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Jacques Cartier: New Land for the French King

First Voyage
April 20, 1534 - September 5, 1534

Map of Cartier's first voyage, April 20 to September 5, 1534, showing his route through the Strait of Belle Isle, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, along the Gaspé Peninsula and P.E.I., and back along the coast of Newfoundland

Cartier went to Canada in 1534 with two ships and 61 men to look for a way to Asia. In the course of this search, he explored what later became known as Newfoundland, the Magdalen Islands, Prince Edward Island and the Gaspé Peninsula. While at Prince Edward Island, he traded with the Mi'kmaq. This was the first act of trade between the French and First Nations people.



Graphical element: Cartier raising a cross

The King Commands You
In 1534, the King of France, François I sent Cartier to "discover certain islands and lands where it is said there is a large amount of gold and other riches to be found."

Dufour, Pierre and Michelle Guitard. Passages: A Treasure Trove of North American Exploration. Ottawa: National Library of Canada, 1992, p. 11.


Wanted for Kidnapping -- Jacques Cartier!
Jacques Cartier kidnapped two of Chief Donnacona's sons, Domagaya and Taignoagny, and set sail for France. Used to fresh air and wide, open spaces, just imagine how they must have felt about the horrors below deck.

In France, the young men were taken to a little seaport called St. Malo. It was September 1534. They spent the winter in a boarding house. When they realized that the Europeans were seeking gold, the brothers began to tell stories about the Kingdom of Saguenay where gold lay about like pebbles on a beach. They promised to show Cartier the place if he would take them home…

Their clever idea worked. In the spring, the young men boarded Cartier's ship for a return trip. They were back with their father by September 9, 1535.


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