This dissertation examines militarisation in Scotland and North America from the Jacobite Uprising of 1745-46 to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775. Employing a biographical, case study approach, it investigates the cultural paradigms guiding the actions and understandings of British Army officers as they waged war, pacified hostile peoples, and attempted to assimilate 'other' population groups within the British Empire. In doing so, it demonstrates the impact of the Jacobite Uprising on British imperialism in North America and the role of militarisation in affecting the imperial attitudes of military officers during a transformative period of imperial expansion, areas underexplored in the current historiography. It argues that militarisation caused several paradigm shifts that fundamentally altered how officers viewed imperial populations and implemented empire in geographical fringes. Changes in attitude led to the development of a markedly different understanding of imperial loyalty and identity. Civilising savages became less important as officers moved away from the assimilation of 'other' populations towards their accommodation within the empire. Concurrently, the status of colonial settlers as Britons was contested due to their perceived disloyalty during and after the French and Indian War. 'Othering' colonial settlers, officers questioned the sustainability of an 'empire of negotiation' and began advocating for imperial reform, including closer regulation of the thirteen colonies. And, as the colonies appeared to edge closer to rebellion, those officers drew upon prior experiences in Scotland and North America to urge the military pacification of a hostile population group to ensure imperial security. Militarisation, therefore, provides important insights into how cultural imperialism was implemented in Scotland and how it was transferred and adapted to North America. Further, it demonstrates the longer-term interactions and understandings that influenced transformations in eighteenth-century imperial policy.

Les études sur la mémoire, qui connaissent une grande popularité depuis les années 1980, ont mené à un intérêt pour l’histoire de l’histoire et pour la création de figures héroïques. Ce mémoire de maîtrise s’inscrit dans ces courants de recherche en étudiant le sort qu’une historiographie plurinationale a réservé à trois officiers français du théâtre nord-américain de la guerre de Sept Ans. Nous observerons comment les ouvrages britanniques, français, américains, canadiens-anglais et canadiens-français ont traité de Vaudreuil, Bougainville et Lévis. Nous pourrons ainsi exploiter la richesse de l’historiographie relative à cette guerre, qui date du XVIIIe siècle jusqu’à aujourd’hui. Il s’agira de suivre les regards croisés que les historiens des différentes époques et allégeances nationales ont porté sur nos personnages. C’est que ces trois hommes incarnent trois postures que l’historiographie interprétera de façon variable. En effet, comme cette production historique est surtout marquée par des rivalités entre les personnages qui prennent des allures de conflits nationaux, nos héros seront surtout jugés selon une perspective nationale. Vaudreuil, le gouverneur canadien né dans la colonie y devient donc le champion de son «pays», Bougainville, le métropolitain critique des conditions coloniales, futur navigateur et homme des Lumières, est jugé en fonction de ses propos sur le Canada, alors que Lévis, le métropolitain discret dans ses écrits, sera surtout jugé en fonction de sa victoire à Sainte-Foy en 1760. / Very popular since the 1980s, studies on collective memory have stimulated interest in historiography and especially in the construction of heroic figures. The thesis follows this trend in studying how a multinational historiography treated three French officers of the Seven Years’ War’s North American theatre. We observe how Vaudreuil, Bougainville and Lévis have fared at the hands of historians from Great Britain, France, the United States and English and French Canada, from the eighteenth century to the present. The purpose of the study is to isolate the varying perspectives from which historians of different times and national allegiance have examined the three figures. In the end, the three men were seen to incarnate three contrasting, variously interpreted postures. Since historians were particularly sensitive to what they saw as national conflicts, they judged their heroes accordingly. Vaudreuil, the Canadian-born governor of Canada, thus became the champion of his “country”; Bougainville, French-born future navigator and protagonist of the Enlightenment who wrote disparagingly about the colony, was judged on these opinions; while Lévis, a Frenchman who was more discreet in his writings, was evaluated above all as the victor of the battle of Sainte-Foy in 1760.

