Henry Hudson
By: Anthony Lombardi
Date: January 8, 2019
Updated January 9, 2020
Updated January 9, 2020
Full Name: Henry Hudson
Duration of life: ca. 1565-ca.1611
Nationality: British (employee of Dutch East India Company in 1609)
Trade: Captain, navigator
Achievements: Discovered the Hudson River (United States of America), Hudson Bay (Canada) and attempted a search for a northwest passage to Asia. Indirect founding father of the Hudson's Bay Company (modern day Hudson's Bay).
Duration of life: ca. 1565-ca.1611
Nationality: British (employee of Dutch East India Company in 1609)
Trade: Captain, navigator
Achievements: Discovered the Hudson River (United States of America), Hudson Bay (Canada) and attempted a search for a northwest passage to Asia. Indirect founding father of the Hudson's Bay Company (modern day Hudson's Bay).
Birth and Early Life
Little is known on the early life of Henry Hudson. He was born around 1565 in England, and lived for some time in London. He must have had a good education as he was literate, and knew mathematics. The fact that he chose a navigator's life was not surprising as his grandfather had been involved in the Muscovy Company, an English trade organization who focused on commerce with Russia. About his marriage and family "...Henry married a woman named Katherine and they had three sons-Oliver, John and Richard. His son, John, would accompany him on all four of his voyages." (The Mariners' Museum and Park)
Hudson may have started his sailing career young as a cabin boy, where he learnt a lot about life in a ship and how to man it.
Before taking his own ill-fated voyages, Hudson may have been present on another mission with another important explorer: John Davis (c.1550-1605), in 1587. On this voyage, they searched for a Northwestern passage from North America to Asia in the Arctic Ocean, something that numerous people since Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) had tried doing in hopes of making trade with the Asian nations better.
Life
In 1607, the Muscovy Company, of course looking for one of these passages to China, hired Henry Hudson to find it for them. The fact that he may have been present on the Davis trip may have triggered high expectations from the company for him.
His first voyage, probably his main one, started when he left from Gravesend, England in April of that year on the ship Hopewell. He was supposed to sail across the Arctic Circle to China. On this trip, Hudson was not able to totally accomplish his goal as the ice packs of the Arctic stopped him, and he had problems with his crew of 10 men. However, the positive that came out of this was the that he explored the Arctic and managed to report back in July that there was some sort of passage there. He also observed the wildlife of the area, and interested the company with the whales he saw. The company apparently then wanted to use this opportunity for whaling, which was important back then, but Hudson preferred going a second time the next year to look for the passage.
This time, Hudson did something different. Leaving England with the same ship, and a crew of 14 men, he went Northeast, towards Northern Russia. He recorded the wildlife, but here his relationship with the crew was mediocre as well and he failed to find his passage. Upon his return, the Muscovy Company had grown impatient with him and no longer supported him.
Because of his level of expertise, Hudson had become a valuable navigator. The Dutch East India Company was willing to help him, and commissioned him to continue going after his Northeastern passage. So he embarked on the Half Moon and left Amsterdam on April 6, 1609. With him was a mixed Dutch and English crew, some of these already acquainted with their captain from previous trips. He followed the same trail of his second trip for the Muscovy Company, and again was blocked by ice when the crew mutinied, which must have not been a big a big surprise for him. Ignoring the orders from the Dutch, Hudson then desperately crossed the Atlantic and tried discovering a passage there. While doing this, he went through parts currently in Canada and the United States, and sailed down the river that bears his name, which may have opened up trading possibilities in the future New England. However, this area was generally already known and under British domination. He did not find his passage, and docked at Dartmouth, England on November 7 where he was ordered by the Pliny Council to not return to the Netherlands, forcing him to leave his job for the Dutch incomplete.
Even if it had been a failure, the British hopes in finding a passage to China revived with Hudson's choice of North America as a point of discovery. His popularity rose in Europe and he was commissioned by the British East India Company to search for a Northwestern passage by here in 1609. Hudson was set to leave London on April 17, 1610.
