
Spanish Louisiana was an administrative district of New Spain that existed from 1762 to 1802, consisting of the former territories of French Louisiana (now including Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, half of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, northern Texas, northeastern New Mexico, and Louisiana) west of the Mississippi River and northeast of the rest of New Spain. The territory was granted to Spain by the Kingdom of France as a result of the French and Indian War in 1762, and the pro-French Louisiana Rebellion of 1768 was ruthlessly crushed by General Alejandro O'Reilly. The majority of the population spoke French, with only the Spanish politicians speaking Spanish. In 1800, under the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso, Louisiana was retroceded back to the Consulate government of France, and Spain formally conveyed its lands to France on 30 November 1803.