Henry Hudson, an English navigator and explorer, was born around 1565 in England. He set sail three times for the English (1607, 1608, 1610-11) and once for the Dutch, trying to discover a short route from Europe to Asia through the Arctic Ocean. Hudson was 37 years old when the Muscovy Company commissioned him to sail through Arctic waters on a quest for western passage to the Orient. Hudson’s claims that he could find an ice-free passage past the North Pole would provide a shorter route to the Pacific Ocean.
In 1607, the Muscovy Company of London provided Hudson financial backing based on his claims that he could find an ice-free passage past the North Pole that would provide a shorter route to the Pacific Ocean. Hudson, his son John, and Hudson’s crew set sail on the Discovery on April 17, 1610. They sailed across the Atlantic, reaching northern Canada, and then heading for the Hudson Strait. Hudson became the first explorer to sail through the Hudson Strait in 1610 and explored what is known today as Hudson Bay in Canada.
His discoveries prepared the way for the development of Dutch colonies in present-day New York and the East India Company. In 1608, he was invited to undertake a similar search on behalf of the Dutch East India Company for a passage to China either by the north-west or north-east. Hudson is known for his four voyages between 1607 and 1610 in search of a northwest passage via the Arctic Ocean to the Far East.
In 1608, Hudson sailed again in the Hopewell, again in association with Sir Thomas Smythe, with the aim of finding the Northeast Passage.
📹 Henry Hudson: Searching for the Northwest Passage – Fast Facts | History
English explorer Henry Hudson was determined to find the Northwest Passage via the Arctic Circle – even after his crew mutinied.
📹 Henry Hudson – History Cartoon
The history of Henry Hudson and his explorations to North America. Multiple waterways in North America are named after Henry …
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