 Europeans called the village the Lower Castle from its position as the major eastern settlement (furthest downstream) of the Mohawk.In 1710, Peter Schuyler, mayor of Albany, invited three Mohawk chiefs and one Mahican chief (of the Algonquian-speaking peoples) to travel to England and visit Queen Anne to solidify their trading alliance.The Mohawk chiefs asked for help in defense against the French, including Anglican missionaries to offset French Catholic influence among their people.