Jacques cartier biography canada

Lawrence River and giving Canada its name. Out of that we were, not 10 were well enough to help the others, a thing pitiful to see. Today was our first day at sea. The weather was good, no clouds at the horizon and we are praying for a smooth sail. We set sail again trying to discover more wonders of this new world. Today I did something great for my country.

We have taken over the land. Long live the King of France! I'm anxious to see what lies ahead. Every day we are getting deeper and deeper inside the continent, which increases my curiosity. Today I have completed my second voyage, which I can say had thought me a lot about how different things are in this world and how people start building up communities according to their common beliefs.

The world is big and still hiding a lot. There arose such stormy and raging winds against us that we were constrained to come to the place again from whence we were come. Lawrence River as far as Quebec, where they established a base camp. In the spring, the explorers seized several Iroquois chiefs and traveled back to France. War in Europe stalled plans for another expedition, which finally went forward in Cartier sailed a few months ahead of Roberval, and arrived in Quebec in August 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.

Along the way, Cartier stopped in Newfoundland and encountered Roberval, who ordered Cartier to return with him to Quebec. Rather than obey this command, Cartier sailed away under cover of night. This remedy likely saved the expedition from destruction, allowing 85 Frenchmen to survive the winter. In his journal, Cartier states that by mid-February, "out of that we were, not ten were well enough to help the others, a pitiful thing to see".

The Frenchmen used up the bark of an entire tree in a week on the cure, and the dramatic results prompted Cartier to proclaim it a Godsend, and a miracle. Ready to return to France in early May , Cartier decided to kidnap Chief Donnacona and take him to France, [ 26 ] so that he might personally tell the tale of a country further north, called the " Kingdom of Saguenay ", said to be full of gold, rubies and other treasures.

After an arduous trip down the St. Lawrence and a three-week Atlantic crossing, Cartier and his men arrived in Saint-Malo on July 15, , concluding the second, month voyage, which was to be Cartier's most profitable. On October 17, , Francis ordered the navigator Jacques Cartier to return to Canada to lend weight to a colonization project of which he would be "captain general".

Roberval was to lead the expedition, with Cartier as his chief navigator. While Roberval waited for artillery and supplies, he gave permission to Cartier to sail on ahead with his ships. On May 23, , Cartier departed Saint-Malo on his third voyage with five ships. This time, any thought of finding a passage to the Orient was forgotten. The goals were now to find the "Kingdom of Saguenay" and its riches, and to establish a permanent settlement along the St.

Lawrence River. Anchoring at Stadacona, Cartier again met the Iroquoians , but found their "show of joy" and their numbers worrisome, and decided not to build his settlement there. Sailing a few kilometres upriver to a spot he had previously observed, he decided to settle on the site of present-day Cap-Rouge , Quebec. The convicts and other colonists were landed, the cattle that had survived three months aboard ship were turned loose, earth was broken for a kitchen garden, and seeds of cabbage, turnip, and lettuce were planted.

A fortified settlement was thus created and was named Charlesbourg-Royal. Another fort was also built on the cliff overlooking the settlement, for added protection. The men also began collecting what they believed to be diamonds and gold, but which upon return to France were discovered to be merely quartz crystals and iron pyrites , respectively—which gave rise to a French expression: " faux comme les diamants du Canada " "As false as Canadian diamonds".

Two of the ships were sent on their journey home with some of these minerals on September 2. Having set tasks for everyone, Cartier left with the longboats for a reconnaissance in search of "Saguenay" on September 7.

Jacques cartier biography canada

Having reached Hochelaga, he was prevented by bad weather and the numerous rapids from continuing up to the Ottawa River. Returning to Charlesbourg-Royal, Cartier found the situation ominous. The Iroquoians no longer made friendly visits or peddled fish and game, but prowled about in a sinister manner. No records exist about the winter of — and the information must be gleaned from the few details provided by returning sailors.

It seems the natives attacked and killed about 35 settlers before the Frenchmen could retreat behind their fortifications. Even though scurvy was cured through the native remedy Thuja occidentalis infusion , the impression left is of a general misery, and of Cartier's growing conviction that he had insufficient manpower either to protect his base or to go in search of the Saguenay Kingdom.

Cartier left for France in early June , encountering Roberval and his ships along the Newfoundland coast, at about the time Roberval marooned Marguerite de La Rocque. Despite Roberval's insistence that he accompany him back to Saguenay, Cartier slipped off under the cover of darkness and continued on to France, still convinced his vessels contained a wealth of gold and diamonds.

