The ENTIRE History Of Montreal, Canada
(383 Years in 75 Minutes)

Discover the complete history of Montreal from 1642 to 2025 in this comprehensive documentary. Learn about Montreal's transformation from a small French settlement called Ville-Marie to becoming Canada's second-largest city and cultural capital.

This video covers the entire Montreal history including the Indigenous peoples who first inhabited the island, Jacques Cartier's arrival in 1535, the founding of Ville-Marie, the fur trade era, British conquest in 1760, the Industrial Revolution, Prohibition's "Sin City" years, the Quiet Revolution, the October Crisis, Quebec separatist movements, and Montreal's evolution into a modern multicultural metropolis.

Explore Montreal's neighborhoods including Old Montreal, the Plateau, Mile End, Little Italy, Chinatown, and the Gay Village. Learn about Montreal's iconic food culture featuring poutine, smoked meat, and Montreal bagels.

Understand the city's unique bilingual character, the tensions between French and English speakers, and how immigration shaped this diverse city.

From the construction of the Lachine Canal to the Underground City, from the Montreal Canadiens hockey dynasty to world-class festivals like the International Jazz Festival, from the voyageurs and fur barons to modern AI tech hubs, this is the most complete history of Montreal you'll find on YouTube.

Perfect for history enthusiasts, Canadians, Montrealers, students studying Canadian history, tourists planning to visit Montreal, or anyone interested in Quebec culture, French Canadian heritage, and urban development in North America.

Timeline covered: Indigenous settlement (pre-1535), French colonial period (1535-1760), British rule (1760-1867), Canadian Confederation era (1867-1960), Quiet Revolution (1960-1980), modern Montreal (1980-2025).

Topics covered: Montreal history, Quebec history, Canadian history, French colonization, British conquest, fur trade, voyageurs, Indigenous peoples, Haudenosaunee, St. Lawrence Iroquoians, Seven Years War, Montreal rebellion 1837, Industrial Revolution Canada, Lachine Canal, Irish immigration, Prohibition Montreal, Great Depression, World War II Montreal, Quiet Revolution, FLQ October Crisis 1970, Quebec separatism, referendums 1980 and 1995, Montreal neighborhoods, Montreal culture, bilingualism, language laws Bill 101, Montreal Canadiens, Montreal festivals, Montreal food, urban history, city development.

Although Montreal could be described as half Paris, half Brooklyn - it is after all the most populated francophone city in North America - the city has an identity of its own. Made up of a peculiar mix of creative citizens, cobblestones and potholes, Montreal is not the biggest, nor the richest or boldest. But as The Life Sized City host Mikael Colville-Andersen learns, it's one of the best cities to live in, and it certainly is a happy underdog.

Montreal
It's history to which is added Biographical Sketches of Prominent Citizens by Rev. J. Douglas Borthwick (1875) (pdf)

Montreal Chronicles
In French but you can select English in SubTitle options
There are also other videos in this series on YouTube