Colonial Period in Louisiana

Timeline

The colonial era of Louisiana lasted from the 1500s to 1803, when France sold the territory to the United States. During this time, the territory was governed by the French, the Spanish, and the United States.

 

French colonial period

1519: Spanish explorer, Alonso Alvarez de Pineda, led an expedition along the northern shore of the Gulf of Mexico and discovered the mouth of the Mississippi River

1541 – First European Contact

  • Hernando de Soto (Spain) reaches the Mississippi River. Marks the first recorded European encounter with the river.
  • (Details Here)

1673 – French Exploration

  • Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet explore the Mississippi River from the north, confirming it flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
  • (Details Here)

1682 – France Claims the Mississippi River Valley

  • Robert de La Salle travels from the Illinois country down the Mississippi to the Gulf.
  • He claims the entire river valley for France, naming it “La Louisiane” for King Louis XIV.
  • (Details Here)

1699 – First French Settlements in Lower Mississippi

  • Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville establish Fort Maurepas near the Gulf.
  • Begin building a French presence at the river’s mouth to protect trade routes inland.
  • (Details Here)

1714 – Natchitoches Founded

  • Establishment of Natchitoches as the first permanent French settlement in the interior (in today’s Louisiana).
  • Acts as a gateway for trade and diplomacy with Native tribes and Spanish Texas.

1715: Louis Juchereau de St. Denis founded Fort St. John Baptiste, present day
Natchitoches, the first permanent French settlement was established in Louisiana
1718: Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville founded New Orleans, which became the capital of French Louisiana and named after Duc D’Orleans

1730s–1750s – Expansion of French Forts and Trade

  • French build forts and posts along the Mississippi and its tributaries (e.g., Fort de Chartres in Illinois).
  • Louisiana and the river form part of a continental trade network from Quebec to the Gulf.

1754–1763 – French and Indian War (Seven Years’ War)

  • France and Britain fight over control of the Mississippi Valley and Ohio River country.
  • Louisiana is militarily isolated but vital to France’s strategy of controlling inland North America.
  • (Details Here)

 

British Colonial Period (1763–1783)

1763 – Treaty of Paris

  • France loses the war.
  • Britain gains all territory east of the Mississippi River, including former French Illinois settlements.
  • Spain gets Louisiana (west of the Mississippi and New Orleans) through the secret Treaty of Fontainebleau (1762).
  • (Details Here)

1764–1765 – British Takeover of Upper Mississippi Valley

  • British occupy French posts in Illinois, Missouri, and along the Ohio River.
  • Some French settlers cross to Louisiana (Spanish side), preserving French culture under Spanish rule.

Louisiana’s Role During British Period

  • Louisiana (especially New Orleans) becomes a refuge for French colonists from British rule.
  • Remains a trade conduit for goods moving across imperial lines (illegally and otherwise).
  • Hosts French Acadian exiles (Cajuns) who had been expelled by the British from Canada.

 

Spanish Colonial Period (1763–1800)

1766–1769 – Spanish Establish Control in Louisiana

  • Spanish governance begins slowly; locals resist.
  • Alejandro O’Reilly arrives in 1769 to crush rebellion and assert firm control.

1770s–1780s – Spanish Rule Strengthens

  • Louisiana (especially New Orleans and Natchez) becomes a stronghold of Spanish military and administrative power on the lower Mississippi.
  • Spanish allow continued use of French language and law, preserving Creole identity.

1779–1781 – Spanish Join the American Revolution

  • Under Governor Bernardo de Gálvez, Spain captures British forts at:
    • Baton Rouge
    • Natchez
    • Mobile
    • Pensacola
  • Secures lower Mississippi for Spain and helps the American cause.
  • (Details Here) 1.
  • (Details Here) 2.

 

Return to France and Sale to the U.S. (1800–1803)

1800 – Treaty of San Ildefonso

  • Spain secretly agrees to return Louisiana to France under Napoleon Bonaparte.
  • (Details Here)

1803 – Louisiana Purchase

  • Napoleon sells the Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million.
  • The U.S. gains:
    • Control of the Mississippi River
    • Strategic access to New Orleans
    • Over 800,000 square miles of land for westward expansion
    • (Details Here)