Jacques Cartier died on 24 September 1557 in Rothéneuf, aged 65. A French navigator from Saint-Malo, Cartier was commissioned by King Francis I to find a western route to Asia and, in 1534, reached the Gulf of St Lawrence, where he planted a cross at Gaspé and claimed the land for France. On his second voyage in 1535 he sailed up the St Lawrence River to the Iroquoian settlements of Stadacona, near today's Quebec City, and Hochelaga, on the site of Montreal. The name Canada comes from the Iroquoian word kanata, meaning village, which he heard from his guides. His attempts to found a colony failed, but his voyages established the French claim in North America.
Before and after
- 25 September 1555Peace of Augsburg
- 23 January 15561556 Shaanxi earthquake
- 1557Founding of Macau
- 1557Discovery of platinum
- 24 September 1557Death of Jacques Cartier
- from 17 January 1558 to 26 May 1583Livonian War
- from 23 August 1558 to 26 August 1558Expedition of Mostaganem
- 21 September 1558Death of Charles V
- 1559Founding of University of Geneva
More in Exploration & discovery
- 20 May 1506Death of Christopher Columbus
- 1513Balboa sights the Pacific
- 27 April 1521Death of Ferdinand Magellan
- 24 December 1524Death of Vasco da Gama
- 1540Birth of Francis Drake
- 2 December 1547Death of Hernán Cortés
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.