Jacques Cartier

See also: Jacques Cartier (homonymy), Cartier

Jacques Cartier (born towards the end of the year 1491 with Saint-Malo in France, deceased at the same place on September 1st 1557), is navigator and Explorateur French. Author of charts having allowed the appearance of the gulf and the River the St. Lawrence on the representations of the sphere, Cartier by his Relations describes for the first time this water and the visited territory which it names Canada.

Biography

The beginning of its life is badly known.

Wire of Jamet Cartier and Jesseline Jansart, of the Saint-Vincent parish of Saint-Malo, it marries there the May 2nd 1519 Catherine, girl of Jacques of Granches, Connétable: a marriage which improves its social condition largely.

Several historians advance that it could have accompanied a campaign by fishing to go to Newfoundland before 1532, because the area was attended Basque fishermen and Breton. Some also imagine that it could have taken part in the one of the voyages of exploration of the Brazilian coast by the fleet Norman under house Dieppois: they are based, for that, on the frequent comparisons that Cartier made, in its accounts of voyage, between the Amerindian S of the News-France and the Brésil iens, as on its knowledge of the Portuguese because at the time of its retirement it will act on several occasions as interprets in Portuguese language.

In 1532, whereas a war bursts between the crown of Portugal and the ship-owners Norman off Brazil, it is presented to François I {{er}} by Jean the Huntsman, bishop of Saint-Malo and abbot of the Mount-Saint-Michel. This one evokes voyages that Cartier would have already made “in Brazil and Newfoundland” to affirm that it was with same “to drive ships to discovered of new grounds in the new world”. There receiving a commission of king de France, and becoming in this direction the successor of Giovanni da Verrazano, Cartier will direct to the expenses of the king three voyages towards the North America between 1534 and 1542, hoping to find a passage for the Asia, if not of the richnesses.

The first voyage (1534)

After only twenty days of crossing, Cartier reaches Newfoundland, with its two ships and a crew of 61 men. It thoroughly explores the Golfe of the St. Lawrence and, the Friday July 24th, puts foot at ground with Gaspé, plants there a cross of thirty feet, asserting the area for the king of France. The troop of the French meets there Iroquoiens of the St. Lawrence, come for the fishing, which accommodates them without too much pleasure. The Amerindian chief, Donnacona, after protests, ends up allowing Cartier to bring two of his sons in France. The re-entry in Saint-Malo is made on September 5th after another short 21 days crossing.

The second voyage (1535-1536)

The second voyage takes place in 1535 - 1536, this forwarding counts three ships, the Petite Hermine (60 barrels), the Émérillon (40 barrels) and the nave which transports Cartier, the Grande Hermine (120 barrels). Fifteen months of vivres were provided, that these ships bring.

Brought back France by Cartier, the two wire of the chief Donnacona, Taignoagny and Domagaya , now speak French. Resorting to their knowledge, Cartier goes up then the course of the the St. Lawrence, discovering that it sails on a river when water becomes soft. With the island of Orleans, the September 7th, in front of Stadaconé, one finds Donnacona.

This chief tries to dissuade the French to go up the river: he wants to make sure of the monopoly of the trade. Cartier refuses and gives leave to two wire. He will thus go upstream without interpreter. Part of the men remain and build a fort, preparing the first known French wintering to the Canada . Cartier continues to go up the river on the Émérillon , but soon its Tirant of water prohibits to him to continue beyond the Lac Saint-Pierre: it anchors to it the Émérillon and the crew continues in the boats.

In Hochelaga

October 2nd of the year 1535, Jacques Cartier and his companions arrive in the area of the establishment named Hochelaga. The come night, they are withdrawn all aboard boat. Early, the next morning, with its armed gentlemen and twenty marines, Cartier undertakes with foot the way towards this village, on a well arranged way. Thus going two miles (approximately 8 km), they can finally see this village palisaded of tree trunk, on a Colline and surrounded by cultivated grounds full with Maïs (known as Indian corn), as it will describe the landscape surrounding Hochelaga. It will name Royal Mont, this mountain of the island and the city which will be then named Montreal.

The village has in its circular rampart only one main door (left). One counts there about fifty “long houses”, Community. The chief of the village affirms that one can continue to go up the river towards the west during the three moons and, of the Rivière of Outaouais, to move towards north and to penetrate in a country where gold is found.

After this one day visit, the French turn back and turn over to the country of Canada (area of Quebec), to winter with damping, beside strong the Holy-Cross (on the current site of the Parc Cartier-Brébeuf).

The relationship with the Iroquoiens of the St. Lawrence is good, in spite of some arguments without gravity, which never degenerate into violence. Cartier however discovers the first Scalp S in the house of Donnacona. He tastes there also the Tabac, which he hardly appreciates. The winter of the North America arrives and surprises the French, the river freezes and imprisons the ships. Cartier and his men winter close to the river Holy-Cross (now known as Rivière Saint-Charles, with Quebec). The men suffer from the Scorbut, the Iroquoiens are also struck by it, of the French die while the Amerindian S draw some much better. Cartier, saved, discovers that the Iroquoiens of the St. Lawrence look after with a preparation of sheets of '' cedar '' (thuja). He applies the treatment to his men and soon the cures multiply. In April, Cartier seizes Donnacona, its two sons and of seven others Iroquoiens then, benefitting from the thaw, it puts the course on France, giving up the Petite Hermine , “rather many fault of a crew” (25 of the 110 team-members had died of the scurvy). After being last with the islands Saint-Pierre-and-Miquelon, it turns over to Saint-Malo in July 1536, believer to have explored part of the Eastern coast of the Asia.

The historical Lieu national Cartier-Brébeuf commemorates this wintering of Jacques Cartier.

