Louis Riel

Louis Riel (1844-1885), Canadian insurgent, born in Manitoba, of French, Irish, and Native American stock. In 1869 the purchase by the Canadian government of extensive territory from the Hudson's Bay Company, triggered off the first of the Northwest Rebellions by settlers of French and Native American ancestry under the leadership of Riel. The insurgents feared the Canadian government would pose a threat to their interests and land rights in the region. They captured Fort Garry (now Winnipeg, Manitoba) and established a provisional government. At the approach of a British expeditionary force, however, Riel evacuated the fort and escaped from the country. While in exile in the United States he married and became an American citizen. In 1884, however, friends convinced him to return to Canada to take charge of a new revolt. The following year he led a wide but unsuccessful rebellion against Canadian rule in the Saskatchewan area. He was subsequently captured, tried for treason, and executed. Later generations have accepted Riel as a Canadian hero who fought for the rights of western Canada and for its native-born inhabitants.