# Canonical recap data for Northwest Rebellion (1885)
# Source: https://recap.at/1885/northwest-rebellion
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: northwest-rebellion
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1885/northwest-rebellion"
title: Northwest Rebellion
aliases:
- North-West Rebellion
- Riel Rebellion
- Saskatchewan Rebellion
- Métis Uprising of 1885
subtitle: Métis and First Nations uprising in Saskatchewan against Canadian government policies, led by Louis Riel; a defining conflict in Canadian frontier history.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1885-06-03
datePrecision: day
year: 1885
decade: 1880
country:
name: Canada
slug: canada
summaryShort: The North-West Rebellion was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Canadian government. Important events included the Frog Lake incident, and the capture of Batoche.
summaryLong: The North-West Rebellion was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Canadian government. Important events included the Frog Lake incident, and the capture of Batoche.
lede: In 1885, Métis leader Louis Riel led an armed uprising in what is now Saskatchewan, Canada, against federal policies that had displaced Indigenous and Métis communities. The rebellion included attacks on government outposts and clashes with the Canadian military, culminating in Riel's capture and execution-a moment that fractured Canadian identity and cemented grievances that persist today.
heroImageUrl: "https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52222581053_69219eeed2_b.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"Allington Castle Maidstone\" by JOHN K THORNE is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/."
importance: 72
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Leader
  value: Louis Riel
- label: Primary Location
  value: District of Saskatchewan (modern-day Saskatchewan, Canada)
- label: Duration
  value: March–May 1885
- label: Riel's Execution
  value: November 16, 1885
- label: Final Battle
  value: Battle of Batoche, May 12–13, 1885
- label: Frog Lake Incident
  value: April 2, 1885 (Cree attack on settlers and NWMP)
- label: Federal Troops Mobilized
  value: Over 5,000 Canadian soldiers deployed via newly completed Canadian Pacific Railway
timeline:
- date: 1885-03-18
  title: Riel Arrives in Saskatchewan
  description: Louis Riel arrives in the South Saskatchewan region after appeals from Métis seeking redress for land grievances and political exclusion.
- date: 1885-03-26
  title: Battle of Duck Lake
  description: Armed Métis and Indigenous fighters clash with Canadian militia and NWMP near Duck Lake, Saskatchewan. First major armed engagement of the rebellion.
- date: 1885-04-02
  title: Frog Lake Incident
  description: Cree warriors, primarily under Chief Big Bear, attack settlers, traders, and NWMP at Frog Lake, killing nine people including two priests.
- date: 1885-04-24
  title: Battle of Fish Creek
  description: Métis fighters ambush Canadian troops advancing toward Batoche; skirmish results in Canadian withdrawal.
- date: 1885-05-12
  title: Battle of Batoche Begins
  description: Canadian forces under General Frederick Middleton begin assault on the Métis stronghold at Batoche, Saskatchewan.
- date: 1885-05-13
  title: Fall of Batoche
  description: Métis resistance collapses after four days of fighting. Riel escapes but surrenders on May 15.
- date: 1885-07-22
  title: Riel Trial Verdict
  description: Jury finds Louis Riel guilty of treason in Regina. Death sentence issued despite insanity plea.
- date: 1885-11-16
  title: Riel's Execution
  description: Louis Riel is hanged in Regina, Saskatchewan. His death becomes a defining moment in Canadian and French-Canadian political consciousness.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-West_Rebellion"
  title: Northwest rebellion of 1885
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The rebellion exposed the Canadian state's willingness to use military force against Indigenous and Métis populations asserting land and sovereignty claims. Riel's execution became a rallying point for French-Canadian nationalism and Indigenous rights activism, reshaping how Canada understood itself as a nation.
categories:
- war
- protest
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- civil_war
- insurgency
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- mobilization
- collapse
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: decline
metaDescription: 1885 armed uprising led by Louis Riel against Canadian federal authority in Saskatchewan. Métis, Cree, and Assiniboine resistance.
wikidataQid: Q1506788
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Globe
  publisherSlug: the-globe
  headline: Rebellion in the North-West - Métis Forces Under Riel Take Up Arms Against the Dominion
  publishedAt: 1885-03-27
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Louis Riel has declared open insurrection in the Saskatchewan District, commanding a force of Métis, Cree, and Assiniboine warriors in armed conflict with Canadian authority. The rebellion threatens to destabilize the entire North-West Territory.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: Canada
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: Canadian Uprising - Riel and the Métis in Open War with Dominion Forces
  publishedAt: 1885-04-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Dispatches from Canada report the gravest internal conflict since Confederation, with the half-breed population of the Saskatchewan Territory now in armed rebellion under the leadership of the notorious Louis Riel.