Leaving with him on this mission aboard the Discovery was a larger crew, and less acquainted with him, although there were a few who had been with him before, including one named Robert Juet, who had kept a journal of the Half Moon trip still legible today. A lot more is known about the crew, including one Robert Bylot who was of invincible strength and who would contribute to other historic trips, William Wilson the boatswain, Edward Wilson the surgeon, Thomas Wydowse the mathematician, one strong young friend of Hudson's named Henry Greene (who embarked without knowledge of the owners), John Williams the gunner, and another member named Abacuk Pricket. These and others would accompany Hudson on a trip which would determine the fate of his life.
Death
The third trip put Hudson's name in the modern-day Canadian market. Going through the strait connecting the Atlantic and the Arctic that bears his name, Hudson then ended up in the bay known today as Hudson's Bay and at this point, knew he was going nowhere. They were in a part of it known as James Bay.
Hudson decided to turn back on June 12, 1611, but at this point, he did not have much reserve supply left. The crew began plotting against him and Juet was one of their leaders. Greene and William Wilson came up with a plan to desert the captain and the sick sailors so they could make it alive to England. The mutiny was non-violent, thanks to Prickett who convinced Greene to swear that he "...would do no man no harm, and what he did was for the good of the voyage, and for nothing else..." (Hunter). On June 24, 1611, Henry and John Hudson, along with five sick sailors and one faithful sailor named Staffe, were kicked out of the ship on a shallop. Although some sailors immediately regretted their actions, their new leaders ignored their pleas and began their trips to England. All three leaders would die during their trip back to England, and "Four of the 9 survivors were tried for murder..."(Marsh).
What became of the deserted men is unknown. There may have been attempts to search for them in the following years, largely unsuccessful. There are many myths, speculations and discoveries which seem to conclude that the shallop may have at least made it to the shore and that John Hudson could have been the last man alive. But these are largely unproven mysteries. Most of the details of the voyage would be recounted back in England by Pricket.
Legacy
Despite his failed leadership and journeys, Hudson is a good example of always trying and not giving up. In his first two voyages, he showed dedication to discovering a passage to Asia, which, apparently, would remain his life goal. It seems like he desired to carry on the great project of John Davis, if the two ever sailed together. He was very gifted, but he was also a poor judge, as seen with his crew and the type of men he kept on bringing with him, like Juet.
Hudson's name remains largely in Canadian society due to the Hudson's Bay Company. Founded in 1670, 59 years after the discovery of the Bay, the company was the oldest in North America, dedicated to the fur trade on Canadian soil. It is today a major Canadian department store, also operating in the Netherlands.
Sources
Book
Trudel, Marcel. The Beginnings of New France. Translated by Patricia Claxton, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart Limited, 1973.
Picture
Last voyage of Henry Hudson (1570-1611), who died in 1611 during journey in search of Northwest Passage, oil on canvas by John Collier (1850-1934), 1881, Canada, 17th century. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest.eb.com/search/126_163602/1/126_163602/cite. Accessed 27 Dec 2018.
Web
Chadwick, Ian. "Henry Hudson: The aftermath of Hudson's Voyages and Related Notes 1611-on." Chadwick's Web, 1996-2006, http://www.ianchadwick.com/hudson/hudson_05.htm . Accessed December 27, 2018.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Accessed December 27, 2018.
''Henry Hudson." The Mariners' Museum and Park, 2018, ttps://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/subject/henry-hudson/ . Accessed December 27, 2018.
"Henry Hudson, Explorer and Adventurer."
"Hudson's Bay Company Beginnings." Curio.ca, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2001, https://www.cbc.ca/history/EPCONTENTSE1EP6CH1PA5LE.html . Accessed December 27, 2018.
