Abstract: This contribution examines the terminology of French legislative texts relating to the New World, from the reign of Francis I to that of Louis XIII. In particular, the term “colony” is studied, and its appearance and evolution throughout the seventeenth century. Even if the pacific settlement colony is preferable to the farming colony, it is no less evident that the aim is to Christianise, civilise, and thus assimilate American Indian populations into a veritable colonial project.
