British military regime in New France
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The British military regime in New France was the British army's military occupation of New France from 1760 to 1763 as part of its Conquest of New France. Between 1760, following the surrender of Montreal, and 1763, when the colonial province of Quebec was created, a temporary military regime administered the colony of Canada.
The military regime officially ended following the enactment of the Treaty of Paris of 1763, which ended the Seven Years' War and created the province of Quebec – a new colony in British America. However, it was not until August 10, 1764, that this military regime was replaced by a civilian regime, because of the 18-month delay allowed by the ratification of the Treaty of Paris.
On September 8, 1760, the city of Montreal was surrounded by the British army. In order to avoid a destructive siege like the one the city of Quebec experienced in 1759, the city capitulated. This led the whole of New France to be under the domination of the British military.[1]
Because the Seven Years' War was still raging in Europe, the fate of the colony of Canada and the rest of New France could not be determined yet. As a result, the British authorities established a military regime whose mandate was to govern the colony while awaiting the end of the Seven Years' War. To administer the territory, Great Britain set up temporary institutions and appointed James Murray to the post of military governor of the city of Quebec.[2]