Battles & Campaigns · 1701
Great Peace of Montreal
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
What happened
About 1,300 people gathered on a field outside Montreal for weeks of talks. The nations agreed to settle disputes by talking rather than fighting, with the French as go-betweens, and the Haudenosaunee promised to stay neutral in wars between France and England. Each nation signed with a clan symbol, such as a turtle, wolf or bear.
Why it matters
It ended the Beaver Wars and set up a 'Tree of Peace' among the Great Lakes nations. The Indigenous nations involved still consider it valid today.
What came next
Trade and exploration resumed, and Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, today's Detroit, was founded that year. The peace lasted into the 1720s.
Did you know?
A peace pipe was shared at a great feast, and each chief spoke in praise of peace.
Timeline
- Jul 1701Fort Pontchartrain (Detroit) founded.
- 21 Jul 1701Talks begin.
- 4 Aug 1701Great Peace signed.
- 1720sThe peace still holds.