Pierre Francois de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal (1698–1778) was a French Canadian colonial governor in the Americas. He was born November 22, 1698 to the governor of New France, Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil and his wife Louise-Elisabeth de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson, in Quebec. He was the last governor of New France (or Canada), during the period when the British conquered it in the French and Indian War.

Vaudreuil-Cavagnal rose quickly through the New France military and civil service, in part due to his father's patronage but also due to his innate ability. Commissioned an officer of the French army while still a youth, in 1733 he was appointed governor of Trois-Rivières, and in 1742 of Louisiana, proving himself a skilled officer and capable administrator. He moved to France in 1752 before being appointed by King Louis XV as governor of New France in 1755, just as the French and Indian War began.

The first governor of New France to be born in Canada, his leadership was questioned and some of his orders were ignored by high-ranking officials of the French army such as Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, who judged him to be "too Canadian." Although Vaudreuil-Cavagnal held supreme civil authority in Canada and was technically commander-in-chief of French forces there, he clashed often with Montcalm, the military commander in the field, who resented his oversight role. The two men grew to detest one another, much to the detriment of the French war effort. Vaudreuil-Cavagnal had excellent relations with the Canadian militia and with the Indian tribes allied with France; Montcalm looked down on both, preferring to rely upon French regular troops and making poor use of irregular Canadian and pro-French Indian forces.

When Montcalm's errors led to the British military triumph of Maj. Gen. James Wolfe at Quebec City in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, Vaudreuil-Cavagnal tried to rally resistance to the British, but to no avail. He was forced to surrender Montreal on September 8, 1760 to Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Amherst.

The Marquis sailed back to France in British custody, and was briefly imprisoned, from March to May 1762, in the Bastille for his role in the loss of Canada. After an inquiry in 1763, he was exonerated and retired to his ancestral estate near Rouen, although the episode ruined his fortunes. He died in Paris on August 4, 1778.

The Marquis's brothers had distinguished careers in the French army and navy.

See also

• Articles of Capitulation of Montreal
• Timeline of Quebec history

External links

• Biography at the Canadian Dictionary of Biography Online
• CyberAcadie : Biographie : Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, marquis de Vaudreuil (in French)
• Canadian Military Heritage - Mutual Dislike Between Colonial and Metropolitan Officers