Great Kids Horse

Historical affiliations Kingdom of France 1718–1763 Kingdom of Spain 1763–1802 French First Republic 1802–1803 United States of America 1803–1861 State of Louisiana 1861 Confederate States of America 1861–1862 United States of America 1862–present La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans) was founded in the spring of 1718 (May 7 has become the traditional date to mark the anniversary, but the actual day is unknown ) by the French Mississippi Company, under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, on land inhabited by the Chitimacha. It was named for Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who was Regent of the Kingdom of France at the time. His title came from the French city of Orléans. ( Spanish: Nueva Orleans, la Luisiana) The French colony was ceded to the Spanish Empire in the Treaty of Paris (1763), following France's defeat by Great Britain in the Seven Years' War. During the American Revolutionary War, New Orleans was an important port for smuggling aid to the rebels, and transporting military equipment and supplies up the Mississippi River.