Guillaume Couture - Diplomacy and Release

Diplomacy and Release

For the next three years, Couture impressed his captors greatly. No doubt they were impressed with the fact that he withstood his torture (which would have killed most people) and performed the tasks assigned to him with dignity. So impressed were the Iroquois that they invited Couture to sit on their councils. No other European would ever get this honor.

In 1645, de Montmagny, the governor of New France, decided it was time to end the war with the Iroquois. He released several Iroquois prisoners and sent them into Iroquois Country to negotiate a peace settlement. The Iroquois in turn released Couture, and asked him to act on their behalf, which Couture agreed to do. Couture arrived at Trois-Rivières and, along with two Iroquois leaders, was able to put an end (for the time) the war between the Five Nations (better known as the Iroquois) and the French.

Instead of settling down after such an ordeal, Couture decided to go straight back to Huron Country. In 1646 he was reported as working in the Huron missions with Father Pijart. He only did this for only two years between 1645 and 1647.

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