Hunter, Douglas. "The Hudson Mutiny." Douglas Hunter, https://dwhauthor.wordpress.com/2018/02/20/the-hudson-mutiny/ . Accessed December 27, 2018.
Marsh, James H. "Henry Hudson". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 30 November 2018, Historica Canada, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/henry-hudson. Accessed 27 December 2018.
Neatby, L.H. "Hudson, Henry." Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 1966 (revised in 2013), http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hudson_henry_1E.html . Accessed December 27, 2018.
Little is known on the early life of Henry Hudson. He was born around 1565 in England, and lived for some time in London. He must have had a good education as he was literate, and knew mathematics. The fact that he chose a navigator's life was not surprising as his grandfather had been involved in the Muscovy Company, an English trade organization who focused on commerce with Russia. About his marriage and family "...Henry married a woman named Katherine and they had three sons-Oliver, John and Richard. His son, John, would accompany him on all four of his voyages." (The Mariners' Museum and Park)
Hudson may have started his sailing career young as a cabin boy, where he learnt a lot about life in a ship and how to man it.
Before taking his own ill-fated voyages, Hudson may have been present on another mission with another important explorer: John Davis (c.1550-1605), in 1587. On this voyage, they searched for a Northwestern passage from North America to Asia in the Arctic Ocean, something that numerous people since Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) had tried doing in hopes of making trade with the Asian nations better.
Life
In 1607, the Muscovy Company, of course looking for one of these passages to China, hired Henry Hudson to find it for them. The fact that he may have been present on the Davis trip may have triggered high expectations from the company for him.
His first voyage, probably his main one, started when he left from Gravesend, England in April of that year on the ship Hopewell. He was supposed to sail across the Arctic Circle to China. On this trip, Hudson was not able to totally accomplish his goal as the ice packs of the Arctic stopped him, and he had problems with his crew of 10 men. However, the positive that came out of this was the that he explored the Arctic and managed to report back in July that there was some sort of passage there. He also observed the wildlife of the area, and interested the company with the whales he saw. The company apparently then wanted to use this opportunity for whaling, which was important back then, but Hudson preferred going a second time the next year to look for the passage.
This time, Hudson did something different. Leaving England with the same ship, and a crew of 14 men, he went Northeast, towards Northern Russia. He recorded the wildlife, but here his relationship with the crew was mediocre as well and he failed to find his passage. Upon his return, the Muscovy Company had grown impatient with him and no longer supported him.
Because of his level of expertise, Hudson had become a valuable navigator. The Dutch East India Company was willing to help him, and commissioned him to continue going after his Northeastern passage. So he embarked on the Half Moon and left Amsterdam on April 6, 1609. With him was a mixed Dutch and English crew, some of these already acquainted with their captain from previous trips. He followed the same trail of his second trip for the Muscovy Company, and again was blocked by ice when the crew mutinied, which must have not been a big a big surprise for him. Ignoring the orders from the Dutch, Hudson then desperately crossed the Atlantic and tried discovering a passage there. While doing this, he went through parts currently in Canada and the United States, and sailed down the river that bears his name, which may have opened up trading possibilities in the future New England. However, this area was generally already known and under British domination. He did not find his passage, and docked at Dartmouth, England on November 7 where he was ordered by the Pliny Council to not return to the Netherlands, forcing him to leave his job for the Dutch incomplete.
Even if it had been a failure, the British hopes in finding a passage to China revived with Hudson's choice of North America as a point of discovery. His popularity rose in Europe and he was commissioned by the British East India Company to search for a Northwestern passage by here in 1609. Hudson was set to leave London on April 17, 1610.
Leaving with him on this mission aboard the Discovery was a larger crew, and less acquainted with him, although there were a few who had been with him before, including one named Robert Juet, who had kept a journal of the Half Moon trip still legible today. A lot more is known about the crew, including one Robert Bylot who was of invincible strength and who would contribute to other historic trips, William Wilson the boatswain, Edward Wilson the surgeon, Thomas Wydowse the mathematician, one strong young friend of Hudson's named Henry Greene (who embarked without knowledge of the owners), John Williams the gunner, and another member named Abacuk Pricket. These and others would accompany Hudson on a trip which would determine the fate of his life.
