Person

François de Laval

1623–1708 · 17th century

François de Laval was the first Catholic bishop of Quebec, arriving in New France in 1659 as vicar apostolic and becoming bishop when the diocese was created in 1674. He founded the Seminary of Quebec in 1663, organised parishes and clashed with governors over the sale of brandy to indigenous peoples. Canonised in 2014, he gives his name to Université Laval.

François de Laval
Image: Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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New FranceGovernance

Mentioned in 1 state history

New France

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Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). François de Laval. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/francois-de-laval
MLA
“François de Laval.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/francois-de-laval. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “François de Laval.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/francois-de-laval.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘François de Laval’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/francois-de-laval (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