Nations Collide

La Salle launched a vigorous campaign to claim the Mississippi River basin for France. Meanwhile France, Britain and Spain continued to compete for tribal alliances, expand their hold on land, and gain access to waterways. Desperate for firearms to defend themselves against raids from northern enemy tribes, the Chickasaws developed an affinity for the British and their supplies. The British, with colonies on the distant Atlantic coast, sought to strengthen their Chickasaw ties and help support the tribe's role as a powerful obstacle to French expansion.

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La Salle Enters Chickasaw Territory

The first documented interaction between Chickasaws and Europeans since de Soto
La Salle was the first European that the Chickasaws came directly in contact with since their encounter with de Soto in 1540.

Trade Relationship Grows

The movement of goods between Carolina traders and the Chickasaws increase
The English in the Carolina colony were aware of the French claims and explorations in the Mississippi Valley, and eagerly pushed west.

Tonti's Diplomatic Mission

A short-lived peace between the French and Chickasaws
French-Canadian leader Pierre Le Moyne d'lberville sent trusted associate Henri de Tonti to the Chickasaw leaders.

The French Build on Natchez Soil

A move that would lead to four wars with the French and their Choctaw allies
The Chickasaws had allied with England, while the Choctaws sided with France.

Patrolling the Frontier

Trading with their British allies and patrolling against the French
By the 1720s, most Chickasaws traded exclusively with English merchants, who provided better quality goods than the French.

Chickasaw World View

A map that affirmed the Squirrel King's credibility as a frontiersman and asset to the British
Squirrel King (or Fani Minko') presented a deerskin map to Governor Nicholson on September 14, 1723 at Savannah Town, South Carolina.

The Natchez Rebellion

The Natchez would no longer abide the acts of the French
The French, along with their Choctaw allies, besieged the Natchez in forts built near the site of the Grand Village of the Natchez.

The French Plan to Crush the Chickasaws

The Chickasaws' relationship with the Natchez and British, and their strategic location irked the French
The French coveted Natchez lands and were angered by the attack on Fort Rosalie.

The Battle of Ogoula Tchetoka

D'Arteguiette attacks, captures and occupies Ogoula Tchetoka
On February 22, Pierre D'Arteguiette departed Fort De Chartres for the Prudhomme Bluffs.

The Battle of Hikki'ya' (Ackia)

A striking Chickasaw defeat over Bienville and his army
At this point Bienville does not know about D'Arteguiette's defeat, nor does he send a scouting party to find him.

French and Indian War (Seven Years' War)

An epic international struggle for control of the Americas
The end of the war and the triumph of England, meant the Chickasaw had survived France's attempt to destroy them.