At the time of the New France, the colony was divided into five individual governments: one in Trois-Rivières, one in Quebec City, one in Montreal, one in Newfoundland and one in Acadia.
It does not seem to act promulgating the creation of the three governments of Canada under the French regime (1608-1763).
At that time, the valley of the St. Lawrence consisted of three population centres: Québec (from 1608), Trois-Rivières (from 1634) and Montreal (from 1642).
In Trois-Rivières, the first captain to hold the title of governor Francis Champflour in 1643.
Despite several attempts, no one lived in these lordships because of the Iroquois threat, it was not until 1665 with the arrival of the Carignan-Salières Regiment.
The center of the Government of Trois-Rivières will begin on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River from Trois-Rivières down to the east, probably for the sole reason that the rest of the country was in a flood zone.
Trois-Rivières is the first occupied, followed by Cap-de-la-Madeleine little after 1640, the Champlain from 1664 or 1665, the Batiscan to 1666 and Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade from 1667.
In 1648, the governor of Trois-Rivières became a member of the Council of Quebec, created the previous year.
In 1651, the Government of Trois-Rivières has a Seneschal (court), which like back in France, the post of high judge was held by a civil officer called a Lieutenant-General.
The government of Trois-Rivières was maintained by the British during the military regime (1760-1764), with the difference that during this period, each government is autonomous and was not submitted to the Quebec Governor.
Each government resorted to a currency of a different course, and required a passport for entry and exit.
In the north, it extended vaguely to land surrounding the Hudson Bay, and south to New England.
Its territory corresponds to the current regions of the Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec.
Lac Maskinongé Seventeen (17) lordships on the south shore: 35.
Maskinongé Seven (7) parishes and two Native American missions on the south side: 12.
There are only two churches dating from the French regime (Cap-de-la-Madeleine 1715 and Recollects Anglicans-1754) and no parsonage.
If the buildings no longer exist, there are works of art of this period in Sainte-Anne, Batiscan, Champlain, Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Trois-Rivières, Maskinongé, Saint-François-du-Lac and Gentilly.
A series of high and minor officials was appointed to assume the organization of each government.
In particular governor (in Quebec, it was the Governor General), and a king's lieutenant to attend a sub-delegated steward (the commissary or the Commissioner of the Navy or the general-voyer or warehouseman), a staff, guards for the governor and main building, with a Court of Justice judge (called a Lieutenant-General, not to be confused with the military rank of the same name), assistant prosecutor, clerk, notary, judge a castle to house the governor and his staff.
According to Pierre-Georges Roy, "The King's lieutenants were individual lieutenant-governors.
They occupied most of the military part of the troops and fortifications and suppléaient governors in their absence".
[11] According to Pierre-Georges Roy, majors " were in charge of the police troops and saw the details of the military administration.