Hudson, Henry

From New World Encyclopedia
({{Contracted}})
 
(28 intermediate revisions by 9 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Claimed}}{{Contracted}}
+
{{Ebapproved}}{{Copyedited}}{{approved}}{{images OK}}{{Submitted}}{{Paid}}
<sup></sup>[[Image:HenryHudson.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|<br>''" No [[portrait]] of Hudson is known to be in existence. What has passed with the uncritical for his portrait &mdash; a dapper-looking man wearing a ruffed collar &mdash; frequently has been, and continues to be, reproduced. Who that man was is unknown. That he was not Hudson is certain."'' - Thomas A. Janvier, biographer of Henry Hudson. The illustration featured here comes from the (presumably uncritical) ''Cyclopaedia of Universal History'', 1885]]
+
{{epname|Hudson, Henry}}
  
'''Henry Hudson''' ([[September 12]], [[1570]]s &ndash; [[1611]]) was an [[England|English]] [[sea explorer]] and [[navigator]] in the early [[17th century]].
+
[[Image:HenryHudson.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|<br/>''"No portrait of Hudson is known to be in existence. What has passed with the uncritical for his portrait&mdash;a dapper-looking man wearing a ruffed collar&mdash;frequently has been, and continues to be, reproduced. Who that man was is unknown. That he was not Hudson is certain."'' Thomas A. Janvier, biographer of Henry Hudson. The illustration featured here comes from the (presumably uncritical) ''Cyclopaedia of Universal History'', 1885.]]
  
His place of birth was [[London, England]]. He is presumed to have died in [[1611]] in [[Hudson Bay]], [[Canada]], after he was set adrift, along with his son and eight others, by mutinous crewmen.
+
'''Henry Hudson''' (September 12, 1570s &ndash; 1611) was an [[England|English]] sea explorer and navigator in the early seventeenth century. He was born in [[London]], England, and he presumably died in 1611 in [[Hudson Bay]], [[Canada]] after his mutinous crew left him there. Hudson's daring, albeit short, career as an explorer of the New World earned him a place in history as one of the most important [[Europe]]an explorers of North America
  
Hudson's early life is an unknown, but he is considered to have spent many years at sea. He is said to have begun as a cabin boy at 16 and gradually worked his way up to ship's captain.
+
Hudson's explorations of the arctic regions exemplify the relentless human quest to understand and master the environment. Facing extraordinary physical hardships, Hudson and his crew navigated through unknown regions in search of a commercial sea route to the Indies. Yet his greatest adversary proved to be not the harsh arctic elements but his own crew. Lacking empathy and abandoning their obligations as subordinates to the ship's captain, the mutineers dispatched Hudson, his teenage son, and loyal crew members to almost certain death in the arctic wastelands.
 +
{{toc}}
 +
Significantly, Hudson's exploration of the Hudson River led to Dutch colonial claims on the region and the establishment of the colony of New Amsterdam, later renamed New York following British defeat of the Dutch.
  
==Expeditions==
+
==Early Life==
In [[1607]], the Muscovy Company of England hired Hudson to find a Northeast Passage to China. Hudson traveled just 577 nautical miles south of the North Pole and discovered what is now known as [[Jan Mayen Island]] before turning around and returning home in September. Jan Mayen Island later became part of the Kingdom of Norway. In 1608, Hudson made a second attempt to find a Northeast Passage, but was again forced to turn back.
+
Because Hudson appears first in written records in 1607, much of Hudson's early life is an unknown. Considering his eventual position as ship's captain, however, he likely spent many of those early years at sea. He probably started as a cabin boy and gradually worked his way up to the rank of captain. [[history|Historians]] know that Hudson was married to a woman named Katherine because she petitioned the [[British East India Company]] to send a ship to look for Hudson three years after his disappearance. After it became clear that Hudson was not coming back, Katherine appealed to the company for financial compensation, which she eventually received.<ref>"Hudson's Background and Early Years," IanChadwick.com. [http://www.ianchadwick.com/hudson/hudson_00.htm Hudson's Background and Early Years] Retrieved August 1, 2007.</ref>
  
In [[1609]] Hudson was again chosen by the [[Dutch East India Company]] to find an easterly passage to Asia. He was told to sail around the [[Arctic Ocean]] north of Russia, into the Pacific and to the [[Far East]]. Hudson could not continue his voyage due to the ice that had plagued his previous voyages, and many others before him. Having heard rumors by way of Jamestown and John Smith, he and his crew decided to try to seek out a Southwest Passage through [[North America]].
+
Hudson had three sons&mdash;Richard, John, and Oliver. John served as a ship's boy on all four of his father's voyages, and the mutinous crew left him to die as well.<ref>''ibid''</ref>
  
