Cartier

Jacques Cartier (December 31, 1491 – September 1, 1557) was a French navigator who first explored and described the Gulf of St-Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named Canada. more...

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Biography

Jacques Cartier was born in 1491 in Saint-Malo, a small village of the duchy of Brittany, which would later become incorporated to France in 1532. Cartier was part of a respectable family of mariners.He also improved his social status in 1520 by marrying Catherine des Granches, member of a leading ship-owning family. His good name in Saint-Malo is recognized by its frequent appearance on baptismal registers as godfather or witness.

First voyage, 1534

In 1534, Jacques Cartier set sail hoping to discover a western passage to the wealthy markets of Asia. He explored parts of Newfoundland starting on May 10 of that year, and what are now the Canadian Atlantic provinces, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. His first impression of the country was "I'm rather inclined to believe that this is the land God gave to Cain". On one stop at Iles-aux-Oiseaux, his crew slaughtered around 1000 birds, most of them great auks, which are now extinct. Cartier's first encounter with Aboriginal people, most likely the Mi'kmaq, was brief, and some trading occurred. On his second encounter Cartier panicked as forty Mi'kmaq canoes surrounded one of his long boats. Despite the Mi'kmaq signs of peace Cartier ordered his men to shoot two cannons over their heads. The Mi'kmaq paddled away. His third encounter took place at Baie de Gaspe with the Iroquois, where on July 24 he planted a 9 metre cross bearing the words "Long Live the King of France" and took possession of the territory in the name of King Francis I of France. The change in mood was a clear indication that the Iroquois understood Cartier's actions. During this trip he captured Domagaya and Taignoagny, the sons of Chief Donnacona, and took them back to France. He also began to build diplomatic relations with the natives. Cartier returned to France in September 1534.

Second voyage, 1535-1536

Jacques Cartier set sail for a second voyage on May 13 of the following year with 3 ships, 110 men, and the two native boys. Reaching the St. Lawrence, he sailed up-river for the first time, and reached the St. Lawrence Iroquoian village of Stadacona (located nearby the site of present-day Quebec City), where Chief Donnacona was reunited with his two sons.

Jacques Cartier left his main ships in a harbour close to Stadacona, and used his smallest ship to continue up-river and visit Hochelaga (now Montreal) where he arrived October 2, 1535. Hochelaga was far more impressive than the small and squalid village of Stadacona, and more than a thousand Iroquoians came to the river edge to greet the Frenchmen. The site of their arrival has been confidently identified as the beginning of the Sainte-Marie Sault -- where the Jacques Cartier Bridge now stands.

Read more at Wikipedia.org