American visionary and Christian prophet, a humanitarian devoted to the cause of people of mixed blood, Indians and settlers (metis people). He was at the same time eager for personal praise for his efforts, walking the fine line between visionary euphoria and political intrigue. In his struggle against Canadian expansionism, he resorted to armed force to support the claims by the metis in the issue of land rights.
Born in the Red River Settlement in which is now known as Manitoba, Riel was sent east for his education in 1865 to the College of Montreal. Four months prior to his graduation, he left the school, probably due to a failed love affair.
The year after his return at age 23, the Hudson Bay Company agreed to sell its territorial rights to Canada. This would effectively rob the metis of their land and on 10/11/1869, Riel led a group of militant metis in declaring the territory south of the Assiniboine as the possession of the people of the Red River. The metis formed a provisional government of their own in November 1869 of which Riel became de facto president. The following five years were a legal and political battle that often came close to armed bloodshed. On 3/30/1874, Riel was elected a Member of Parliament in Ottawa.
Feeling that his mission was greater than mundane but indeed, divine, Riel had his first vision as a prophet on 12/18/1874 on a mountain near Washington, DC. A year later, 12/08/1875, he had a series of powerful visionary experiences, described intense joy alternating with extreme depression. His sanity was first questioned on 3/06/1876 when he became overtly agitated, frenzied and out of control. Friends took him to a Montreal hospital under an assumed name and in May, he was transferred to an asylum at Beauport, near Quebec City.
He was released in January 1878. In September he traveled west with the hope of confederating all the native and metis peoples between the Saskatchewan and Missouri Rivers. He married a metis woman in 1881 and they had two kids.
On 3/16/1883, he became a naturalized American citizen in Montana and began a school-teaching career. The rights of the metis still drew him and in 1884 he returned to the Red River area in activist efforts. After uneasy agreements, a bloody clash finally erupted on 5/12/1885 at Duck Lake when the town was overrun by government troops. On 8/01/1885, he surrendered to authorities and was taken to Regina under heavy guard. After a ten-day trial, he was sentenced to execution on August 1 at 3:15 PM. He was hanged on 11/16/1885, 8:40 AM LMT.
Link to Wikipedia biography