This thesis deals with the issues of military deserters from the imperial-royal army at the period of the enlightened absolutism, thus during the reign of Maria Theresa and her sons Joseph II and Leopold II. Based on written as well as printed sources, originated mainly from the activity of the supreme provincial offices of the Kingdom of Bohemia at this time, an explanation on the questions of deserters' punishments, their limited pardons and mutual exchanges, made between the Habsburg Monarchy and her allies, has been offered. Moreover, the attention has been paid to the state's approach to the inhabitants that either provided aid to the deserters, or vice versa participated in their pursuit and capture. The last part of the text has been devoted to the registries of military deserters who originated from Bohemia, with the main emphasis on the Seven Years' War, because these registries have been preserved mostly for this conflict. Key words military deserters, enlightened absolutism, enlightened reforms, Czech Gubernium, War of the Austrian Succession, Seven Years' War, Maria Theresa, Joseph II

This work is a social and cultural history of the participation of enslaved and free Blacks in the Seven Years’ War in British America. It is, as well, an intellectual history of the impact of Blacks’ wartime actions upon conceptions of race, slavery, and imperial identity in the British Atlantic world. In addition to offering a fresh analysis of the significance of Britain’s arming of Blacks in the eighteenth century, it represents the first sustained inquiry into Blacks’ experience of this global conflict. It contends that, though their rhetoric might indicate otherwise, neither race nor enslaved status in practice prevented Britons from arming Blacks. In fact, Blacks played the most essential role in martial endeavors precisely where slavery was most fundamental to society. The exigencies of worldwide war transformed a local reliance upon black soldiers for the defense of particular colonies into an imperial dependence upon them for the security of Britain’s Atlantic empire. The events of the Seven Years’ War convinced many Britons that black soldiers were effective and even indispensable in the empire’s tropical colonies, but they also confirmed that not all Blacks could be trusted with arms. This work examines “Tacky’s revolt,” during which more than a thousand slaves exploited the wartime diffusion of Jamaica’s defensive forces to rebel, as a battle of the Seven Years’ War. The experience of insecurity and insurrection during the conflict caused some Britons to question the imperial value of the institution of slavery and to propose that Blacks be transformed from a source of vulnerability as slaves to the key to the empire’s strength in the southern Atlantic as free subjects. While martial service offered some Blacks a means to gain income, skills, a sense of satisfaction, autonomy, community, and even (though rarely) freedom, the majority of Blacks did not personally benefit from their contributions to the British war effort. Despite the pragmatic martial antislavery rhetoric that flourished postwar, in the end the British armed Blacks to perpetuate slavery, not to eradicate it, and an ever more regimented reliance upon black soldiers became a lasting legacy of the Seven Years’ War. / text

Ce travail aborde la question du renseignement militaire de la guerre de succession d’Autriche (1740) au traité de Paris (1763). Le renseignement militaire est d’abord replacé dans la réflexion stratégique de la période qui l’évoque peu tout en soulignent paradoxalement l’importance pour les armées. Les différentes sources de l’information militaire constituent la seconde partie. L’espion d’armée, figure méconnue de la période joue un rôle quotidien auprès des armées d’Ancien Régime. Situé à la marge de la société civile et de la sphère militaire, attiré par le gain mais aussi par le goût de l’aventure, une reconnaissance sociale ou incité par un patriotisme naissant, l’espion prend des risques pour satisfaire un commanditaire. La troisième partie s’intéresse au secret militaire, difficile à préserver et dévoilé dans une logique de réseau, à différentes échelles et selon des organisations plus ou moins complexes. L’espion s’inscrit dans un rapport personnel avec un supérieur dont il est le « client ». L’étude s’intéresse dans un dernier temps à la transmission et la protection du renseignement obtenu. Les risques sont divers (interception postale mais surtout espions ennemis). La conclusion pose la question de l’efficacité du renseignement militaire, peu décisif du fait des contraintes logistiques et de la méfiance généralisée sur les informations et sur les acteurs qui les collectent. Dans une période de structuration de l’armée et de centralisation du pouvoir politique, le renseignement militaire oppose un fonctionnement décentralisé. La nécessité d’une information fiable entraîne une militarisation des civils, transformant ces derniers en auxiliaires de renseignement. / This work tackles the question of the military intelligence from the war of Austrian succession (1740) to the treaty of Paris (1763). The military intelligence is initially replaced in the strategic thinking of the period which evokes it little while paradoxically highlighting its importance for the armies. The various sources of military information are the second part. The army Spy, unrecognized figure of the period, plays a daily role within the armies of the Ancien Regime. Located at the margins of society and the military sphere, attracted by profit but also by the sense of adventure, social recognition or induced by a nascent patriotism, the spy takes risks to satisfy a sleeping partner. The third part focuses on the military secret, hard to preserve and unveiled in logic of networks, at different scales and in a more or less complex organizations. The spy takes part of a personal relationship with a supervisor whom he is the "client." The study examines in a final time the transmission and protection of information obtained. The risks are varied (postal interception but especially enemy spies). The conclusion raises the question of the effectiveness of the military information, not very decisive because of the logistic constraints and widespread distrust about information and the actors who collect them. In a period of structuring of the army and centralization of political power, military intelligence is in contrary a decentralized operation. The need for reliable information leads to a militarization of civilians, transforming them into auxiliary information.

