2.5 Royal Battery

In 1690, the English of New England led an attack to conquer New France. Admiral William Phips came to Québec and demanded that the city surrender. Governor Frontenac gave his now-famous response: “My only reply will come from the mouths of my cannons!" Phips lifted the siege, but Frontenac was convinced the British would return to attack again. To improve the city’s defences, he had a new battery built in a semicircle to enable the soldiers and their cannons to follow the movements of the ships as they made their way down the river. The Royal Battery, named in honour of King Louis XIV (who financed it), was not used in defence of an attack until 1759, the year of the Conquest. In 1763, since it no longer served any military purpose, the battery was transformed into a pier. During the 19th century, the battery gradually disappeared under layers of construction and fill. It was later unearthed during archaeological digs, and was restored in 1977. Start the video Map of Place-Royale