Death
The third trip put Hudson's name in the modern-day Canadian market. Going through the strait connecting the Atlantic and the Arctic that bears his name, Hudson then ended up in the bay known today as Hudson's Bay and at this point, knew he was going nowhere. They were in a part of it known as James Bay.
Hudson decided to turn back on June 12, 1611, but at this point, he did not have much reserve supply left. The crew began plotting against him and Juet was one of their leaders. Greene and William Wilson came up with a plan to desert the captain and the sick sailors so they could make it alive to England. The mutiny was non-violent, thanks to Prickett who convinced Greene to swear that he "...would do no man no harm, and what he did was for the good of the voyage, and for nothing else..." (Hunter). On June 24, 1611, Henry and John Hudson, along with five sick sailors and one faithful sailor named Staffe, were kicked out of the ship on a shallop. Although some sailors immediately regretted their actions, their new leaders ignored their pleas and began their trips to England. All three leaders would die during their trip back to England, and "Four of the 9 survivors were tried for murder..."(Marsh).
What became of the deserted men is unknown. There may have been attempts to search for them in the following years, largely unsuccessful. There are many myths, speculations and discoveries which seem to conclude that the shallop may have at least made it to the shore and that John Hudson could have been the last man alive. But these are largely unproven mysteries. Most of the details of the voyage would be recounted back in England by Pricket.
Legacy
Despite his failed leadership and journeys, Hudson is a good example of always trying and not giving up. In his first two voyages, he showed dedication to discovering a passage to Asia, which, apparently, would remain his life goal. It seems like he desired to carry on the great project of John Davis, if the two ever sailed together. He was very gifted, but he was also a poor judge, as seen with his crew and the type of men he kept on bringing with him, like Juet.
Hudson's name remains largely in Canadian society due to the Hudson's Bay Company. Founded in 1670, 59 years after the discovery of the Bay, the company was the oldest in North America, dedicated to the fur trade on Canadian soil. It is today a major Canadian department store, also operating in the Netherlands.
Sources
Book
Trudel, Marcel. The Beginnings of New France. Translated by Patricia Claxton, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart Limited, 1973.
Picture
Last voyage of Henry Hudson (1570-1611), who died in 1611 during journey in search of Northwest Passage, oil on canvas by John Collier (1850-1934), 1881, Canada, 17th century. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest.eb.com/search/126_163602/1/126_163602/cite. Accessed 27 Dec 2018.
Web
Chadwick, Ian. "Henry Hudson: The aftermath of Hudson's Voyages and Related Notes 1611-on." Chadwick's Web, 1996-2006, http://www.ianchadwick.com/hudson/hudson_05.htm . Accessed December 27, 2018.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Accessed December 27, 2018.
''Henry Hudson." The Mariners' Museum and Park, 2018, ttps://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/subject/henry-hudson/ . Accessed December 27, 2018.
"Henry Hudson, Explorer and Adventurer."
"Hudson's Bay Company Beginnings." Curio.ca, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2001, https://www.cbc.ca/history/EPCONTENTSE1EP6CH1PA5LE.html . Accessed December 27, 2018.
Hunter, Douglas. "The Hudson Mutiny." Douglas Hunter, https://dwhauthor.wordpress.com/2018/02/20/the-hudson-mutiny/ . Accessed December 27, 2018.
Marsh, James H. "Henry Hudson". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 30 November 2018, Historica Canada, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/henry-hudson. Accessed 27 December 2018.
Neatby, L.H. "Hudson, Henry." Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 1966 (revised in 2013), http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hudson_henry_1E.html . Accessed December 27, 2018.
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