This thesis concerns military invalids, deserters and delinquents in the Imperial-Royal Army during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). Its essence lies in the research of documents originated from the activity of the Representations and Chambers, the supreme representative offices in Bohemia and Moravia. The elementary methodological approach comes from a positivist conception, therefore it interprets the information found within the sources as a story (in a certain sense of word) based on the reality which is recorded by them. The theoretical part is enhanced by the outcomes of study of auxiliary books called Elenchs that provide information even about such sources that have not been preserved till today. Thus, I try to answer the question to which extent it is still possible to use them. The main component of the work is formed by three chapters which are dedicated to particular categories of the military persons in an order stated above. Within them, I present the results of the source research that, in the case of the invalids, concern notably their economic security and utilization for the Habsburg Monarchy's war effort. The chapter about the military deserters continues my previous research and amends it (among else) with newly found facts within the sphere of the enlightened-absolutist...

On s’est intéressé dans les années 1950 à 1970 à la disparition d’une bourgeoisie canadienne qui aurait dû faire la transition du capitalisme marchand vers l’industrie. Les réflexions historiennes avaient cependant commencé par la fin, tentant de définir les conséquences historiques à long terme de la « Conquête » sur un groupe encore mal connu qui, en principe, incluait des marchands. Notre thèse s’inscrit dans la lignée des travaux états-uniens et européens qui ont permis de revoir, souvent dans une optique culturelle, les marchands occidentaux de l’époque moderne. À partir du cas précis d’un marchand équipeur montréalais et de sa lignée, nous voulons tout d’abord établir si la culture négociante des marchands, au sens large du terme, était du même ordre que celles des métropolitains qui avaient des commerces semblables. Deuxièmement, nous voulons cerner la marge de manœuvre individuelle face aux contraintes des conditions ambiantes ainsi que le rôle des réseaux dans l’évolution de la carrière des marchands. Enfin, nous souhaitons définir la conception de soi de ces derniers, à travers l’examen de leur style de vie et des rôles qu’ils pouvaient jouer dans leur milieu. Pour le faire, nous avons choisi de ratisser « en largeur » dans des sources multiples, y compris des livres de comptes, et de creuser « en profondeur » pour en extraire le maximum de données. L’enquête a été menée à travers la longue carrière de l’équipeur Jean Alexis Lemoine dit Monière (1680-1754) qui s’est installé à Montréal en 1715. Lemoine est connu de la postérité grâce à l’étude de Louise Dechêne qui l’avait suivi jusqu’en 1725. Elle en a tracé un portrait, amplement repris par la suite, qui a fait de lui l’exemple type de marchand équipeur. Or, Monière n’est peut-être pas typique, il pourrait même être un cas-limite. En le suivant jusqu’à sa mort, nous avons exploré toutes les possibilités qui se sont offertes à lui. Nous avons aussi fait une large place aux legs matériel et immatériel de son père Jean Lemoine, et à ce que Monière a transmis à son fils, Pierre Alexis, ainsi qu’à quelques neveux. En encadrant Monière de son père, immigrant rouennais, de ses frères et de son fils, nous avons pu observer l’émergence d’un métier, celui d’équipeur. Nous avons examiné comment Monière, décédé en 1754, a été préparé à exercer son métier et comment il concevait la pratique de ce dernier. Cette démarche a permis de mieux comprendre la culture (au sens large) des gens de la marchandise au Canada. En utilisant une variété de sources et en faisant appel à une démarche micro-historique, nous souhaitons avoir répondu, vingt-cinq ans plus tard, au vœu de Dale Miquelon de regarder, dans la mesure du possible, le monde de la marchandise avec les yeux des acteurs de la période pour