Map of New France (1613)
From RedOrbit
Samuel de Champlain, known as The Father of New France, was a Frenchman with many titles including navigator, soldier, explorer, cartographer, and diplomat.
Born Samuel Champlain in 1574 to a family of mariners, exploration was in his blood and he took his first voyage as a young man in 1603, led by François Gravé Du Pont.
In his early years, Champlain learned to navigate, create nautical charts, draw, and make applied reports.
From 1594 or 1595 to 1598, he learned fighting skills in the King Henry IV army during the late stages of France’s religious wars against Brittany, which would equip him with the necessary defense skills required to be at sea on a French vessel.
Some of Champlain’s early travels include a two-year trip aboard his uncle’s ship, the Saint-Julien, which he was given watch duty over while it traveled with a Spanish fleet to the West Indies.
When he returned to Cadiz in 1600, his uncle asked him to take over his business affairs due to illness and a year later, after his uncle passed away, he inherited his estate, 150-ton ship, a yearly pension from the king, and his commercial properties located in Spain.
This gave him the ability to explore without needing to please financial backers.
Between the years of 1901 and 1903, he worked as a geographer for King Henry, traveling to French harbors and learning about North America from fishermen that traveled seasonally to an area ranging from Nantucket to Newfoundland.
Champlain prepared several maps of New France, much of which land he had himself traversed.
This map (1632),
which accompanied his description of the country, is remarkable partly
because of its cartographic techniques of hachured hill symbols, and
vegetation and settlement symbols, and partly because of the concepts of
western and northern geography which he presented.
He
believed that the Arctic Ocean (Mer du Nort Glacialle) extends south to
the west of Hudson Bay, and to a short distance north of Lake Superior
(Grand Lac).
In effect, what is now Manitoba would be fundamentally located in these icy waters.
Champlain’s
map is significant, not so much for what it depicts of the western
area, but because it was a mother map [base map] whose features were
used by many later cartographers in conjunction with their new ideas to
illustrate their concepts of Western geography.
Champlain took his first voyage to North America on a fur trading ship, although he did this only as a passenger.
François Gravé Du Pont, who would later become a good friend to Champlain, led the expedition and taught Champlain how to navigate North America.
He joined a second expedition to North America in 1604, promising to update the king if there were any new discoveries.
Pierre Dugua de Mons, who owned the monopoly on fur trading in New France directly from the king, led this expedition and allowed Champlain to choose where the crew would stay during the winter.
Painting showing the arrival of Samuel de Champlain with the 'Don de Dieu' vessel on the future site of Quebec City, 1608
In 1608, Dugua requested that Champlain establish a French Colony along the St. Lawrence shore, where the two had previously explored.
Three ships were attained for this mission, including the Don-de-Dieu, which was captained by Champlain and the Lévrier, which was captained by Du Pont.
The city of Quebec was founded because of this expedition.
Map of Canada (1677)
When King Henry was murdered in 1610, Champlain lost many of his financial backers, including Dugua, because the new king, then nine years old, and his regent Marie de’ Medici did not feel that exploration was important.
Champlain was forced to return to France to make new connections within the court. It is thought that his marriage to twelve year old Marie de’ Medici, the daughter of an important man who helped carry out orders within the court, only occurred for this purpose.
She eventually joined a convent and Champlain later adopted three
Montagnais girls.
Samuel de Champlain's journeys through Ontario
While exploring the area that would become New France, Champlain established relations with many native tribes including the Algonquin, the Montagnais, Wendat, and Etchemin tribes, all of whom lived in the St. Lawrence River area.
These tribes requested aid from Champlain and his men to fight with the Iroquois, and after a short yet successful battle, Champlain returned to France to attempt to restore Dugua’s fur monopoly, but this failed.
extract from Allard atlas
When Champlain returned to New France in 1613, he decided to explore the Huron country and look for what is now considered Hudson Bay.
With the help of native tribes who were threatened by the
Iroquois, he was able to explore other areas and document his travels between the years of 1604 and 1612.
In 1615, he helped wage a war against the Iroquois, against his better judgment, and ended up getting lost and wintering with another tribe, returning to France in 1616.
In 1620, Champlain returned to New France to strengthen the administration of the area and create more relationships with natives in the area.
He spent the rest of his life working in the area, during which time he made a peace treaty with the Iroquois, tried to find a route to China, and published his book
Voyages de la Nouvelle France.
