Jacques Cartier
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Jacques Cartier (Saint-Malo, France, December 31, 1491 - January 19 1557) was a French explorer of Canada.
The King of France, Fran�ois I, chose him to find certaines �les et pays o� l'on dit qu'il se doit trouver grande quantit� d'or et autres riches choses ("certain islands and lands where it is said there are great quantities of gold and other riches"). In 1534 he set sail looking for a western passage to Asia. He explored parts of what are now Newfoundland (starting on May 10 of that year) and the Canadian Maritimes and where he learned of a river further west (the St. Lawrence River) that he believed might be the much searched-for northwest passage. During this trip he kidnapped Chief Donnacona's 2 sons, Domagaya and Taignoagny and took them back to Europe.
Cartier set sail for a second voyage on May 19 of the following year with 3 ships, 110 men, and the abducted boys (whom were returned to the chief). He sailed upriver to the Huron village of Stadacona (at the location of present-day Quebec City) and Hochelaga (Montreal) and arrived on October 2, 1535. He heard of a country further north, called Saguenay, that was said to be full of gold and other treasures.
On May 23, 1541 he departed St-Malo on his third voyage. This time he was looking for Saguenay; however, he again did not get further than Hochelaga. After a fierce winter spent in Canada, he returned to France the next year. Cartier spent the rest of his life in Saint-Malo and his nearby estate, and died in 1557.
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Jacques Cartier" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Cartier January 3, 2004
