This discovery made possible a much more extensive appraisal of his literary merits and revealed that the poetry of the later years is greatly overshadowed by the inspirational and artistic qualities of the youthful verse.
Louis Riel was born on 22 October 1844 in St. Boniface, Manitoba, the son of Louis and Julie Lagimodière Riel. His maternal grandmother, Marie-Anne Gaboury, is said to have been the first married white woman to settle in western Canada. Riel's Indian ancestry came by way of his paternal great-grandmother, who was a Montagnais-Chipewyan. In 1858 Riel was chosen by the Bishop of St. Boniface, Alexandre Taché, to study with the Sulpician fathers at the College of Montreal. Taché made the necessary educational and financial arrangements, having recognized the natural talents and potential of the young lad. It was hoped that Riel, after completing his years in the seminary, would return to become the first Métis priest of the Red River settlement.
Although Riel did well scholastically in his early years in Montreal, he was later asked to leave the seminary because of unauthorized absences from his classes. The reason for his frequent truancy was that he had fallen in love and was contemplating marriage.
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