After an encounter with the
Kirke brothers, which resulted in the surrender of Quebec and the removal of the people there, Champlain was forced to travel to London.
Despite the fact that a peace treaty had been signed three months before this, Champlain would not rebuild Quebec until 1634.
Champlain passed away in 1635 from a severe stroke, but he did not leave any heirs.
Records show that he left much of his property in France to his wife, Hélène, but his estate went to his cousin Marie Camaret after she challenged it in court.
Champlain’s remains were buried in a church for a short time, but his permanent burial site remains unknown to this day.
Links :
Samuel
de Champlain, known as The Father of New France, was a Frenchman with
many titles including navigator, soldier, explorer, cartographer, and
diplomat. Born Samuel Champlain in 1574 to a family of mariners,
exploration was in his blood and he took his first voyage as a young man
in 1603, led by
François Gravé Du Pont.
In his early years, Champlain learned to navigate, create nautical
charts, draw, and make applied reports. From 1594 or 1595 to 1598, he
learned fighting skills in the King Henry IV army during the late stages
of France’s religious wars against Brittany, which would equip him with
the necessary defense skills required to be at sea on a French vessel.
Some of Champlain’s early travels include a two-year trip aboard his
uncle’s ship, the Saint-Julien, which he was given watch duty over while
it traveled with a Spanish fleet to the West Indies. When he returned
to Cadiz in 1600, his uncle asked him to take over his business affairs
due to illness and a year later, after his uncle passed away, he
inherited his estate, 150-ton ship, a yearly pension from the king, and
his commercial properties located in Spain. This gave him the ability to
explore without needing to please financial backers. Between the years
of 1901 and 1903, he worked as a geographer for King Henry, traveling to
French harbors and learning about North America from fishermen that
traveled seasonally to an area ranging from Nantucket to Newfoundland.
Champlain took his first voyage to North America on a fur trading
ship, although he did this only as a passenger. François Gravé Du Pont,
who would later become a good friend to Champlain, led the expedition
and taught Champlain how to navigate North America. He joined a second
expedition to North America in 1604, promising to update the king if
there were any new discoveries. Pierre Dugua de Mons, who owned the
monopoly on fur trading in New France directly from the king, led this
expedition and allowed Champlain to choose where the crew would stay
during the winter. In 1608, Dugua requested that Champlain establish a
French Colony along the St. Lawrence shore, where the two had previously
explored. Three ships were attained for this mission, including the
Don-de-Dieu, which was captained by Champlain and the Lévrier, which was
captained by Du Pont. The city of Quebec was founded because of this
expedition.
When King Henry was murdered in 1610, Champlain lost many of his
financial backers, including Dugua, because the new king, then nine
years old, and his regent Marie de’ Medici did not feel that exploration
was important. Champlain was forced to return to France to make new
connections within the court. It is thought that his marriage to twelve
year old Marie de’ Medici, the daughter of an important man who helped
carry out orders within the court, only occurred for this purpose. She
eventually joined a convent and Champlain later adopted three
Montagnais girls.
While exploring the area that would become New France, Champlain
established relations with many native tribes including the Algonquin,
the Montagnais, Wendat, and Etchemin tribes, all of whom lived in the
St. Lawrence River area. These tribes requested aid from Champlain and
his men to fight with the
Iroquois,
and after a short yet successful battle, Champlain returned to France
to attempt to restore Dugua’s fur monopoly, but this failed.
When Champlain returned to New France in 1613, he decided to explore
the Huron country and look for what is now considered Hudson Bay. With
the help of native tribes who were threatened by the Iroquois, he was
able to explore other areas and document his travels between the years
of 1604 and 1612. In 1615, he helped wage a war against the Iroquois,
against his better judgment, and ended up getting lost and wintering
with another tribe, returning to France in 1616.
In 1620, Champlain returned to New France to strengthen the
administration of the area and create more relationships with natives in
the area. He spent the rest of his life working in the area, during
which time he made a peace treaty with the Iroquois, tried to find a
route to China, and published his book Voyages de la Nouvelle France.
After an encounter with the
Kirke
brothers, which resulted in the surrender of Quebec and the removal of
the people there, Champlain was forced to travel to London. Despite the
fact that a peace treaty had been signed three months before this,
Champlain would not rebuild Quebec until 1634.