After crossing the [[Atlantic Ocean]], the ''[[Halve Maen]]'' (''Half Moon'') sailed around briefly in the [[Chesapeake Bay|Chesapeake]] and [[Delaware Bay]]s, but Hudson concluded that these waterways did not lead to the Pacific. Hudson then moved into [[New York Harbor]] and proceeded up what is today the [[Hudson River]]. He made it as far as [[Albany, New York]], where the river narrows, before he is forced to turn around, realizing that it was not the Southwest Passage.  In fact, no Southwest Passage to the Pacific existed until one was created by the construction of the Panama Canal between 1903 and 1914. The native americans who relayed the information to John Smith were likely referring to the what we today call the Great Lakes.
+
==Voyages==
 +
Henry Hudson captained four separate, recorded voyages to the New World between 1607 and 1610, all of which took him into the treacherous&mdash;and then mostly unfamiliar&mdash;waters of the [[Arctic Ocean]].<ref>''ibid''</ref>
  
Along the way Hudson traded with numerous native tribes and obtained different shells, beads and furs. His voyage established [[New Netherlands|Dutch claims to the region]] and the [[fur trade]] that prospered there. [[New Amsterdam]] in [[Manhattan]] became the capital of New Netherlands in 1625.
+
In 1607, the Muscovy Company of England hired Hudson to find a [[Northeast Passage]] to [[China]]. On his vessel ''Hopewell'', Hudson traveled just 577 nautical miles south of the [[North Pole]] and discovered what is now known as [[Jan Mayen Island]] before turning around and returning home in September. Jan Mayen Island later became part of the Kingdom of [[Norway]].
  
In [[1610]] Hudson managed to get the backing for yet another voyage, now under the [[Flag of St. George|English flag]]. This time the funding came from the [[Virginia Company]] and the [[British East India Company]]. At the helm of his new ship, the ''[[Discovery (1602 ship)|Discovery]]'', he stayed to the north (some claim he deliberately went too far south with the Dutch), reaching [[Iceland]] on [[May 11]], the south of Greenland on [[June 4]], and then managing to turn around the southern tip of Greenland.
+
In 1608, again in the service of the Muscovy Company and on the ''Hopewell'', Hudson made a second attempt to find a Northeast Passage. Ice-laden waters forced him to turn back, however, and a reluctant crew scuttled his hopes to search instead for a Northwest Passage. <ref>''ibid''</ref> Hudson's lack of success in reaping any financial gain or meaningful discoveries from his first two voyages convinced the Muscovy Co. to give up on funding further expeditions.
  
Excitement was high due to the expectation that the ship had finally found a [[Northwest Passage]] through the continent. On June 25th the explorers reached the [[Hudson Strait]] at the northern tip of [[Labrador]]. Following the southern coast of the strait on [[August 2]], the ship entered [[Hudson Bay]]. Hudson spent the following months mapping and exploring the eastern shores. In November, however, the ship became trapped in the ice in [[James Bay]], and the crew moved ashore for the winter.
+
In 1609, the [[Dutch East India Company]] chose Hudson to lead an expedition to find an easterly passage to [[Asia]]. He was told to sail through the [[Arctic Ocean]] north of [[Russia]], into the [[Pacific]], and then to the [[Far East]]. Once again, Hudson could not continue his voyage due to the ice that had plagued his previous voyages, and many others before him. Having heard rumors by way of [[Jamestown]] and [[John Smith]], he and his crew decided to try to seek out a [[Southwest Passage]] through [[North America]].
 +
 
 +
After crossing the [[Atlantic Ocean]], the ''Half Moon'' sailed briefly in the [[Chesapeake Bay]] and [[Delaware Bay]], but Hudson concluded that these waterways did not lead to the [[Pacific Ocean]]. Hudson then moved into [[New York Harbor]] and proceeded up what is today the [[Hudson River]]. He made it as far as present-day Albany, [[New York]], where the river narrows, before he was forced to turn around, realizing that it was not the Southwest Passage. In fact, no Southwest Passage to the Pacific existed until one was created by the construction of the [[Panama Canal]] between 1903 and 1914.
 +
 
 +
Along the way Hudson traded with numerous [[Native American]] tribes and obtained different [[seashell]]s, beads and [[fur]]s. His voyage established [[Netherland|Dutch]] claims to the region and the fur trade that prospered there. [[New Amsterdam]] in present-day [[Manhattan]] became the capital of [[New Netherlands]] in 1625.
 +
 
