Samuel de Champlain

1580–1635

SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN

Samuel de Champlain—the "Father of New France"—was a French naval officer and explorer who founded the city of Quebec. He served as geographer in the court of King Henry IV for several years before he was permitted voyage to America alongside a number of well-respected explorers. Once there, he traveled down the St. Lawrence River, mapping the land as he went. He was forced to halt his study of northern New France for a time while he searched for sites for a permanent settlement, but he renewed the enterprise with earnest in 1608. He ascended the St. Lawrence and founded Quebec, later discovering the nearby lake that now bears his name. He spent several years promoting the fur trade and exploring the region around the great lakes, and he worked to improve relations between the French and the Native Americans. Returning to New France after a four-year hiatus, he was appointed governor of Canada. He wrote several narratives of his voyages and discoveries, which were published shortly before his death. He passed away in 1635 after suffering a severe stroke.

Key events during the life of Samuel de Champlain:

Year	Event
1580	Born
1603	First voyage to Canada
1608	Second voyage to Canada, founded Quebec
1610	Discovered lake that now bears his name
1620	Appointed governor of Canada
1632	Published several narratives of his voyages and discoveries
1635	Died

Other Resources

Story Links	Book Links
Early European Intercourse with the Indians  in	Indian History for Young Folks  by  Francis S. Drake
Iroquois  in	Indian History for Young Folks  by  Francis S. Drake
Down the Mississippi  in	Story of the Thirteen Colonies  by  H. A. Guerber
Samuel de Champlain, the Father of New France in	Canada: Peeps at History  by  Beatrice Home
Father of New France  in	The Men Who Found America  by  Frederick Winthrop Hutchinson
Father of New France  in	Our Empire Story  by  H. E. Marshall
Champlain and the Iroquois  in	Historical Tales, Vol I: American  by  Charles Morris
Founding of Quebec  in	The Awakening of Europe  by  M. B. Synge
Champlain Discovers Lake Ontario  in	A Book of Discovery  by  M. B. Synge

Image Links
Samuel de Champlain  in Indian History for Young Folks	Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635), First Governor of French Canada  in Canada: Peeps at History	Champlain came back to the St. Lawrence River and began to build a little city called Quebec.  in The Men Who Found America
Samuel de Champlain at about the age of Sixty-Five  in Builders of Our Country: Book I	Champlain Monument in Quebec  in Builders of Our Country: Book I	The defeat of the Iroquois by Champlain and his party on Lake Champlain  in A Book of Discovery

Contemporary	Short Biography
Henry IV	Popular Huguenot King who converted to Catholicism, but decreed religious toleration.