Why did Jacques Cartier want to explore? What impact did he have?
In 1534, France's King Francis I authorized the navigator Jacques Cartier to lead a voyage to the New World in order to seek gold and other resources, as well as a new route to Asia.France was able to lay claim to the lands that would become Canada after three expeditions by Cartier.As a young man, Cartier began sailing.He was a skilled navigator and made three famous voyages to North America.
Before 1534, it was believed that Cartier traveled to Brazil and Newfoundland.As the east coast of North America was then known, the government of King Francis I of France commissioned Cartier to lead an expedition to the northern lands.The purpose of the voyage was to find a northwest passage to Asia, as well as to collect gold and spices along the way.
Did you know?Jacques Cartier is credited with giving Canada its name, as well as his exploration of the St. Lawrence region.He was said to have used the word "kanata" to refer to the entire region around Quebec City.
In April 1534, Cartier set sail with two ships and 61 men.He explored the western coast of Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence as far as Anticosti Island.He was credited with the discovery of Prince Edward Island.
The two captured Native Americans were brought with Cartier back to make his report to King Francis.The king sent Cartier back across the Atlantic with three ships and more than 100 men.With the two captives acting as guides, the explorers headed up the St. Lawrence River as far as Quebec, where they established a base camp.
The following winter wreaked havoc on the expedition, with 25 of Cartier's men dying of scurvy and the entire group incurring the anger of the initially friendly Iroquois population.The explorers traveled back to France after seizing several chiefs.Though he had not been able to explore it himself, Cartier told the king of the Iroquois that there was another great river stretching west that could lead to undiscovered resources and possibly to Asia.
The war in Europe stopped the plans for another expedition.King Francis charged the nobleman with founding a permanent colony in the northern lands.In August 1541, Cartier arrived in Quebec.After enduring another harsh winter, Cartier decided not to wait for the colonists to arrive, but sailed for France with a quantity of what he thought were gold and diamonds, which had been found near the Quebec camp.
Roberval ordered Cartier to return to Quebec after he stopped in Newfoundland.Instead of obeying the command, Cartier sailed away.The minerals he brought were found to have no value when he returned to France.For the rest of his life, Cartier would remain at his estate in Saint-Malo, Brittany.It would be more than 50 years before France again showed interest in its North American claims, as Roberval's colonists abandoned the idea of a permanent settlement after barely a year.
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The Northwest Passage is a famous sea route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through a group of Canadian islands.European explorers began to search for the Northwest Passage in the 15th century.
The story of North American exploration spans an entire millennium and involves a wide array of European powers and uniquely American characters.It began with the Vikings' brief stay in Newfoundland around 1000 A.D. and continued through England's colonization of the Atlantic.
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian-born merchant and explorer who took part in early voyages to the New World on behalf of Spain around the late 15th century.The Vikings established settlements in present-day North America as early as 1000 A.D.
Henry Hudson made his first voyage west from England in 1607 when he was hired to find a shorter route to Asia.Hudson embarked on a third voyage after twice being turned back by ice.