Henri Peyroux de la Coudrenière (1743–18??), also spelled Coudrenaire, was a French politician and author who is perhaps best known for his scheme to transport the exiled

Acadians The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, from which the people known as

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

s are descended. Henri Peyroux de la Coudrenière was born in Mortagne-sur-Sèvre,

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

to Charles Peyroux, an apothecary and surgeon, and Marguerite Suzanne Joudad. Peyroux conceived the idea of resettling the exiled Acadians in

Spanish Louisiana Spanish Louisiana ( es, link=no, la Luisiana) was a governorate and administrative district of the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1762 to 1801 that consisted of a vast territory in the center of North America encompassing the western basin of t ...

. Securing a commission and pension from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, he took the Acadian exile, Olivier Terrio, as a business partner, and together they worked with French and Spanish officials, as well as with the Acadian exiles, to coordinate the resettlement project. Complications arose when, for instance, Peyroux was arrested by French officials, as a secret agent of Spain; in fact, the arrest had been arranged by French merchants who did not wish the Acadian exiles to depart, without paying off their mounting debts. After numerous financial and bureaucratic setbacks, approximately 1,600 Acadian exiles sailed for Louisiana between May and October 1785. Henri Peyroux also went to Louisiana, where he benefited from his commissions as a captain in the Spanish Army and a

commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the post at

Sainte-Geneviève Saint Genevieve or Sainte-Geneviève may refer to: * Saint Genevieve (419/422–512), the patron of Paris * Saint Geneviève de Loqueffret (10th century), a local saint from Loqueffret, Brittany Buildings * Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, a li ...

in Spanish Illinois, now

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. Having succeeded in resettling the French-exiled Acadians, Peyroux betrayed his partner, Terrio, refusing to compensate him for his services. For these reasons, Henri Peyroux de la Coudrenière is viewed by some not so much as a benefactor of the Acadian people, but as an opportunistic colonial

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

. Around 1784–85, Peyroux wrote a "memoir on the advantages to be gained for the Spanish crown by the settlement of

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...

. After receiving no response from the Spanish government, Peyroux proposed it to the French government, as "Mémoire sur les avantages qui résulteraient d'une colonie puissante à la terre de Diémen".Paul Roussier, "Un projet de colonie française dans le Pacifique à la fin du XVIII siecle," ''La Revue du Pacifique,'' Année 6, No.1, 15 Janvier 1927, pp.726-73

Robert J. King, "Henri Peyroux de la Coudrenière and his plan for a colony in

", ''Map Matters,'' Issue 31, June 2017, pp.2-

References

* Carl A. Brasseaux, Brasseaux, Carl, ''The Founding of New Acadia: The Beginnings of Acadian Life in Louisiana, 1765-1803'' (1987) * Brasseaux, Carl, ''"Scattered to the Wind": Dispersal and Wanderings of the Acadians, 1755-1809'' (1991) * Lewis, Meriwether,

William Clark William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Miss ...

, Charles Floyd, and Joseph Whitehouse, ''Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 Volume 7'' (1905) * ''The Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'',

Louisiana Historical Association The Louisiana Historical Association is an organization established in 1889 in Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20 ...

* Oscar William Winzerling, ''Acadian Odyssey,'' Louisiana State University Press, (1955) 2015. ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Peyroux de la Coudreniere, Henri 1743 births 1800s deaths French politicians History of Louisiana