In the articles “Voices Long Gone: Chéticamp’s “La Complainte de Louisbourg” – part 1 & 2” published here on The Lost World of Cape Breton Island, we analyzed the origins and historicity of a traditional Acadian ballad known as “La Complainte de Louisbourg,” known particularly to the Acadian people of the region of Chéticamp, Nova Scotia. The ballad seems to tell the tale of the first siege of Louisbourg through the perspective of an eye-witness to those events.

Cryptically, the song references the German fortress of Philippsburg, known to the French in the 18th century as “Philisbourg.” Some versions of the song do not make a single mention of Louisbourg, instead referring only to “Philisbourg.” At the time, we were not able to successfully link “Philisbourg” to the fortress of Louisbourg, nor to the village of Chéticamp.

A new paper, written by historian Éva Guillorel from the University of Rennes in France and published in the journal Acadiensis, has finally been able to do so. The link below is to the Acadiensis blog where you can read about Ms. Guillorel’s research. The complete article will appear in the spring 2022 edition of Acadiensis. Enjoy!

Éva Guillorel : Université Rennes 2 / Institut universitaire de France NOTE : Cet article est publié en collaboration avec le blogue Repenser l’Acadie dans le monde. La Complainte de Louisbourg, recueillie de tradition orale autour de Chéticamp, est souvent considérée comme une composition acadienne locale évoquant la capitulation de Louisbourg au 18e siècle. Plusieurs […]

D’où vient la Complainte de Louisbourg ? — Acadiensis