Pierre Maillard
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Abbé Pierre Antoine Simon Maillard (c. 1710 – 12 August 1762) was a French-born
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
. He is noted for his contributions to the creation of a writing system for the
Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...
people of
ÃŽle Royale The Salvation Islands ( French: ''ÃŽles du Salut'', so called because the missionaries went there to escape plague on the mainland), sometimes mistakenly called the Safety Islands, are a group of small islands of volcanic origin about off the co ...
,
New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...
(now
Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...
,
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). He is also credited with helping negotiate a peace treaty between the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
and the Mi'kmaq that resulted in the Burying the Hatchet ceremony (Nova Scotia). He was the first
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
priest in
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
, and is buried in the St. Peter's Cemetery, in Downtown Halifax.


Early life and career

Maillard was born in the diocese of
Chartres Chartres () is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 1 ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, around 1710. He received his ecclesiastical training at the Séminaire de Saint-Esprit, in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. In 1734, the Abbé de L'Isle-Dieu selected Maillard in a group of seminarists lent to the Séminaire des Missions Étrangeres, which was short of personnel. After eight months in that institution, Maillard was selected in 1735 for the
Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...
missions on
ÃŽle Royale The Salvation Islands ( French: ''ÃŽles du Salut'', so called because the missionaries went there to escape plague on the mainland), sometimes mistakenly called the Safety Islands, are a group of small islands of volcanic origin about off the co ...
(now
Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...
). His recommendation letter stated that "he is a young priest who has greatly edified us. ...full of zeal and piety." Maillard arrived at Fortress Louisbourg on the ship ''Rubis'' on 13 August 1735. He worked extensively with the Mi'kmaq people. He became a witness to and eventually a reluctant participant in the ongoing struggles between the French and the British forces for control of the area. Maillard quickly immersed himself in learning and becoming proficient in the language of the natives. He also devoted himself to missionary work by visiting all the settlements on ÃŽle Royale, ÃŽle Saint-Jean (now called
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
) and English
Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...
(now called
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
). He pleaded for additional assistance from his French superiors, who responded by sending Jean-Louis Le Loutre. The two worked together on developing the written language. In 1740, Maillard was appointed Bishop of Quebec's vicar-general for ÃŽle Royale. In 1742, the position created friction between his superiors and the provincial of the Recollets of
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
, who wanted his men to be independent of Maillard's control. Maillard took every opportunity to criticize the conduct of those workers. His severity led Duquesnel (Le Prévost) and François Bigot to demand Maillard's recall, but Maillard's superior, Bishop Pontbriand, reached a compromise by dividing the vicar general's powers between Maillard and the superior of the Recollets in Louisbourg. That arrangement continued until 1754, when Pontbriand confirmed Maillard in his functions as vicar general, which he exercised alone from then on.


King George's War

Along with Abbe Le Loutre, Maillard was involved in supporting the Mi'kmaq, the French, and the Acadians throughout
King George's War King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in ...
. Maillard was present when Annapolis Royal was under
siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
, and after the fall of Louisbourg in June 1745, he encouraged Mi'kmaq warriors to mount raids against British forces. In the closing months of 1745, the British captured Maillard and sent him to
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. From there, he was deported to France. However, he quickly in 1746 returned to Acadia on with the Duc d'Anville expedition, which was co-ordinated with Father Le Loutre. He took active part in the military campaigns during the winter of 1746-1747 that were directed by Jean-Baptiste-Nicolas-Roch de Ramezay such as the Battle of Grand Pré.


Father Le Loutre's War

During
Father Le Loutre's War Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Kingdo ...
, Maillard encouraged the Mi'kmaq declaration of war against the British. He was involved with resisting the founding of
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
, in the summer of 1749. In an attempt to remove his influence from the ongoing events in the area, Halifax Governor Edward Cornwallis tried to persuade Maillard to retire to Minas Basin. In apparent response to that pressure, King
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...
awarded Maillard an 800 livre annual pension in 1750, and another assistant, Abbé Jean Manach, was dispatched to assist Maillard with his workload. From his mission on Île de la Sainte-Famille, Maillard continued to incite his Mi'kmaq contacts to a state of war until 1758. To assist the religious efforts, Maillard self-financed construction of buildings from 1754 on Île de la Sainte-Famille (now Chapel Island) in the south of Grand Lac de La Brador, where his main mission was located. He received a reimbursement of 3,000
French livres The livre (abbreviation: £ or ₶., French for (pound)) was the currency of Kingdom of France and its predecessor states of Francia and West Francia from 781 to 1794. Several different livres existed, some concurrently. The livre was the n ...
in March 1757.


