Henry Hudson

Brianna BelliveauTravis Fraser

Historical Background

Henry Hudson was a famed English explorer, taking several voyages to the new world.

His first few voyages were intended to find a sea-bound route to Asia over the top of Russia, but ice stopped his progess every time.

More History

Hudson's early life is unknown, but it is considered that he was already a skilled sailor before England hired him to find passage to India across the new world.It is generally accepted that he started at sea as a cabin boy at age 16, and slowly worked his way up to captain.

Housing

Hudson's ship was named the Halve Maen, meaning “half moon” in English.

It was a typical large ship, equipped to hold large amount of people and supplies, as pictured to the left.

TravelHudson and his crew travelled to many places in the New World, including:

Chesapeake

New York

Iceland

Greenland

Newfoundland

Hudson Bay

Family LifeHudson's family life was extremely limited due to the large amount of travelling he did.

When he died on his last voyage, he left behind a widow named Katherine, who sent out many search crews to try to find him, all in vain.

More Family Life

Hudson and his wife had a son, Jon, who came with Hudson on his last overseas voyage.During the voyage, Hudson's crew got trapped in James Bay due to ice. Once the ice melted, his crew mutinied and sent Hudson, Jon, and seven loyal crew members out to die in a small boat with no supplies at sea. They were never found.

English Culture during the 1600s

There was a great famine in Europe at this time as populations became city-bound for job opportunities.

England and other competitors were trying to lay claim to as much land as they could to improve their economy and spread out their growing populations.

More English CultureMore English Culture

England hired out many explorers to seek alternative trade routes to Asia.Most ended up in North America, and settled there to make a growing population rich in natural resources.Many traded weapons and manufactured goods in exchange for furs that would sell well in Europe.

English Religion

England was almost entirely Catholic during the 1600s, it decided almost everything they did.Many people travelled to the new world to convert the “savage” Aboriginals to their way, mostly in vain.

References

WikipediaIan ChadwickHalve Maen imageTrading imageMercenaries imageAbandoned imageHenry Hudson image