The first time: the surrender of Quebec City (1628-1629)

Due to its strategic position and political and economic importance, the town was attacked  several times, starting as early as 1629. The Kirke brothers were merchants and privateers tasked by King Charles I of England to trade with Canada and eventually take possession of it. In 1628, their fleet captured Tadoussac, a key fur trading post. The following year, they forced Quebec's colonists, led by Samuel de Champlain, to surrender by blockading the St. Lawrence River and thereby cutting off the supply lines for the fledgling colony. It was not until 1632, following the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, that the territory was returned to the French. The colony’s development resumed in 1633 with the return of Champlain, accompanied by 200 colonists.