosford
, led to the Lower Canada Rebellion
in 1837.
After the rebellion, Upper and Lower Canada were united as the Province of Canada
, but the Château Clique did not disappear like the Family Compact. While the English-speaking population became the majority, the British-appointed governors still attempted to force the French Canadian population to assimilate. Canada East
, as Lower Canada
was called after the union, eventually gained some political independence with the union government of Robert Baldwin
and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
.
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
in the early 19th century. They were the Lower Canadian equivalent of the Family Compact
Family Compact
Fully developed after the War of 1812, the Compact lasted until Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1841. In Lower Canada, its equivalent was the Château Clique. The influence of the Family Compact on the government administration at different levels lasted to the 1880s...
in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. They were known on the electoral scene as the Parti bureaucrate (Bureaucratic Party, also known as the British Party or the Tory Party).
Like the Family Compact, the Château Clique gained most of its influence after the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Most of the families in the Clique were British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
merchants, although some were French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
seigneur
Seigneurial system of New France
The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudal system of land distribution used in the North American colonies of New France.-Introduction to New France:...
s who felt that their own interests were best served by an affiliation with this group. Some of the most prominent members were brewer John Molson
John Molson
John Molson was an English-speaking Quebecer who was a major brewer and entrepreneur in Canada, starting the Molson Brewing Company.-Birth and early life:...
and James McGill
James McGill
James McGill was a Scottish-Canadian businessman, military commander and philanthropist known for being the founder of McGill University...
, founder of McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. Generally, they wanted the French Canadian majority of Lower Canada to assimilate to English culture. This included the abolition of the seigneurial system
Seigneurial system of New France
The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudal system of land distribution used in the North American colonies of New France.-Introduction to New France:...
, replacing French civil law
Civil law (legal system)
Civil law is a legal system inspired by Roman law and whose primary feature is that laws are codified into collections, as compared to common law systems that gives great precedential weight to common law on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different...
with British common law
Common law
Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...
, and replacing the established Roman Catholic Church with the Anglican Church. Their efforts led to the Act of Union (1840), which ultimately failed to assimilate
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
all French Canadians but succeeded in preventing their political and economic interests from prevailing over those of Britain.
The Constitutional Act of 1791
Constitutional Act of 1791
The Constitutional Act of 1791, formally The Clergy Endowments Act, 1791 , is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain...
had established three branches of government: the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791...
, an elected lower house; the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Lower Canada
The Legislative Council of Lower Canada was the upper house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The upper house consisted of appointed councillors who voted on bills passed up by the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. The legislative council was...
, an appointed upper house; and the Executive Council, which acted as a kind of cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
for the lieutenant governor. The governor was always an appointed British nobleman, and he appointed members of the Clique as his advisers. The Clique was also able to establish itself in the Legislative Council, leaving the Legislative Assembly, made up of a majority of French-Canadian representatives, with little or no power.
Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau , born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the seigneurie de la Petite-Nation. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–1838. His father was Joseph Papineau, also a famous politician in Quebec...
, as a reformer in the Assembly, was one of the fiercest opponents of the Chateau Clique. His struggles against the Clique and the Lieutenant Governor, Lord Gosford
Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford
Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford GCB , styled The Honourable Archibald Acheson from 1790 to 1806 and Lord Acheson from 1806 to 1807, was a British politician who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada and Governor General of British North America in the 19th century.-Background:Born at...
, led to the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
in 1837.
After the rebellion, Upper and Lower Canada were united as the Province of Canada
Province of Canada
The Province of Canada, United Province of Canada, or the United Canadas was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham in the Report on the Affairs of British North America following the Rebellions of...
, but the Château Clique did not disappear like the Family Compact. While the English-speaking population became the majority, the British-appointed governors still attempted to force the French Canadian population to assimilate. Canada East
Canada East
Canada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canadian Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French-speaking region....
, as Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
was called after the union, eventually gained some political independence with the union government of Robert Baldwin
Robert Baldwin
Robert Baldwin was born at York . He, along with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, led the first responsible ministry in Canada, regarded by some as the first truly Canadian government....
and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine , 1st Baronet, KCMG was the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible government in Canada. He was born in Boucherville, Lower Canada in 1807...
.
Other members
- Jonathan SewellJonathan SewellJonathan Sewell was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Lower Canada.-Early life:He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of the last British attorney general of Massachusetts...
, member and Speaker of the Legislative Council of Lower CanadaLegislative Council of Lower CanadaThe Legislative Council of Lower Canada was the upper house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The upper house consisted of appointed councillors who voted on bills passed up by the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. The legislative council was... - Jacob MountainJacob MountainJacob Mountain was an English churchman who became the first Anglican Bishop of Quebec.-Biography:The third son of Jacob Mountain of Thwaite Hall, Norfolk, by Ann, daughter of Jehoshaphat Postle of Wymondham, he was born at Thwaite Hall on 30 December 1749, and educated at Caius College,...
, Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of QuebecAnglican Diocese of QuebecThe Anglican Diocese of Quebec was founded by Letters Patent in 1793, and is a part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada of the Anglican Church of Canada, in turn a province of the Anglican Communion... - William McGillivrayWilliam McGillivrayWilliam McGillivray was a Scotland-born fur trader and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Dunlichity, Scotland in 1764. In 1784, he travelled to Montreal with his uncle Simon McTavish and began work with the North West Company...
, fur trader - Edward BowenEdward Bowen (politician)Edward Bowen was an Irish-born lawyer, judge and political figure in Lower Canada. He was the 1st Chief Justice of the Superior Court for the Province of Quebec, and the 2nd Chancellor of Bishop's University.-Life:...
- Charles James StewartCharles James StewartCharles James Stewart was an English Church of England, clergyman, bishop, and politician. He was the second Bishop of Quebec from 1826 to 1837....
, Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of QuebecAnglican Diocese of QuebecThe Anglican Diocese of Quebec was founded by Letters Patent in 1793, and is a part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada of the Anglican Church of Canada, in turn a province of the Anglican Communion... - Horatio GatesHoratio Gates (businessman)Horatio Gates was a Canadian businessman, office holder, justice of the peace, and politician. He was the third president of the Bank of Montreal.-References:...
, banker
See also
- History of QuebecHistory of QuebecQuebec has played a special role in Canadian history; it is the site where French settlers founded the colony of Canada in the 17th and 18th centuries.-Paleoindian Era :...
- Timeline of Quebec historyTimeline of Quebec historyThis article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, Britain or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on Quebec's history....