Louis Riel (1844-1885) was a Canadian rebel who led uprisings in the west in 1870 and 1884-1885 on behalf of the Métis people.

Louis Riel was born at Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, on Oct. 23, 1844, of Métis parents. His quickness of mind was early recognized by the priests at Saint-Boniface, and Riel was sent east to study at the Seminaire de St-Sulpice in Montreal. Riel decided not to become a priest, however, and he returned to the Red River area. In 1869 he became the secretary of the Comité National des Métis, an organization created by the population of Assiniboia, who were of mixed Native American and European heritage. He attempted to preserve their rights when the Canadian west was transferred from the Hudson's Bay Company to the Dominion.

As the brightest and best educated of the Métis, Riel soon became the unchallenged leader...