He arrived there in October, in what proved to be his last voyage. Meanwhile, Roberval took command at Charlesbourg-Royal, but it was abandoned in after disease, foul weather and hostile natives drove the would-be settlers to despair. Cartier spent the rest of his life in Saint-Malo and his nearby estate, where he often was useful as an interpreter in Portuguese.

He died at age 65 on September 1, , during an epidemic, [ 30 ] possibly of typhus , [ 31 ] though many sources list his cause of death as unknown. Cartier is interred in Saint-Malo Cathedral. Having already located the entrance to the St. Lawrence on his first voyage, he now opened up the greatest waterway for the European penetration of North America.

He produced an intelligent estimate of the resources of Canada, both natural and human, albeit with a considerable exaggeration of its mineral wealth. While some of his actions toward the St. Lawrence Iroquoians were dishonourable, he did try at times to establish friendship with them and other native peoples living along the St. Lawrence River—an indispensable preliminary to French settlement in their lands.

Cartier was the first to document the name Canada to designate the territory on the shores of the St-Lawrence River. The name is derived from the Huron — Iroquois word kanata , or village, which was incorrectly interpreted as the native term for the newly discovered land. And Cartier named Canadiens the inhabitants Iroquoians he had seen there.

Thereafter the name Canada was used to designate the small French colony on these shores, and the French colonists were called Canadiens until the mid-nineteenth century, when the name started to be applied to the loyalist colonies on the Great Lakes and later to all of British North America. In this way Cartier is not strictly the European discoverer of Canada as this country is understood today, a vast federation stretching a mari usque ad mare from sea to sea.

Having set tasks for everyone, Cartier left with the longboats for a reconnaissance in search of "Saguenay" on September 7. Having reached Hochelaga, he was prevented by bad weather and the numerous rapids from continuing up to the Ottawa River. Returning to Charlesbourg-Royal, Cartier found the situation ominous. The Iroquoians no longer made friendly visits or peddled fish and game, but prowled about in a sinister manner.

No records exists about the winter of and the information must be gleaned from the few details provided by returning sailors. It seems the natives attacked and killed about 35 settlers before the Frenchmen could retreat behind their fortifications. Even though scurvy was cured through the native remedy, the impression left is of a general misery, and of Cartier's growing conviction that he had insufficient manpower either to protect his base or to go in search of Saguenay.

Cartier left for France in early June , encountering Roberval and his ships along the Newfoundland coast. Despite Roberval's insistence that he accompany him back to Saguenay, Cartier slipped off under the cover of darkness and continued on to France, still convinced his vessels contained a wealth of gold and diamonds. He arrived there in October, in what proved to be his last voyage.

Meanwhile, Roberval took command at Charlesbourg-Royal, but it was abandoned in , after disease, foul weather, and hostile natives drove the would-be settlers to despair. Cartier spent the rest of his life in Saint-Malo and his nearby estate, and died aged 66 on September 1, , from an epidemic. He died before any permanent European settlements were made in Canada; that had to wait for Samuel de Champlain in Cartier was the first to document the name Canada to designate the territory on the shores of the St.

Lawrence River. He used the name to describe the village Stadacona , the surrounding land and the river itself. Thereafter, the name Canada was used to designate the small French colony on these shores, and the French colonists were called Canadiens, until the mid-nineteenth century when the name started to be applied to the loyalist colonies on the Great Lakes and later to all of British North America.

In this way, Cartier is not strictly the European discoverer of Canada as it is understood today, a vast federation stretching across the North American content. Eastern parts had previously been visited by the Norse, Basque, and Breton fishermen, and perhaps the Corte-Real brothers and John Cabot in addition, of course, to the natives who first inhabit the territory.

Cartier's particular contribution to the discovery of Canada is as the first European to penetrate the continent, and more precisely the interior eastern region along the St. This region was to become the first European-inhabited area of that country since the Vikings. But even to this extent, the use of discoverer is perhaps too enthusiastic, as the two sons of Donnacona guided Cartier in his first exploration of the inner continent in the second voyage through the St.

Lawrence estuary up to the village of Stadacona. Despite these critical notes, Cartier's professional abilities can be easily ascertained. Considering that Cartier made three voyages of exploration in dangerous and hitherto unknown waters without losing a ship, that he entered and departed some 50 undiscovered harbors without serious mishap, and that the only sailors he lost were victims of an epidemic ashore, he may be considered one of the most conscientious explorers of the period.

On August 18, , Quebec Premier Jean Charest announced that Canadian archaeologists had discovered the precise location of Cartier's lost first colony of Charlesbourg-Royal.