The Carignan Regiment was raised in Piedmont in 1644 during the Franco-Spanish War by Thomas Francis of Savoy, Prince of Carignano.

It faced strong resistance at the foot of Monte Argentario, and withdrew to Piedmont after Spanish reinforcements relieved the siege of Orbetello.

It was part of the royalist army commanded by the Viscount of Turenne that fought at the Battle of the Faubourg St Antoine in July 1652.

[2][3] Founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608, New France began as a proprietary colony granted by the Crown to a succession of merchant companies.

In 1627, following the failure of the Compagnie de Montmorency to fulfill its contractual obligations, control of New France was granted by Louis XIII to the Company of One Hundred Associates, founded by Cardinal Richelieu.

[4] In 1649, during the Beaver Wars, the Iroquois invaded Wendake (Huronia), the homeland of New France's allies the Wendat (Huron).

The Iroquois wanted to expand their hunting grounds, increase their population through the adoption of captives, and control the fur trade with New France.

Iroquois war parties blockaded the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, intercepted canoes bringing furs to Montreal, and took numerous captives.

The Company of One Hundred Associates had tried to fulfill the terms of its charter to bring settlers to New France; however, many of the inhabitants were indentured laborers who left after their three-to-five-year contracts expired.

In 1663, however, Louis XIV asked the Company of One Hundred Associates to relinquish its charter, and declared New France a royal province under his direct rule.

In a 1664 letter to Bishop Laval, Colbert wrote: "His Majesty has resolved to send a good regiment of infantry at the end of the year, or in the month of February next, in order to destroy these barbarians completely".

35 men aboard the two ships had died during the voyage while 130 were hospitalized upon arrival suffering from scurvy, typhus or cholera.

The ships that brought the Carignan-Salières Regiment to New France were as follows:[7] Almost immediately after their arrival many of the companies were dispatched to the Richelieu River valley to begin construction of fortifications.

They feared they would all perish in the storms they braved on their voyage...we are helping them to understand that this is a holy war, where the only things that matter are the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

[9]Although Marie de l'Incarnation viewed them as saviours, modern-day scholars like Jack Verney argue that their mission, contrary to what she states, was "a secular rather than sacred one" since Louis XIV and Colbert expected that the regiment would ensure that the colony became a source of revenue for the Crown.

In Verney's view, this is a much more realistic account given how the men had "marked their progress along the road to La Rochelle with outbreaks of disorder and indiscipline".

[2] Schenectady's leader, Arent van Curler, arrived on the scene and informed Courcelle that his expedition had strayed into English territory.

Captain Pierre de Saurel of the Carignan-Salières was tasked with leading 200 men in a retaliatory strike against the Mohawk.

The expedition was two days' march from Mohawk territory when they encountered a delegation led by the warrior known as the Flemish Bastard, who was bringing the unharmed French prisoners back to Fort Sainte Anne.

600 soldiers, 600 Canadien volunteers, and 100 Algonquin and Wendat warriors gathered at Fort Sainte Anne in the early fall of 1666.

A peace settlement with the Mohawk was reached in July 1667 when they brought several families to Quebec to serve as hostages and asked for Jesuit missionaries to be sent to their homeland.

The Roman Catholic Church played a major role in administering the colony with the Jesuits wielding considerable influence.

When Bishop François de Laval discovered that there were significant numbers of Huguenots as well as unconfirmed Catholics within the ranks of the Carignan-Salières, corrective measures were taken.

[2][12] With the end to the Iroquois threat, King Louis XIV and Colbert decided to offer the men of the regiment the opportunity to remain in New France to help increase the population.

The properties granted to Contrecœur and Pierre de Saurel, for example, were placed in strategic areas that could be used as a buffer against the Iroquois and English.

This term is used to refer to the approximately 800 young French women who emigrated to New France between 1663 and 1673 as part of a program sponsored by King Louis XIV to increase the population.

The women, the majority of whom were impoverished orphans but of good character, were provided with free passage, a trousseau, and a dowry of 50 livres.

During the Franco-Dutch War the regiment participated in the 1672 French offensive commanded by Marshal d'Humières, and was then garrisoned in Kortrijk for two years.

[1] When Colonel Salières retired in 1676, command of the regiment passed to Louis-Thomas, Comte de Soissons, a nephew of Prince Emmanuel Philibert and older brother of Eugene of Savoy.

It was renamed the Perche Regiment in 1690 when Louis XIV, unhappy with the conduct of the Comte de Soissons, removed him from command.