New France
New France () was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain in 1763 under the Treaty of Paris (1763).
Sovereign Council of New France
The creation of the Sovereign Council was part of a broader effort to reform the administration of New France by King Louis XIV and his finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert. The King and Colbert felt that New France’s administration had been badly mismanaged by charter companies and that the colony should be brought under tighter monarchal control. There was also a concern in the colony over the growing power of the Governor, especially in regard to the Church. In 1663, the colony was made an official province of the Kingdom of France. The crown's contract with the Company of One Hundred Associates, the main charter company in New France, was canceled, and a new Charter company called the French West India Company was created.