Champlain passed away in 1635 from a severe stroke, but he did not
leave any heirs. Records show that he left much of his property in
France to his wife, Hélène, but his estate went to his cousin Marie
Camaret after she challenged it in court. Champlain’s remains were
buried in a church for a short time, but his permanent burial site
remains unknown to this day.
Read more at
http://www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/general-2/explorers/1113040645/samuel-de-champlain/#kl2YiBt8vLjZcCtA.99
Samuel
de Champlain, known as The Father of New France, was a Frenchman with
many titles including navigator, soldier, explorer, cartographer, and
diplomat. Born Samuel Champlain in 1574 to a family of mariners,
exploration was in his blood and he took his first voyage as a young man
in 1603, led by
François Gravé Du Pont.
In his early years, Champlain learned to navigate, create nautical
charts, draw, and make applied reports. From 1594 or 1595 to 1598, he
learned fighting skills in the King Henry IV army during the late stages
of France’s religious wars against Brittany, which would equip him with
the necessary defense skills required to be at sea on a French vessel.
Some of Champlain’s early travels include a two-year trip aboard his
uncle’s ship, the Saint-Julien, which he was given watch duty over while
it traveled with a Spanish fleet to the West Indies. When he returned
to Cadiz in 1600, his uncle asked him to take over his business affairs
due to illness and a year later, after his uncle passed away, he
inherited his estate, 150-ton ship, a yearly pension from the king, and
his commercial properties located in Spain. This gave him the ability to
explore without needing to please financial backers. Between the years
of 1901 and 1903, he worked as a geographer for King Henry, traveling to
French harbors and learning about North America from fishermen that
traveled seasonally to an area ranging from Nantucket to Newfoundland.
Champlain took his first voyage to North America on a fur trading
ship, although he did this only as a passenger. François Gravé Du Pont,
who would later become a good friend to Champlain, led the expedition
and taught Champlain how to navigate North America. He joined a second
expedition to North America in 1604, promising to update the king if
there were any new discoveries. Pierre Dugua de Mons, who owned the
monopoly on fur trading in New France directly from the king, led this
expedition and allowed Champlain to choose where the crew would stay
during the winter. In 1608, Dugua requested that Champlain establish a
French Colony along the St. Lawrence shore, where the two had previously
explored. Three ships were attained for this mission, including the
Don-de-Dieu, which was captained by Champlain and the Lévrier, which was
captained by Du Pont. The city of Quebec was founded because of this
expedition.
When King Henry was murdered in 1610, Champlain lost many of his
financial backers, including Dugua, because the new king, then nine
years old, and his regent Marie de’ Medici did not feel that exploration
was important. Champlain was forced to return to France to make new
connections within the court. It is thought that his marriage to twelve
year old Marie de’ Medici, the daughter of an important man who helped
carry out orders within the court, only occurred for this purpose. She
eventually joined a convent and Champlain later adopted three
Montagnais girls.
While exploring the area that would become New France, Champlain
established relations with many native tribes including the Algonquin,
the Montagnais, Wendat, and Etchemin tribes, all of whom lived in the
St. Lawrence River area. These tribes requested aid from Champlain and
his men to fight with the
Iroquois,
and after a short yet successful battle, Champlain returned to France
to attempt to restore Dugua’s fur monopoly, but this failed.
When Champlain returned to New France in 1613, he decided to explore
the Huron country and look for what is now considered Hudson Bay. With
the help of native tribes who were threatened by the Iroquois, he was
able to explore other areas and document his travels between the years
of 1604 and 1612. In 1615, he helped wage a war against the Iroquois,
against his better judgment, and ended up getting lost and wintering
with another tribe, returning to France in 1616.
In 1620, Champlain returned to New France to strengthen the
administration of the area and create more relationships with natives in
the area. He spent the rest of his life working in the area, during
which time he made a peace treaty with the Iroquois, tried to find a
route to China, and published his book Voyages de la Nouvelle France.
After an encounter with the
Kirke
brothers, which resulted in the surrender of Quebec and the removal of
the people there, Champlain was forced to travel to London. Despite the
fact that a peace treaty had been signed three months before this,
Champlain would not rebuild Quebec until 1634.