  significance: 75
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: Frog Lake Massacre - Indians and Métis Kill Nine at Trading Post in Canadian Territory
  publishedAt: 1885-04-05
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - A shocking massacre has occurred at Frog Lake in the North-West District, where Cree warriors associated with the Riel rebellion have slain nine persons, including clergy and Hudson's Bay Company officials, striking terror through the Canadian frontier.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: Dominion Illustrated
  publisherSlug: dominion-illustrated
  headline: The Capture of Batoche - Riel Defeated; Rebellion Crushed
  publishedAt: 1885-05-16
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Canadian militia under General Middleton have taken the rebel stronghold of Batoche after days of fierce combat, effectively ending Louis Riel's insurrection and securing the North-West for the Crown.
  significance: 89
  type: magazine
  region: Canada
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Indigenous population in Canada
  thenValue: ~120,000
  thenYear: 1885
  nowValue: ~1.67 million
  nowYear: 2021
  note: Includes First Nations, Inuit, and Métis; 1885 figure represents approximate total after diseases and displacement
- metric: Canadian population
  thenValue: ~4.4 million
  thenYear: 1885
  nowValue: ~38 million
  nowYear: 2023
  note: Dominion of Canada had existed for 18 years at time of rebellion
- metric: Métis land recognized by crown
  thenValue: 0 reserves (collectively)
  thenYear: 1885
  nowValue: 4 provinces with Métis settlements
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Alberta established Métis settlements in 1989; formal recognition expanded over decades
consequences:
- title: Execution of Louis Riel
  year: 1885
  description: Riel was hanged on November 16, 1885, in Regina. The execution deepened French-Canadian resentment toward the federal government and became a defining moment in Canadian political identity.
- title: Suppression of Cree resistance
  year: 1885
  description: Military defeat led to arrest and imprisonment of Cree leaders including Big Bear and Poundmaker. Both died within years; their people faced intensified reserve confinement and reduced rations.
- title: Acceleration of Indian Act enforcement
  year: 1886
  description: The Canadian government tightened control over Indigenous peoples through aggressive enforcement of the Indian Act (1876), restricting movement and governance.
- title: Métis dispersal and marginalization
  year: 1890
  description: By the 1890s, Métis were systematically excluded from both colonial society and official Indigenous governance structures, leading to widespread poverty and cultural suppression.
- title: Construction of Canadian transcontinental narrative
  year: 1900
  description: The rebellion's defeat was recast as a necessary triumph of order over chaos, embedding a particular version of Canadian nation-building into official history that minimized Indigenous sovereignty claims.
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: The Red River Jig
  artist: Traditional Métis
  note: Métis fiddle tune with roots predating the rebellion; represents cultural resistance and continuity
topFilms: []
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: 1885 Canada was consolidating colonial authority across newly acquired western territories. The rebellion challenged the narrative of peaceful expansion and revealed tensions between Dominion law, Indigenous sovereignty, and Métis rights that remain contested. Victor Grayson's newspaper coverage and government dispatches shaped public perception; the event coincided with expanding telegraph and rail infrastructure that enabled rapid military response and information control.
relatedQueries:
- Louis Riel biography
- Métis history Canada
- Frog Lake incident 1885
- Batoche battle North-West Rebellion
- Indian Act 1876 enforcement
- Cree Assiniboine 1885 uprising
- Canadian Indigenous resistance history
- Big Bear Poundmaker arrest
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Battle_of_Batoche_Print_by_Seargent_Grundy.jpg/1280px-Battle_of_Batoche_Print_by_Seargent_Grundy.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Battle_of_Batoche_Print_by_Seargent_Grundy.jpg/800px-Battle_of_Batoche_Print_by_Seargent_Grundy.jpg"
  caption: North-West Rebellion
  credit: Wikipedia · "North-West Rebellion"
  width: 330
  height: 233
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Northwest_Rebellion_monument%2C_Toronto%2C_by_W.S._Allward_%28I0017516%29.jpg/1280px-Northwest_Rebellion_monument%2C_Toronto%2C_by_W.S._Allward_%28I0017516%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Northwest_Rebellion_monument%2C_Toronto%2C_by_W.S._Allward_%28I0017516%29.jpg/800px-Northwest_Rebellion_monument%2C_Toronto%2C_by_W.S._Allward_%28I0017516%29.jpg"
  caption: Northwest Rebellion monument, Toronto, by W.S. Allward (I0017516)
  credit: Wikimedia Commons
  width: 3042
  height: 4453
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Allward_North-West_Rebellion_Memorial_Toronto.jpg/1280px-Allward_North-West_Rebellion_Memorial_Toronto.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Allward_North-West_Rebellion_Memorial_Toronto.jpg/800px-Allward_North-West_Rebellion_Memorial_Toronto.jpg"
  caption: Allward North-West Rebellion Memorial Toronto
  credit: "photo: Wojciech Dittwald"
  width: 1000
  height: 1541
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/North-West_Rebellion_Monument.jpg/1280px-North-West_Rebellion_Monument.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/North-West_Rebellion_Monument.jpg/800px-North-West_Rebellion_Monument.jpg"
  caption: North-West Rebellion Monument
  credit: Toronto Public Library
  width: 1544
  height: 1920
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260418171029/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-West_Rebellion"
  capturedAt: 2026-04-18
  label: Northwest rebellion of 1885
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-West_Rebellion"