The third voyage (1541-1542)

Donnacona which included/understood what seek the French, of gold, the gems, of spices, makes them the description which they want to hear, that of the rich person kingdom of Saguenay, and François Ier, although occupied by the threats of Charles Quint, lets himself convince to launch the third forwarding with for instructions establishing a colony.

The organization of forwarding is entrusted to Jean-François of Rocque Roberval, a court gentleman, which Cartier is not. It will not be this time the second the Roberval one. The colonization and the propagation of the catholic faith become the two objectives. Donnacona dies towards 1539, like others Iroquoiens of the St. Lawrence, the others married, none will not return. One prepares forwarding, arms five ships, embarks cattle, releases from the prisoners to make colonists of them. Roberval takes delay in the organization and Cartier impatient then decides to engage on the ocean without waiting. After a calamitous crossing, it arrives finally on the site of Stadaconé in August 1541 after three years of absence. The meeting again are cordial in spite of the advertisement of the death of Donnacona, then the reports/ratios are degraded and Cartier decides to settle elsewhere.

It makes build the Charlesbourg-Royal fort of to the confluence of the the St. Lawrence and the river of the Cape Rouge to prepare colonization. Soon, the winter arrives and Roberval is always invisible with the remainder of forwarding. While waiting, it accumulates gold and diamonds which it negotiates with the Iroquoiens of the St. Lawrence which says to have collected them close to the camp In 1542, it raises the camp, meets Roberval with Newfoundland. In spite of the order that this last gives him to turn back and to turn over on the the St. Lawrence, Cartier puts the course towards France.

At once arrived, it makes appraise the ore and learns that it reports only Pyrite and quartz without value. Its mishap will be at the origin of the expression “false like diamonds of Canada ”.

The retirement

Disappointed, it is withdrawn in its manor of Limoëlou, close to Saint-Malo. Regarded as wise, it sometimes is consulted and one makes profitable his knowledge Portuguese. He succumbs in 1557 of the Peste which strikes the city. Its remainders, found in 1944, rest since in the cathedral of Saint-Malo.

Publications

Manuscripts and history of the Relations

No original manuscript of the relations of Cartier survived or one cannot identify with certainty the authors of the found manuscripts.

The account of the second voyage of Cartier (1535-1536) is published as of 1545 in Paris; there remain only three known specimens of this impression. Then the relations of the first and second voyages are translated into Italian by Giovanni Battista Ramusio and are published several times starting from 1556. The Italian texts are translated into English by John Florio in 1580, then in French in 1598 at Raphaël of the Small Valley. The manuscripts being lost, the relations of the third voyage and the voyage the Roberval one are known only through the English translation of Richard Hakluyt published in 1600. The voyages of Cartier are then reported in the Histoire of News-France (largely diffused) of Lescarbot (1609 - 1617) and Charlevoix (1744). The texts (according to Hakluyt) of the three relations of Cartier and that the Roberval one are joined together for the first time at Quebec in 1843.

Other elements are found in the files of Europe in second half of, bringing corrections and new information. Three manuscripts of the second relation are studied at the time of an edition of 1863; a manuscript of the first relation is published in 1867. Henry Percival Biggar takes stock in 1924 in a critical study of the texts.

Relations of the voyages

; works in line
  • ''' Handwritten ''' of the relation of the second voyage of Cartier - on line on Europeana
  • '' Bref account and brief narration of the navigation made in 1535 and 1536 by the captain Jacques Cartier in the islands of Canada, Hochelaga, Saguenay and others '' (Second voyage, edition of 1863 ) - on line on Europeana

; printed works (in chronological order reverses)

  • Jacques Cartier, Voyages to Canada (with the relations of the voyages in America de Gonneville, Verrazano and Roberval) , François Maspero, FM/La Découverte (collection of pocket) Nº35, Paris, 1981 ISBN 2-7071-1227-5

  • Henry Percival Biggar (translation and edition), The Voyages off Jacques Cartier , Public Files off Canada, Nº11, Ottawa 1924

Results of the studies

; in line

  • Marcel Trudel, '' Jacques Cartier '', in the Canadian Encyclopedia (EC.) -   with photograph of a counterpart (1967) of Large Hermine .

  • archaeological Discoveries since the autumn ''' 2005 ''' on the site of the winterings of 1541-1542 and 1542-1543.

; printed (in chronological order reverses)

  • Jacques Cartier, Relations - critical edition by Michel Bideaux , Bibliothèque collection of the New World, Montreal, Presses of the Université of Montreal ( 1986 ), republished in 1999, ISBN 2-7606-0750X

  • Henry Percival Biggar, has Collection off Documents relating to Jacques Cartier and the Sieur Roberval ( 1930 ).

Quotations

  • One allots usually the discovery to him of Canada, indicating by there the mean area of the Quebec to which it gives the name of Canada lasting its forwarding of 1535. It is the first explorer gulf of the St. Lawrence and certainly the first to trace the Cartographie Fleuve the St. Lawrence, whose discovery, in 1535, made it possible the France to occupy the back-country of the North America. -   Marcel  Trudel

  • Even if its Exploration S does not have the scale of work of Hernando de Soto or some exploring South American, Cartier appears among the great names of the xvie century. It is the first to make a statement of the coasts of the gulf the St. Lawrence, to describe the life of the Indiens the North-East of North America, and, it is well there its greater merit, it discovers in 1535 the Fleuve the St. Lawrence which will be the axis of the French empire of America, the essential road by which the explorers will spring towards the Hudson Bay, towards the mysterious horizon of the sea of the West and towards the the Mississippi. Discoverer of one of the large rivers of the world, Cartier is with the starting point of the occupation by the France of the three quarters of a Continent. -   Marcel  Trudel

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