Henry Hudson

1575–1611

HENRY HUDSON GOT FURS FROM THE INDIANS.

Little is know of Henry Hudson's life other than the four voyages for which he is famous. The first two were undertaken on behalf of the Muscovy company of England, and the object was to find a path from Europe to China by passing North of Russia during the summer months. It was thought that the ice melted for long enough during the summer that a ship might be able to pass along the northern shore of Russia, but Hudson failed in these endeavors, and became far more interested in search for a passage by way of North America.

In 1609 Hudson undertook his most famous voyage on behalf the Dutch East India Company. During this trip he explored Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and followed the Hudson river as far as Albany. He met with Indians on this trip and returns with great quantities of furs and other valuables, and claimed the territory around the Hudson River for Holland. The following year, he determined to return to the Americas, this time under the flag of England. This time he sailed farther North and entered Hudson Bay. He was unable to complete his explorations before winter set in, so the crew wintered on the southern shore of Hudson Bay. When he tried to resume his explorations the following year however, most of his crew mutinied, and he was cast adrift with his son and several other loyal followers. The crew returned to England.

Key events during the life of Henry Hudson:

Year	Event
1570	Birth of Henry Hudson
1607	Hired by Muscovy company to find passage to China by way of Northern Europe.
1608	Second attempt to find passage to China from Norwegian Sea fails.
1609	Explored Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and the Hudson River.
1610	Returned to America under the British Flag. Wintered in Canada.
1611	Perished during a mutiny in Hudson Bay.

Other Resources

Story Links	Book Links
The Half-moon  in	The Story of Liberty  by  Charles C. Coffin
Early European Intercourse with the Indians  in	Indian History for Young Folks  by  Francis S. Drake
Henry Hudson  in	A First Book in American History  by  Edward Eggleston
Hudson and the Indians  in	Story of the Thirteen Colonies  by  H. A. Guerber
Englishman Who Sailed for the Dutch  in	The Men Who Found America  by  Frederick Winthrop Hutchinson
Story of Henry Hudson  in	Our Empire Story  by  H. E. Marshall
Story of Henry Hudson  in	The Awakening of Europe  by  M. B. Synge
Hudson Finds His Bay  in	A Book of Discovery  by  M. B. Synge

Image Links
Hendrik Hudson  in Indian History for Young Folks	Henry stopped by ice  in A First Book in American History	The Half Moon visited by Indians  in A First Book in American History
Hudson and the Indians Hudson and the Indians  in A First Book in American History	Henry Hudson got many furs from the Indians and made them all his friends.  in The Men Who Found America	These cruel men meant to turn Hudson adrift on the icy waters.  in Our Empire Story
Henry Hudson  in Builders of Our Country: Book I	The Indians Beg Hudson to Stay with Them  in Builders of Our Country: Book I

Contemporary	Short Biography
James I	First Stuart king of England. Intelligent and competent, but unable to work effectively with Parliament.