 +
===Final Voyage===
 +
In 1610, Hudson obtained the financial backing for yet another voyage, now under the [[Great Britain|English]] flag. For this voyage, the [[Virginia and British East India Companies]] provided the funding. At the helm of his new ship, the ''Discovery'', he charted a northerly course (some claim that he had deliberately sailed too far south during his voyage for the Dutch), reaching [[Iceland]] on May 11 and the south of [[Greenland]] on June 4.
 +
 
 +
At that point, the crew began to think that the ship had finally found a Northwest Passage through the continent. On June 25th, the explorers reached the [[Hudson Strait]] at the northern tip of [[Labrador]]. Following the southern coast of the strait on August 2, 1610 the ship entered [[Hudson Bay]]. Hudson spent the following months mapping and exploring the eastern shores. In November, however, the ship became trapped in the frozen waters of [[James Bay]], forcing the crew to move ashore for the winter.  
 
[[Image:Last_Voyage_Of_Henry_Hudson.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|[[John Collier]]'s painting of Henry Hudson with his son and some crew members after a mutiny on his icebound ship. The boat was set adrift and never heard from again.]]
 
[[Image:Last_Voyage_Of_Henry_Hudson.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|[[John Collier]]'s painting of Henry Hudson with his son and some crew members after a mutiny on his icebound ship. The boat was set adrift and never heard from again.]]
  
When the ice cleared in the spring of [[1611]], Hudson planned to continue exploring. However, his crew wanted to return home. Matters came to a head and the crew [[Mutiny|mutinied]] in June 1611. They set Hudson, his teenage son John, and seven crewmen loyal to Hudson adrift in a small open [[boat]]. The castaways were provided with no food, water or weapons and were clearly meant to die. Hudson was never seen again, although some claim that he successfully made his way as far south as the [[Ottawa River]]. Only eight of the mutinous crewmen survived to return to Europe, and although arrested, none were ever punished for the mutiny and Hudson's death. One theory holds that they were considered valuable as sources of information, having travelled to the New World. {{Fact|date=April 2007}}
+
When the ice cleared in the spring of 1611, Hudson planned to continue exploring. His crew was disenchanted by that point, however, and wanted to return home. Believing that Hudson had pushed them too far, the crew [[mutiny|mutinied]] in June, 1611. They set Hudson, his teenage son John, and seven crewmen loyal to Hudson adrift in a small open boat. The mutinous crew provided the castaways with no [[food]], [[water]] or [[weapon]]s. Clearly, they intended for Hudson and his companions to die. Hudson was never seen again, although some claim that he successfully made his way as far south as the [[Ottawa River]]. Only eight of the mutinous crewmen survived to return to [[Europe]], and although arrested, none were punished for the mutiny and Hudson's death.
 +
 
 +
==Significance and Legacy==
 +
Henry Hudson never discovered a [[Northwest Passage]] across the [[Canada|Canadian]] expanse or a Northeast Passage north of [[Russia]], but he did make many important contributions to European [[navigation]] and [[exploration]]. On his first voyage, for example, Hudson discovered and made note of [[whale]] pods off the coast of [[Spitzbergen Island]] (today a possession of [[Norway]]). [[Great Britain|England]] later made commercial use of this discovery, declaring Hudson the "grandfather of the English whaling industry."<ref>[http://www.ianchadwick.com/hudson/hudson_01.htm Henry Hudson's First Voyage] Retrieved August 1, 2007.</ref>
 +
 
 +
More importantly, Henry Hudson made crucial discoveries on his voyages to the New World. On his third recorded voyage, Hudson explored the area around present-day [[New York City]], including the river that now bears his name. On his fourth and final voyage, Hudson explored what is known today as [[Hudson Bay]] in Canada. Henry Hudson's discoveries prepared the way for the development of Dutch colonies in present-day New York and the fur trade that developed in the region later. For these achievements, he is one of the most significant of the early European sailors who explored the New World and is the namesake not only of the river and bay, but of the city of Hudson, New York, New York City's Henry Hudson Parkway, and many other memorials.
  