répondre aux interrogations des gens d’aujourd’hui. / From the 1950s to the 1970s, historians’ attention was turned towards the disappearance of a bourgeoisie canadienne which should have made the transition from commercial to industrial capitalism. These studies began, so to speak, with the end, in attempting to define the long-term historical consequences of the Conquest on an as-yet ill-defined group that in principle included some merchants. This thesis follows new investigations in both Europe and the USA which have permitted to look anew, often with a cultural history approach, at merchants of the Early Modern period. Focusing on a Montreal merchant outfitter (marchand équipeur) and his family, the investigation first seeks to determine if the Canadian merchants’ culture (broadly defined) was similar to that of their French counterparts who worked on the same business level. A second aim is to evaluate the leeway available to individuals in face of the general conditions of the trade and the role of networks in the merchants’ career. Finally, the thesis attempts to define the self-conception of these men while looking at their lifestyle and the various roles they played in their community. To complete such a study, we have chosen to look « wide and deep » like micro-historians have before us. The study examines the long life of the équipeur, Jean Alexis Lemoine dit Monière, who chose to settle in Montreal in 1715 and whose career Louise Dechêne had followed until 1725. After her, historians have since pictured Monière as a typical marchand équipeur. But he might not have been typical, he might even have been a « limiting case ». The thesis follows him to the end of his life and looking for all the opportunities that were offered to him along the way. It accords considerable importance to the material and immaterial legacy of his father, Jean Lemoine, and to what Monière passed on to this son, Pierre Alexis and a few nephews. Situating Monière between his father who emigrated from Rouen, his brothers and his own son, permits us to see the emergence of a profession, that of équipeur. We look at how Monière, who died in 1754, was prepared to embrace the merchant’s profession and how he perceived the way he should work as an équipeur. This study affords a better understanding of merchants’ culture, broadly conceived, in early French Canada. Exploring a variety of sources and using a micro-historical approach, we hope to have followed Dale Miquelon’s suggestion to look (again) at the merchants’ world with the eyes of the people of the times in order to answer today’s questions.

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In 1763, France had just suffered a devastating loss to the British in the Seven Years' War. In almost an instant, France's claims to West Africa shrank to the tiny island of Gorée off the coast of Senegal and a few trading posts on the mainland. This drastic reversal of fortunes forced France to reevaluate its place in the world and rethink its overall imperial objectives and colonial strategies, and in an effort to regroup, the French Empire sent a new governor, Pierre François Guillaume Poncet de la Rivière, on a mission to regain its foothold in West Africa. From this tiny island, France eventually succeeded in overturning its devastating losses and establishing itself as the dominant force in the region over the next two centuries, so deeply ingraining its influence into the core of West Africa that its imperial influence is still felt today.Despite France's future success, Poncet's tenure as governor was fraught with mismanagement and poor planning. Poncet believed he had the full backing of the Duc de Choiseul, but Poncet's excessive zeal, inability to effectively employ and listen to subordinates, and rash interactions with the British undermined the French presence in the region and ultimately led to his dismissal. Poncet's governorship sheds new light on Choiseul's goals for the Senegambia region and his underestimation of what it took to establish a strong presence.

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