Champlain passed away in 1635 from a severe stroke, but he did not
leave any heirs. Records show that he left much of his property in
France to his wife, Hélène, but his estate went to his cousin Marie
Camaret after she challenged it in court. Champlain’s remains were
buried in a church for a short time, but his permanent burial site
remains unknown to this day.
Read more at
http://www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/general-2/explorers/1113040645/samuel-de-champlain/#kl2YiBt8vLjZcCtA.99
Samuel
de Champlain, known as The Father of New France, was a Frenchman with
many titles including navigator, soldier, explorer, cartographer, and
diplomat. Born Samuel Champlain in 1574 to a family of mariners,
exploration was in his blood and he took his first voyage as a young man
in 1603, led by
François Gravé Du Pont.
In his early years, Champlain learned to navigate, create nautical
charts, draw, and make applied reports. From 1594 or 1595 to 1598, he
learned fighting skills in the King Henry IV army during the late stages
of France’s religious wars against Brittany, which would equip him with
the necessary defense skills required to be at sea on a French vessel.
Some of Champlain’s early travels include a two-year trip aboard his
uncle’s ship, the Saint-Julien, which he was given watch duty over while
it traveled with a Spanish fleet to the West Indies. When he returned
to Cadiz in 1600, his uncle asked him to take over his business affairs
due to illness and a year later, after his uncle passed away, he
inherited his estate, 150-ton ship, a yearly pension from the king, and
his commercial properties located in Spain. This gave him the ability to
explore without needing to please financial backers. Between the years
of 1901 and 1903, he worked as a geographer for King Henry, traveling to
French harbors and learning about North America from fishermen that
traveled seasonally to an area ranging from Nantucket to Newfoundland.
Champlain took his first voyage to North America on a fur trading
ship, although he did this only as a passenger. François Gravé Du Pont,
who would later become a good friend to Champlain, led the expedition
and taught Champlain how to navigate North America. He joined a second
expedition to North America in 1604, promising to update the king if
there were any new discoveries. Pierre Dugua de Mons, who owned the
monopoly on fur trading in New France directly from the king, led this
expedition and allowed Champlain to choose where the crew would stay
during the winter. In 1608, Dugua requested that Champlain establish a
French Colony along the St. Lawrence shore, where the two had previously
explored. Three ships were attained for this mission, including the
Don-de-Dieu, which was captained by Champlain and the Lévrier, which was
captained by Du Pont. The city of Quebec was founded because of this
expedition.
When King Henry was murdered in 1610, Champlain lost many of his
financial backers, including Dugua, because the new king, then nine
years old, and his regent Marie de’ Medici did not feel that exploration
was important. Champlain was forced to return to France to make new
connections within the court. It is thought that his marriage to twelve
year old Marie de’ Medici, the daughter of an important man who helped
carry out orders within the court, only occurred for this purpose. She
eventually joined a convent and Champlain later adopted three
Montagnais girls.
While exploring the area that would become New France, Champlain
established relations with many native tribes including the Algonquin,
the Montagnais, Wendat, and Etchemin tribes, all of whom lived in the
St. Lawrence River area. These tribes requested aid from Champlain and
his men to fight with the
Iroquois,
and after a short yet successful battle, Champlain returned to France
to attempt to restore Dugua’s fur monopoly, but this failed.
When Champlain returned to New France in 1613, he decided to explore
the Huron country and look for what is now considered Hudson Bay. With
the help of native tribes who were threatened by the Iroquois, he was
able to explore other areas and document his travels between the years
of 1604 and 1612. In 1615, he helped wage a war against the Iroquois,
against his better judgment, and ended up getting lost and wintering
with another tribe, returning to France in 1616.
In 1620, Champlain returned to New France to strengthen the
administration of the area and create more relationships with natives in
the area. He spent the rest of his life working in the area, during
which time he made a peace treaty with the Iroquois, tried to find a
route to China, and published his book Voyages de la Nouvelle France.
After an encounter with the
Kirke
brothers, which resulted in the surrender of Quebec and the removal of
the people there, Champlain was forced to travel to London. Despite the
fact that a peace treaty had been signed three months before this,
Champlain would not rebuild Quebec until 1634.
Champlain passed away in 1635 from a severe stroke, but he did not
leave any heirs. Records show that he left much of his property in
France to his wife, Hélène, but his estate went to his cousin Marie
Camaret after she challenged it in court. Champlain’s remains were
buried in a church for a short time, but his permanent burial site
remains unknown to this day.