==Reports of Hudson's voyages==
+
==Notes==
Go to [http://www.ianchadwick.com/hudson] www.ianchadwick.com for this stuff
+
<references/>
  
==See also==
+
==References==
* [[Age of Discovery]]
+
* Samuel. ''Henry Hudson's Voyages, from Purchas His Pilgrimes''. March of America facsimile series, no. 19. Ann Arbor [Mich.]: University Microfilms, 1966.
* [[Explorer]]s
+
* Sandler, Corey. ''Henry Hudson: Dreams and Obsession''. New York, NY: Citadel Press, 2007 ISBN 0806527390
* [[Hudson Bay]]
+
* Tomalin, Ruth. W.H. ''Hudson: A Biography''. London: Faber and Faber, 1982 ISBN 9780571105991
* [[Hudson River]]
 
* [[History of Canada]]
 
* [[List of people who have disappeared]]
 
  
==External links==
+
==External Links==
[[Image:Hudson coat of arms - Project Gutenberg etext 20110.jpg|thumb|Hudson coat of arms]]
+
All links retrieved December 16, 2017.
*[http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=34410 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'']
+
*[http://www.ianchadwick.com/hudson Information about Hudson's life and voyages]  
*[http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/13442 Henry Hudson - A Brief Statement Of His Aims And His Achievements] by Thomas A. Janvier, at [[Project Gutenberg]]
+
*[http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=34410 Biography] at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''  
*[http://www.hudsonriver.com/halfmoonpress/stories/hudson.htm Hudson and the river named for him]
+
*[http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/henry-hudson.htm Henry Hudson biography page]  
*[http://www.usask.ca/education/ideas/tplan/sslp/yukon/henry_h.htm Account of Hudson's last days and the mutiny]
 
*[http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/henry-hudson.htm Henry Hudson biography page]
 
*[http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1146.html Henry Hudson at US-History.com]
 
  
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hudson, Henry}}
+
[[category:biography]]
  
[[Category:1570 births]]
 
[[Category:1611 deaths]]
 
[[Category:English explorers]]
 
[[Category:Explorers of the Arctic]]
 
[[Category:Explorers of Canada]]
 
[[Category:Explorers of North America]]
 
[[Category:History and biography]]
 
[[cs:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[de:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[es:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[fr:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[it:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[he:הנרי הדסון]]
 
[[lt:Henris Hadsonas]]
 
[[nl:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[ja:ヘンリー・ハドソン]]
 
[[no:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[pl:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[pt:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[ru:Хадсон, Генри]]
 
[[simple:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[sl:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[sv:Henry Hudson]]
 
[[tr:Henry Hudson]]
 
  
 
{{Credit|123873177}}
 
{{Credit|123873177}}

Latest revision as of 15:22, 25 January 2023


"No portrait of Hudson is known to be in existence. What has passed with the uncritical for his portrait—a dapper-looking man wearing a ruffed collar—frequently has been, and continues to be, reproduced. Who that man was is unknown. That he was not Hudson is certain." Thomas A. Janvier, biographer of Henry Hudson. The illustration featured here comes from the (presumably uncritical) Cyclopaedia of Universal History, 1885.

Henry Hudson (September 12, 1570s – 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator in the early seventeenth century. He was born in London, England, and he presumably died in 1611 in Hudson Bay, Canada after his mutinous crew left him there. Hudson's daring, albeit short, career as an explorer of the New World earned him a place in history as one of the most important European explorers of North America

Hudson's explorations of the arctic regions exemplify the relentless human quest to understand and master the environment. Facing extraordinary physical hardships, Hudson and his crew navigated through unknown regions in search of a commercial sea route to the Indies. Yet his greatest adversary proved to be not the harsh arctic elements but his own crew. Lacking empathy and abandoning their obligations as subordinates to the ship's captain, the mutineers dispatched Hudson, his teenage son, and loyal crew members to almost certain death in the arctic wastelands.

Significantly, Hudson's exploration of the Hudson River led to Dutch colonial claims on the region and the establishment of the colony of New Amsterdam, later renamed New York following British defeat of the Dutch.

Early Life

Because Hudson appears first in written records in 1607, much of Hudson's early life is an unknown. Considering his eventual position as ship's captain, however, he likely spent many of those early years at sea. He probably started as a cabin boy and gradually worked his way up to the rank of captain. Historians know that Hudson was married to a woman named Katherine because she petitioned the British East India Company to send a ship to look for Hudson three years after his disappearance. After it became clear that Hudson was not coming back, Katherine appealed to the company for financial compensation, which she eventually received.[1]

Hudson had three sons—Richard, John, and Oliver. John served as a ship's boy on all four of his father's voyages, and the mutinous crew left him to die as well.[2]

Voyages

Henry Hudson captained four separate, recorded voyages to the New World between 1607 and 1610, all of which took him into the treacherous—and then mostly unfamiliar—waters of the Arctic Ocean.[3]

In 1607, the Muscovy Company of England hired Hudson to find a Northeast Passage to China. On his vessel Hopewell, Hudson traveled just 577 nautical miles south of the North Pole and discovered what is now known as Jan Mayen Island before turning around and returning home in September. Jan Mayen Island later became part of the Kingdom of Norway.

