Lands That Cartier Claimed
Jacques Cartier is an explorer whom most Canadian schoolchildren, and some of their more eastern American counterparts, have studied extensively. Almost 600 years ago, Cartier embarked on a perilous voyage to cross the Atlantic Ocean. He was responsible for exploring and claiming much of what is now the Canadian province of Quebec in the name of France.
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Jacques Cartier
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A map and sextant, the tools of an Elizabethan navigator. Cartier was born in the French city of St. Malo in 1491. Historians know little of his early years. He moved to Dieppe as a young man to study the art of seafaring, which included navigation and cartography. French fishermen were already enjoying the bountiful catch offered off the coast of what is now known as Newfoundland, and Cartier might have accompanied them on their earlier voyages. It is also possible he studied under Giovanni de Verrazzano, another seafarer who was enlisted by the crown to explore the New World.
The Gaspe Penninsula
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In 1531, officially enlisted by King Francois I, Cartier embarked on his first documented voyage. After his three ships had traveled along the west and northern coasts of Newfoundland, they sailed into the Gulf of the St. Lawrence to the Gaspe Penninsula. This was the first documented exploration of the area, and Cartier officially claimed the Gaspe Penninsula for the French king.
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Montreal and Quebec
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The modern Montreal skyline. Cartier's second voyage began in 1535; its main goal was further exploration of the St. Lawrence Seaway and River. It was Cartier's hope this would eventually lead to the Northwest Passage, the elusive route to China and India. He claimed Stadacona as a military outpost, which would become the city of Quebec. He also discovered and named the present site of the city of Montreal, which he named Mont Real.
Further Exploration and Colonization
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On his third voyage in 1541, Cartier returned to the New World in an attempt to establish a colony. Quebec was the chosen site for a primitive and uncomfortable base that offered little shelter from the harsh winters or intermittent Iroquois attacks. Cartier searched for but did not find gold, and the colony in the inhospitable environment was unsuccessful. The expedition returned to France in the spring of 1542. The French would not attempt to colonize the area again until the early 16th century.
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References
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