The Grand Dérangement

English: , The Grand Dérangement , L’Acadie, established by France in 1604, was a strategically located and highly coveted colony. In 1713, it was handed over to England and renamed Nova Scotia. The foundation of Halifax, in 1749, led part of the Acadian population to move to French territory. The remaining Acadians were still perceived as a threat, and in 1755, the British authorities launched their systematic deportation, splitting up families and communities, seizing all lands and possessions., This was the Grand Dérangement or Great Upheaval. Nearly 10,000 men, women, and children were piled into ships and deported to the Anglo-American colonies, to England and to France. Others escaped the deportations, seeking refuge in French territory and forming a resistance. Over the next ten years, almost half of the Acadian nation was lost at sea or died from disease and famine. By 1765, a mere 1,600 survivors remained in Nova Scotia, their fertile land now occupied by settlers from other areas., Some Acadian families returned to their former home. but most never again set eyes on Acadie. Many took root in Quebec and France, while in Louisiana they gave rise to a new community that produced the rich Cajun culture. Yet, the Grand Dérangement was unable to wipe out the Acadian presence on its native soil. L’Acadie lives on in Atlantic Canada, speaking French and offering to the world its proud and dynamic culture., Resistance on the Petcoudiac , When the Deportation began in August 1755, a significant Acadian population lived in the region of the Trois-Rivieres (Chipoudie, Memrainkouke and Petcoudiac). The British authorities decided that, given the independent character of these inhabitants; they were to be deported immediately, a move which met with stiff opposition., As early as September 1755, armed resistance fighters inflicted a major setback on the British soldiers sent to burn the Acadian villages along the Petcoudiac. For three years, entrenched in the upper reaches of the river and under the leadership of the Broussard. (Beausoleil) brothers, the Acadians waged incessant guerrilla warfare against the British. But in the summer of 1758, they lost their first combat, the battle of the Cran (Stoney Creek). That autumn, the final destruction of the Acadian villages brought an end to the resistance on the Petcoudiac., Even though many of these Acadians were pursued, decimated by illness and imprisoned, they still managed to avoid the Deportation, thus allowing Acadie to survive. While some families chose to leave voluntarily for Louisiana, others remained in their native land to build the new Acadie.,