Louis Riel Biography

Louis Riel was a Canadian politician, best known as the founder of the province of Manitoba. Louis was born in the Red River Settlement, Rupert’s Land, British North America, into a well-respected local family. He was the eldest of 11 children in his family and got his early education from Roman Catholic priests. Later, he studied languages, science, and philosophy from ‘Collège de Montréal.’ Following his father’s demise, he stopped his education mid-way and returned to his native, Red River, where he learned that his settlement was being transferred to the Dominion of Canada from Hudson’s Bay Company without reaching a middle ground between the two parties. He was also worried about the influx of English speaking settlers on his land, putting Métis People’s identity in jeopardy. The Métis people formed their own government and made Louis their president to deal with the Dominion of Canada about the terms and conditions of the union. As a representative of the native Métis people, he led two major rebellions against the Canadian government, known as the ‘Red River Rebellion’ and the ‘North-West Rebellion.’ He is regarded as a great folk hero among the native Canadians.