French and Indian War

During the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
, Maillard relocated to Malagomich (now Merigomish, Nova Scotia) to escape the ever-increasing British presence in 1758. He was still there on 26 November 1759, when he and several other French missionaries accepted an offer of peace from British Major Alexander Schomberg, In light of that acceptance, the French military officer Jean-François Bourdon de Dombourg dispatched an accusatory dossier against the missionaries to the French governor of the Canada, who thereupon accused the missionaries of
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
and dispatched in spring 1760 a military officer to Restigouche to investigate. To that officer, Maillard sent a letter detailing the near-hopeless situation of the Mi'kmaq in which he opened "by summing up 23 years... spent in this country in the service of our Religion and our Prince." He had indeed treated for peace with the British because of the hopeless situation, as he tried to explain. Shortly afterward, Maillard accepted an invitation from Nova Scotia Governor Charles Lawrence to travel to Halifax and to assist in pacifying the Mi'kmaq peoples. He became a British official ("Government Agent to the Indians" with an annual salary of £150). He asked for and received permission to maintain an oratory at a Halifax battery, where he held Catholic services for the
Acadians The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French colonial empire, French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern Americ ...
and the Mi'kmaqs in the area. In his official capacity, Maillard obtained the agreement from most of the tribal chiefs to sign peace treaties with the British in Halifax.


Death

In July 1762 Maillard fell seriously ill. On 12 August, he died and was attended, at his request, by the
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
clergyman Thomas Wood. Maillard was accorded a state funeral by the Nova Scotia governor; his pallbearers included the Council President and the Speaker of the Assembly. The government thus recognized his role in negotiating peace treaties between the Mi'kmaq and the British (see Burying the Hatchet ceremony (Nova Scotia)) and his forceful personality. Maillard was buried in an unmarked grave in the Old Burying Ground, in Downtown Halifax. After the St. Peter's Cemetery opened in 1784 as Halifax's first Catholic cemetery, Maillard's grave was moved to St. Peter's, where it remains unmarked today under the parking lot that was built on top of the cemetery. Reverend Wood wrote of Maillard: Maillard gave all his belongings away prior to his death. Most of his books were donated to recognized collections of the time. His other belongings were bequeathed to Louis Petitpas, his only companion and confidential agent since 1749 and in whose home he lived in Halifax.


Legacy

As soon as Maillard arrived in Louisbourg, he immersed himself in studying the native language under the tutelage of his predecessor the Abbé de Saint-Vincent. Having a remarkable talent for languages, he succeeded within a few months in mastering the difficult-to-pronounce oral language, and during the winter of 1737-38 perfected a system of
hieroglyphics Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs ( ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined ideographic, logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with more than 1,000 distinct characters.I ...
to transcribe Mi'kmaq words. He used these symbols to write formulas for the principal prayers and the responses of the faithful in the
catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...
so that his followers might learn them more readily. In that development, he was greatly aided by Jean-Louis Le Loutre, another French missionary. Le Loutre marveled at Maillard's achievements in his later reports: Scholars generally agree that Maillard did not invent Mi'kmaq hieroglyphics. In 1691, Father Chrétien Le Clercq reported that he had devised a similar method to catechize the Mi'kmaq inhabitants of the
Gaspé Peninsula The Gaspé Peninsula, also known as Gaspesia (, ; ), is a peninsula along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River that extends from the Matapedia Valley in Quebec, Canada, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is separated from New Brunswick on it ...
; apparently, he had systemized and expanded the Mi'kmaq custom of setting down short messages by using pictograms. There is no direct evidence that Maillard was aware of Le Clercq's work; in any event, Maillard's work is outstanding in that he left numerous works in the language, which continued in use among the Mi'kmaq into the 20th century.As late as 1927, it could be written, "The Micmac book has taken the place of a missionary for nearly a hundred and seventy years." ''Spiritans''


See also

* Étienne Bâtard * Military history of Nova Scotia


References


External links

* * * *
Knaves or Knights?" A history of the Spiritan Missionaires in Acadia, 1732-1839. Duquesne University Press. 1962
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maillard, Pierre 1710 births 1762 deaths 18th-century French Roman Catholic priests Acadian history Canadian activists People of Father Le Loutre's War Creators of writing systems