Also known as the Gibraltar of North America, Louisbourg is located on Ile Royale (Cape Breton). The town is founded in 1713 after the eviction of the French from Newfoundland that followed the Treaty of Utrecht.
Louisbourg becomes the capital of Ile Royale. The officials decide afterwards to build a fortress in this strategic place to defend the entrance of French Canada from the St. Lawrence. Louisbourg is prosperous specifically due to fishing but is seen as a threat to the British Crown.
In 1745, the fortress is taken by the British and re-instated in 1748 to the French after the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which ends the War of Austrian Succession. Louisbourg is one of the issue at stakes during the conflict between French and English in North America. The fortress falls to the English during the Seven Years War in 1758 and ceases to exist as a self-governing entity in 1760. The fall of Louisbourg opens a breach in French Canada and Quebec, making it vulnerable to attacks from the St. Lawrence, thereby precipitating its downfall.
In 1768, Louisbourg revives as Louisburg.
The fortress is finally restored in the 1960s to develop the tourism in Cape Breton and in Nova Scotia. Today, you can visit a reconstruction of the fortress, as it once was in the 18th century.
