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Jacques Cartier BY: David Bailey and Gregory Schwab
Jacques Cartier first set sail for the New World in 1534, when King Francis I of France commissioned a voyage to search for gold, spices and a Northwest route to Asia. With two ships and 61 men, Cartier explored the St. Lawrence Bay and returned to France with two Native Americans as trophies for the king.
Jacques Cartier was born in 1491in Saint-Malo, the port on the extreme north-east coast of Brittany. Cartier, who was a respectable mariner, improved his social status in 1520 by marrying Mary Catherine des Granches, member of a leading family. His good name in Saint-Malo is recognized by its frequent appearance on baptismal registers as godfather or witness.
The severe North American winter shocked Cartier's crew, who had expected mild temperatures since Quebec was further south in latitude than Paris. Cartier lost 25 men to scurvy and, when the climate improved, he hastily headed back to France.
Early Life • Jacques Cartier was born in the seaport of Saint Malo, France. He studied navigation in Dieppe, a major French center for navigators. After that he became a highly respected navigator. He may have sailed to Newfoundland with a fishing fleet in the early 1500s. Some historians believe Cartier accompanied Giovanni de Verrazano on French expeditions to the New World.
THE SECOND VOYAGE • A second voyage began in 1535. After returning his young Indian guests to their homes, Cartier began to explore the St. Lawrence River. He pushed up river to a native village at the base of a large mountain, which he named Mont Real (later Montréal). With winter approaching, Cartier sailed down the river and established a camp at the eventual site of Québec. The party returned to France the following spring
Jacques Cartier was a navigator who made three voyages for France to the North American continent between 1534 and 1542. He explored the St. Lawrence River and gave Canada its name.
