Rebellions break out in Upper and Lower Canada
Papineau and Mackenzie lead uprisings against colonial elites, both crushed within months
Quick facts
- Lower Canada leader
- Louis-Joseph Papineau
- Upper Canada leader
- William Lyon Mackenzie
- Key battle (Upper Canada)
- Montgomery's Tavern, 7 December 1837
- Total dead
- c. 325
What happened
In Lower Canada, Louis-Joseph Papineau led the Patriotes and allied French Canadian nationalists, who dominated the elected assembly but had no real executive power, into armed rebellion against colonial rule in 1837. In Upper Canada, journalist and politician William Lyon Mackenzie led a smaller uprising against the Family Compact, an entrenched clique of officials and businessmen controlling patronage and government. Mackenzie's rebels gathered at John Montgomery's tavern on Yonge Street north of Toronto; government militia crushed them there on 7 December 1837, and Mackenzie fled to the United States. The Lower Canada rebellion was larger and more violent, with rebel victories at first before British regulars defeated the Patriotes at Saint-Charles and Saint-Eustache. Combined, the uprisings left about 325 dead, nearly all rebels, along with 27 British soldiers.
Why it matters
Both rebellions shared the demand for responsible government, meaning an executive accountable to the elected assembly rather than to London-appointed officials, and their suppression directly triggered the British government's decision to send Lord Durham to investigate, producing the report that reshaped Canadian constitutional development.
How we know
Colonial military records, casualty counts, and contemporary newspaper accounts document both uprisings' battles and outcomes, summarized in the Canadian Encyclopedia's entries on the Rebellions of 1837-38 and the Battle of Montgomery's Tavern.
Sources
- The Canadian Encyclopedia. Rebellions of 1837–38 · Reputable sourcethecanadianencyclopedia.ca · The domain "thecanadianencyclopedia.ca" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- The Canadian Encyclopedia. Montgomery's Tavern · Reputable sourcethecanadianencyclopedia.ca · The domain "thecanadianencyclopedia.ca" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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