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Henry Hudson
English Adventurer & Navigator
 In his first two
voyages, under the patronage of the Muscovy Company of London, Hudson
tried to find a northeast passage to China. He first set sail in 1607
from England, reaching the east coast of Greenland and following the
north coast to Spitzbergen (Svalbard). From there, he extended the
earlier expeditions of William Barents. In his second voyage made in the
following year, Hudson sailed northeast via the Islands of Novaya Zemla
in the Barents Sea. His lack of success in finding a Northeast Passage
led the Muscovy Company to discontinue their support and subsequently
end their funding for his expeditions.Hudson’s third voyage in 1609, under the auspices of the Dutch East
India Company, began similarly to his previous expedition; Sailing
though the icy seas of Novaya Zemla. As mutiny brewed amongst the crew
(due largely to the extremely harsh weather/sailing conditions) he
changed course and began to search for a Northwest passage, instead of
the original goal of a northeast one. Using a map made by his friend
John Smith of the Virginia colony, he sailed southwest across the
Atlantic to explore the North American coast. He stopped in New
Foundland, Maine and New York Bay, where he found a broad river that he
followed to the present-day site of Albany, NY. This river had been
discovered previously by Giovanni de Verrazano in 1524, but because of
Hudson’s exploration, it became known as the “Hudson River.” Eventually,
Hudson concluded that the river did not lead to the Pacific, and that he
had failed to find the fabled northwestern sea route to China and Japan.In his last voyage, made in 1610, Hudson spent three months exploring
the Hudson Bay and James Bay regions, north of Canada, again looking for
the northwest route to the orient. This third trip, like his second
voyage, was being finance by English Sponsorship. Underway, however, the
food shortages, harsh weather, and fears of becoming ice-locked as they
sailed further and further west, all combined together and resulted in
the crew’s eventual mutiny. They cast Hudson, his son, and a few crewmen
adrift in Hudson Bay and returned to England. Hudson and his companions
were never heard from again.In the annals of History, Henry Hudson is remembered for his bravery in
undertaking four dangerous voyages and withstanding horrific Arctic
winters on unknown shores. He explored the previous explorations of
Verrazano, Davis, and Barents, and his discoveries and explorations of
the Hudson Bay and Hudson River were great contributions to the general
geographical knowledge of the area. His discoveries were the basis for
the Dutch colonization of the Hudson River and the English claims to a
large part of Canada. |
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