History channel jacques cartier biography

Jacques Cartier was an explorers from the region of Brittany in France in the early part of the 16th century. He is famed for being the first European to discover the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River. This would be the building blocks for French colonization of the New World.

Jacques Cartier – Part 1 – The Gulf of St. Lawrence

In part 1 of our series on Jacques Cartier, we explore the background on exploration of what is now the St. Lawrence region of Canada, and then follow Cartier on his first voyage to the New World.

Download this episode or listen online.

Jacques Cartier – Part 1 – The Gulf of St. Lawrence

In the final part of our series on Jacques Cartier, we explore up the St. Lawrence River – reaching modern-day Quebec City and Montreal.

Download this episode or listen online.

Maps

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Resources

The Voyages of Jacques Cartier with an introduction by Ramsey Cook by Jacques Cartier. This is an English translation of Cartier’s voyages, with a good introduction by Ramsey Cook. This the document where most of the podcast is derived. Read it free online.

Jacques Cartier by Meg Greene. This short biography of Cartier is aimed at younger readers, but provides a nice overview of the man, his voyages and the era. Free to read online.

Jacques Cartier by Heather Hudak. Another short bio about Cartier geared toward younger readers.

Cartiers’ Wikipedia Page

(1491-1557)

Who Was Jacques Cartier?

French navigator Jacques Cartier was sent by King Francis I to the New World in search of riches and a new route to Asia in 1534. His exploration of the St. Lawrence River allowed France to lay claim to lands that would become Canada. He died in Saint-Malo in 1557.

Early Life and First Major Voyage to North America

Born in Saint-Malo, France on December 31, 1491, Cartier reportedly explored the Americas, particularly Brazil, before making three major North American voyages. In 1534, King Francis I of France sent Cartier — likely because of his previous expeditions — on a new trip to the eastern coast of North America, then called the "northern lands." On a voyage that would add him to the list of famous explorers, Cartier was to search for gold and other riches, spices, and a passage to Asia.

Cartier sailed on April 20, 1534, with two ships and 61 men, and arrived 20 days later. He explored the west coast of Newfoundland, discovered Prince Edward Island and sailed through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, past Anticosti Island.

Second Voyage

Upon returning to France, King Francis was impressed with Cartier’s report of what he had seen, so he sent the explorer back the following year, in May, with three ships and 110 men. Two Indigenous peoples Cartier had captured previously now served as guides, and he and his men navigated the St. Lawrence, as far as Quebec, and established a base.

In September, Cartier sailed to what would become Montreal and was welcomed by the Iroquois who controlled the area, hearing from them that there were other rivers that led farther west, where gold, silver, copper and spices could be found. Before they could continue, though, the harsh winter blew in, rapids made the river impassable, and Cartier and his men managed to anger the Iroquois.

So Cartier waited until spring when the river was free of ice and captured some of the Iroquois chiefs before again returning to

On May 10, 1534, French navigator Jacques Cartier becomes the first European explorer to encounter the eastern coast of Canada, as he enters the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the present-day province of Quebec. In the first of his three expeditions to Canada, he would circumnavigate the Gulf and explore the coasts of Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, ultimately claiming them for France.

In 1534, Cartier was commissioned by King Francis I of France to explore the northern American lands in search of riches and the rumored Northwest Passage to Asia. Leaving France on April 20, he entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence by the Strait of Belle Isle, explored its barren north coast for a distance, and then traveled down the west shore of Newfoundland to Cape Anguille, arriving on May 10. From there, he sailed around Magdalen and Prince Edward islands, explored Chaleur Bay and claimed Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula for France. He then discovered the mouth of the St. Lawrence River north of Anticosti Island, but forbidding winds and unfavorable tides prevented his ship from entering. With winter approaching, he returned to Europe.

Cartier’s discoveries of the fertile lands around the Gulf of St. Lawrence, previously thought to be a barren and inhospitable region, inspired Francis I to dispatch him on a second expedition in 1535. On this voyage, he entered the St. Lawrence River, believing it to be the northwest passage he sought, and sailed to the native village of Hochelaga, site of the modern-day city of Montreal. On his return voyage to France, he explored Cabot Strait along the southern coast of Newfoundland. Cartier led a final expedition to the region in 1541, as part of an unsuccessful colonization effort. His extensive geographical discoveries formed the basis of France’s claims to the rich St. Lawrence Valley in the 17th century.

French maritime explorer of North America (1491–1557)

This article is about the French explorer. For other uses, see Jacques Cartier (disambiguation).

Jacques Cartier (Breton: Jakez Karter; 31 December 1491 – 1 September 1557) was a French-Bretonmaritime explorer for France. Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas" after the Iroquoian names for the two big settlements he saw at Stadacona (Quebec City) and at Hochelaga (Montreal Island).

Early life

Jacques Cartier was born in 1491 in Saint-Malo, the port on the north-east coast of Brittany. Cartier, who was a respectable mariner, improved his social status in 1520 by marrying Mary Catherine des Granches, member of a leading aristocratic family. His good name in Saint-Malo is recognized by its frequent appearance in baptismal registers as godfather or witness.

First voyage (1534)

In 1534, two years after the Duchy of Brittany was formally united with France in the Edict of Union, Cartier was introduced to King Francis I by Jean Le Veneur, bishop of Saint-Malo and abbot of Mont Saint-Michel, at the Manoir de Brion. The King had previously invited (although not