In 1608, again in the service of the Muscovy Company and on the Hopewell, Hudson made a second attempt to find a Northeast Passage. Ice-laden waters forced him to turn back, however, and a reluctant crew scuttled his hopes to search instead for a Northwest Passage. [4] Hudson's lack of success in reaping any financial gain or meaningful discoveries from his first two voyages convinced the Muscovy Co. to give up on funding further expeditions.

In 1609, the Dutch East India Company chose Hudson to lead an expedition to find an easterly passage to Asia. He was told to sail through the Arctic Ocean north of Russia, into the Pacific, and then to the Far East. Once again, Hudson could not continue his voyage due to the ice that had plagued his previous voyages, and many others before him. Having heard rumors by way of Jamestown and John Smith, he and his crew decided to try to seek out a Southwest Passage through North America.

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the Half Moon sailed briefly in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay, but Hudson concluded that these waterways did not lead to the Pacific Ocean. Hudson then moved into New York Harbor and proceeded up what is today the Hudson River. He made it as far as present-day Albany, New York, where the river narrows, before he was forced to turn around, realizing that it was not the Southwest Passage. In fact, no Southwest Passage to the Pacific existed until one was created by the construction of the Panama Canal between 1903 and 1914.

Along the way Hudson traded with numerous Native American tribes and obtained different seashells, beads and furs. His voyage established Dutch claims to the region and the fur trade that prospered there. New Amsterdam in present-day Manhattan became the capital of New Netherlands in 1625.

Final Voyage

In 1610, Hudson obtained the financial backing for yet another voyage, now under the English flag. For this voyage, the Virginia and British East India Companies provided the funding. At the helm of his new ship, the Discovery, he charted a northerly course (some claim that he had deliberately sailed too far south during his voyage for the Dutch), reaching Iceland on May 11 and the south of Greenland on June 4.

At that point, the crew began to think that the ship had finally found a Northwest Passage through the continent. On June 25th, the explorers reached the Hudson Strait at the northern tip of Labrador. Following the southern coast of the strait on August 2, 1610 the ship entered Hudson Bay. Hudson spent the following months mapping and exploring the eastern shores. In November, however, the ship became trapped in the frozen waters of James Bay, forcing the crew to move ashore for the winter.

John Collier's painting of Henry Hudson with his son and some crew members after a mutiny on his icebound ship. The boat was set adrift and never heard from again.

When the ice cleared in the spring of 1611, Hudson planned to continue exploring. His crew was disenchanted by that point, however, and wanted to return home. Believing that Hudson had pushed them too far, the crew mutinied in June, 1611. They set Hudson, his teenage son John, and seven crewmen loyal to Hudson adrift in a small open boat. The mutinous crew provided the castaways with no food, water or weapons. Clearly, they intended for Hudson and his companions to die. Hudson was never seen again, although some claim that he successfully made his way as far south as the Ottawa River. Only eight of the mutinous crewmen survived to return to Europe, and although arrested, none were punished for the mutiny and Hudson's death.

Significance and Legacy

Henry Hudson never discovered a Northwest Passage across the Canadian expanse or a Northeast Passage north of Russia, but he did make many important contributions to European navigation and exploration. On his first voyage, for example, Hudson discovered and made note of whale pods off the coast of Spitzbergen Island (today a possession of Norway). England later made commercial use of this discovery, declaring Hudson the "grandfather of the English whaling industry."[5]

More importantly, Henry Hudson made crucial discoveries on his voyages to the New World. On his third recorded voyage, Hudson explored the area around present-day New York City, including the river that now bears his name. On his fourth and final voyage, Hudson explored what is known today as Hudson Bay in Canada. Henry Hudson's discoveries prepared the way for the development of Dutch colonies in present-day New York and the fur trade that developed in the region later. For these achievements, he is one of the most significant of the early European sailors who explored the New World and is the namesake not only of the river and bay, but of the city of Hudson, New York, New York City's Henry Hudson Parkway, and many other memorials.

Notes

  1. "Hudson's Background and Early Years," IanChadwick.com. Hudson's Background and Early Years Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  2. ibid
  3. ibid
  4. ibid
  5. Henry Hudson's First Voyage Retrieved August 1, 2007.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Samuel. Henry Hudson's Voyages, from Purchas His Pilgrimes. March of America facsimile series, no. 19. Ann Arbor [Mich.]: University Microfilms, 1966.
  • Sandler, Corey. Henry Hudson: Dreams and Obsession. New York, NY: Citadel Press, 2007 ISBN 0806527390
  • Tomalin, Ruth. W.H. Hudson: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber, 1982 ISBN 9780571105991

External Links

All links retrieved December 16, 2017.


Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.