Maisonneuve joined the military at the ripe age of 13. He was noted for his honesty and his intelligence, which gave him superior strategic ability. He went on to settle in Montreal, a city just north of Vermont, a fur trading post where fur certainly was needed to protect against freezing weather.
On this day May 17th, in 1642, the Ville Marie de Montral is founded by Pail Chomedey de Maisonneuve. He became the first governor and was able to set up a peaceful environment with the Algonquian Indians. The next year, however, when the Iroquois discovered the settlement of Montreal, there were continuous attacks on the settlement.
In 1651 Maisonneuve believed that the settlement would have to be disbanded because the Iroquois attacks had become so common, and he was almost killed multiple times. It was during this time that his military background likely helped him stay alive. Montreal now has almost 4 million people in its metropolitan area. It is one of the French speaking states of Canada; French is taught in schools.