Louis Riel died at age 41 on November 16, 1885 inRegina, where he was executed for treason. Riel was born on October 22, 1844 to Louis Riel Sr. and Julie Lagimodiere, in the Red River Settlement, St. Boniface (Winnipeg). Riel first left home at the age of fourteen to study for Priesthood. He was funded by Archbishop Tache of St. Boniface, a generous patron who saw Riel as a serious and gifted student. Riel was faithful student, and scholarly; he spent his spare time composing poetry, with lines such as this: “ in pain he consumes his days, a brim with bitterness.” Riel was thought to be a misunderstood hero.
Riel replaced the current President of the Provisional Government in 1869, continuing on to help pass the Manitoba Act, which allowed First Nations entitlement to the land that was already in their possession. Although the Government of Ottawa disagreed with Riel’s choices, he was a brave man.
In 1872, Riel traveled toSt. Paul,Minnesotaon a voluntary exile, to reduce the tension betweenQuebecandOttawaduring the time of the Red River Rebellion. In 1881 Riel moved toNew Yorkwhere he met and married his wife, Marguerite Monet, and they continued on to have three children. Riel obtainedU.S.citizenship in 1883, and moved toMontana, where he began his teaching career in 1884.
December 8, 1875 was a major turning point in Riel’s life. After attending a mass inWashington,D.C., Riel had a vision of himself being anointed as a prophet of the new world. Rather than being an exiled man, and a failure of a political leader, he now viewed himself as the voice of God, a thread of hope for his Metis people. Riel’s body was released to his mother inManitoba, with the assurance that there would not be a formal burial.