The Fighting Governor: A Chronicle of Frontenac

In 1672 the French colony of Canada was already a tightly organized province, though its population numbered fewer than seven thousand souls. The crown's absolute authority, modeled on the rule of Louis XIV, shaped every facet of life, from military command to civil administration. Against this backdrop, a new governor arrives—Louis de Buade, comte de Frontenac—bringing the confidence of a courtier and the instincts of a soldier.

Frontenac steps into a system where power is deliberately divided: the governor commands troops, while an intendant, drawn from the middle class, handles finances and law. The book follows his early attempts to reconcile these rival duties, revealing the tensions between royal ambition and colonial realities. Listeners will hear how the young governor navigates courtly expectations, local politics, and the harsh frontier landscape in his first years of rule.