Read more at
http://www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/general-2/explorers/1113040645/samuel-de-champlain/#kl2YiBt8vLjZcCtA.99
Samuel
de Champlain, known as The Father of New France, was a Frenchman with
many titles including navigator, soldier, explorer, cartographer, and
diplomat. Born Samuel Champlain in 1574 to a family of mariners,
exploration was in his blood and he took his first voyage as a young man
in 1603, led by
François Gravé Du Pont.
In his early years, Champlain learned to navigate, create nautical
charts, draw, and make applied reports. From 1594 or 1595 to 1598, he
learned fighting skills in the King Henry IV army during the late stages
of France’s religious wars against Brittany, which would equip him with
the necessary defense skills required to be at sea on a French vessel.
Some of Champlain’s early travels include a two-year trip aboard his
uncle’s ship, the Saint-Julien, which he was given watch duty over while
it traveled with a Spanish fleet to the West Indies. When he returned
to Cadiz in 1600, his uncle asked him to take over his business affairs
due to illness and a year later, after his uncle passed away, he
inherited his estate, 150-ton ship, a yearly pension from the king, and
his commercial properties located in Spain. This gave him the ability to
explore without needing to please financial backers. Between the years
of 1901 and 1903, he worked as a geographer for King Henry, traveling to
French harbors and learning about North America from fishermen that
traveled seasonally to an area ranging from Nantucket to Newfoundland.
Champlain took his first voyage to North America on a fur trading
ship, although he did this only as a passenger. François Gravé Du Pont,
who would later become a good friend to Champlain, led the expedition
and taught Champlain how to navigate North America. He joined a second
expedition to North America in 1604, promising to update the king if
there were any new discoveries. Pierre Dugua de Mons, who owned the
monopoly on fur trading in New France directly from the king, led this
expedition and allowed Champlain to choose where the crew would stay
during the winter. In 1608, Dugua requested that Champlain establish a
French Colony along the St. Lawrence shore, where the two had previously
explored. Three ships were attained for this mission, including the
Don-de-Dieu, which was captained by Champlain and the Lévrier, which was
captained by Du Pont. The city of Quebec was founded because of this
expedition.
When King Henry was murdered in 1610, Champlain lost many of his
financial backers, including Dugua, because the new king, then nine
years old, and his regent Marie de’ Medici did not feel that exploration
was important. Champlain was forced to return to France to make new
connections within the court. It is thought that his marriage to twelve
year old Marie de’ Medici, the daughter of an important man who helped
carry out orders within the court, only occurred for this purpose. She
eventually joined a convent and Champlain later adopted three
Montagnais girls.
While exploring the area that would become New France, Champlain
established relations with many native tribes including the Algonquin,
the Montagnais, Wendat, and Etchemin tribes, all of whom lived in the
St. Lawrence River area. These tribes requested aid from Champlain and
his men to fight with the
Iroquois,
and after a short yet successful battle, Champlain returned to France
to attempt to restore Dugua’s fur monopoly, but this failed.
When Champlain returned to New France in 1613, he decided to explore
the Huron country and look for what is now considered Hudson Bay. With
the help of native tribes who were threatened by the Iroquois, he was
able to explore other areas and document his travels between the years
of 1604 and 1612. In 1615, he helped wage a war against the Iroquois,
against his better judgment, and ended up getting lost and wintering
with another tribe, returning to France in 1616.
In 1620, Champlain returned to New France to strengthen the
administration of the area and create more relationships with natives in
the area. He spent the rest of his life working in the area, during
which time he made a peace treaty with the Iroquois, tried to find a
route to China, and published his book Voyages de la Nouvelle France.
After an encounter with the
Kirke
brothers, which resulted in the surrender of Quebec and the removal of
the people there, Champlain was forced to travel to London. Despite the
fact that a peace treaty had been signed three months before this,
Champlain would not rebuild Quebec until 1634.
Champlain passed away in 1635 from a severe stroke, but he did not
leave any heirs. Records show that he left much of his property in
France to his wife, Hélène, but his estate went to his cousin Marie
Camaret after she challenged it in court. Champlain’s remains were
buried in a church for a short time, but his permanent burial site
remains unknown to this day.
Read more at
http://www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/general-2/explorers/1113040645/samuel-de-champlain/#kl2YiBt8vLjZcCtA.99
