Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier

Biography, Timeline & Facts about the famous explorer, explorations & voyages in the Age of Exploration

Short Biography of the life of Jacques Cartier - Explorer and Navigator
The following biography information provides basic facts about the life Jacques Cartier:

• Nationality - French

• Lifespan - 1491 - 1557

• Family - Married Catherine Des Granches the  daughter of Jacques Des Granches a chevalier du roi and constable of Saint-Malo

• Education - Well educated

• Career - Explorer and Navigator

• Famous for : leading three expeditions to Canada. Cartier named Canada "Kanata" meaning village or settlement in the Huron-Iroquois language

Facts, Timeline & History about the life of Jacques Cartier - Explorer and Navigator
The following are additional facts and a timeline about the life and history of Jacques Cartier:

• 1491: Jacques Cartier was born at Saint-Malo in Brittany

• There is little information about the early life of Jacques Cartier but he would have been well educated and would have studied cartography, navigation, astronomy, mathematics and seamanship in his early life

• May 1520: Jacques Cartier married Catherine Des Granches, but they had no children. It was a good marriage as Catherine Des Granches was the  daughter of Jacques Des Granches a chevalier du roi and constable of Saint-Malo

• Jacques Cartier lived in Dieppe and acquired the skills of an experienced seaman. Dieppe was the home of Giovanni da Verrazzano

• 1524-1527 : Jacques Cartier was believed to have accompanied Giovanni da Verrazzano on his expeditions to North America exploring the northeast coast of North America from Cape Fear, North Carolina to Maine and also a voyage to Brazil

  • Giovanni da Verrazzano was an Italian who sailed under the French flag for King Francois I of France

• Jacques Cartier acquired a significant reputation as an experienced seaman and navigator which would have been reported in Giovanni da Verrazzano's reports to the French King

• 1532: Jean Le Veneur, the bishop of Saint-Malo, recommended to King Francois that Jacques Cartier be chosen to lead a voyage of discovery to the New World and take the Catholic religion to the 'heathen natives'

• 1534: The King of France, Francois I sent Jacques Cartier to "discover certain islands and lands where it is said there is a large amount of gold and other riches to be found."

• Grande Hermine was the name of the ship  used by Jacques Cartier. The Grande Hermine was a small ship of sixty tons. Another small ship accompanied the Grande Hermine. Both ships had a crew of  thirty men

• 1534 April: Jacques Cartier leads his first voyage to North America from Saint Malo

• Jacques Cartier reaches Newfoundland and sails on to and explores the coast of Labrador

• Cartier sailed inland, going 1,000 miles up the St. Lawrence River

• Cartier named Canada "Kanata" meaning village or settlement in the Huron-Iroquois language

• The first voyage of Jacques Cartier lasted 137 days

• He returned to France and reported his explorations to the King of France

• The King offers Jacques Cartier another commission to return to Canada

• 1535 May 26: Jacques Cartier leads a second voyage to Canada. On his second voyage, he had three ships and 110 men

• Jacques Cartier travelled across the Atlantic and explored some land in Montreal before returning to spend the winter at Stadacona (Quebec), near some friendly native villages

• The winter saw an outbreak of scurvy which cost the lives of 25 of the men

• 1536 May 6: Jacques Cartier left Quebec and sailed for France

• 1536 July 16 Jacques Cartier returned safely to Saint-Malo

• Jacques Cartier reported back to the King of France and the French council started to make plans to colonise Canada

• 1540: Jean Francois de la Rocque, Sieur de Roberval (1500-1560) was commanded by the French king to take charge of the colonization of Canada

• 1541: Jacques Cartier was instructed to lead a third voyage to Canada and redezvous with Sieur de Roberval who was to follow Cartier's expedition

• Jacques Cartier waited for Jean Francois de la Rocque, Sieur de Roberval whilst enduring a bitterly cold winter

• Jacques Cartier made the decision to return to France. He eventually met with Sieur de Roberval in Newfoundland. Jacques Cartier warned de Roberval not to go to Canada because of the terrible weather conditions

• 1542: Jacques Cartier returned to France and waited for news of Sieur de Roberval

• Sieur de Roberval ignored the warnings of Jacques Cartier and travelled to Quebec. His attempts to start a settlement was abandoned due to the bitterly cold winter and the expedition returned to France on June 6 1543

• 1545: Jacques Cartier published an account of his expeditions and voyages of explorations

• 1557 1 September: Jacques Cartier died 1 September, 1557 at his manor of Limoilou, near Saint-Malo

• 1575 April: Catherine Des Granches, the widow of Jacques Cartier, died at Limoilou

Facts about the 1534 Jacques Cartier ship - the Grande Hermine
The name of the 1534 Jacques Cartier ship was the Grande Hermine. The brave men of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries who sailed in uncharted waters to unknown lands were courageous adventurers who were motivated by fame, glory and the wealth. The living conditions on board the small ships were basic and the voyages were dangerous.

• Various aids to navigation were available on ships during the Renaissance. The Navigational aids that Jacques Cartier would have used on his ship included:

  • Astrolabes

  • Charts

  • Compasses

  • Cross-staffs

  • Nocturnals

  • Traverse boards

  • Almanacs

• All of the navigational aids used by Jacques Cartier on the Grande Hermine were used to measure the angle between objects above the ocean, such as the stars or the sun, with the horizon. This would have enabled Jacques Cartier to calculate the ship's position at sea

• Conditions on the Jacques Cartier ship would have been very basic. Food provisions would have included bread, beer, fish and salted meat. The Captain would have had some private stores which might include wine and fresh livestock

• The Grande Hermine was a small ship, about 60 tons

• The overall length of the ship would have been about 70 feet

• The sail area of the ship would have been about 2500 square feet

Famous Explorers - Jacques Cartier - Explorer and Navigator
Some interesting facts and biography information about the History, Life & Times of Jacques Cartier. Additional details, timelines, facts, history and information about the famous European Explorers and events in the great Age of Exploration can be accessed via the Elizabethan Era Sitemap.