Samuel de Champlain (13 August 1567-25 December 1635) was a French explorer and diplomat who founded Quebec and New France in 1608.
Biography[]
Samuel de Champlain was born in La Rochelle, France in 1567, and he first sailed with his uncle at the age of three. He served as a geographer at the court of King Henry IV of France from 1601 to 1603, and he launched his first expedition to North America in 1603, arriving at Tadoussac on 15 March 1603. He joined several expeditions to Canada, founding the first permanent European settlement north of Florida, Acadia, in 1605. In 1608, he founded Quebec, and he became the first European to describe the Great Lakes. Champlain formed long-term relationships with the Native American peoples of Canada, and he also agreed to assist the Huron in the Beaver Wars against the Iroquois. In 1620, King Louis XIII of France ordered Champlain to cease exploration, return to Quebec, and devote himself to the administration of the country. Due to his non-noble status, he never formally obtained the title of Governor of New France, but he effectively held the title in all but name. In 1629, he surrendered Quebec to the English expedition of David Kirke after the city was starved into surrender, but he returned to command in Canada in 1633 after peace was made with England. He died of a stroke in 1635 at the age of 68.