Louis Riel was a Métis who fought to protect Métis homeland after the Canadian government illegally purchased it from the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1869. Riel formed a provisional government for the purchased territory, a territory called Rupert’s Land, which consisted of 3.9 million square kilometers of land encompassing Manitoba and parts of Saskatchewan, Alberta, Quebec, Ontario, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. A coup was organized to overthrow the provisional government in 1870. Riel executed Thomas Scott, one of the organizers, and was forced to flee Canada after the execution inspired a wave of anti-Métis, anti-Catholic, and anti-French sentiments. Riel returned to Canada in 1885 to lead the North-West Rebellion, a battle between the Métis and the Canadian government. Canada defeated the Métis, and Prime Minister John A. Macdonald executed Riel for treason. Riel has since become a legendary figure in Canada.