Samuel de Champlain

He entered into a marriage contract with 12 year old Helene Boulle, the daughter of Nicolas Boulle—a politically powerful man—on December 27, 1610 in presence of Dugua. The couple was married three days later. The couple did not have any biological children though Champlain adopted three girls.

Samuel de Champlain suffered a severe stroke in October 1635, and died on 25 December 1635.v

The Lake Champlain, Champlain Valley, the Champlain Trail Lakes, and the Champlain Sea are all named in his honor.

He was born to Antoine Champlain and Marguerite Le Roy in either Hiers-Brouage, or the port city of La Rochelle, in the French province of Aunis. There is also considerable confusion surrounding the year of his birth. It is generally accepted that he was born in 1567 while some scholars disagree. He was baptized on August 13, 1574 according to a recent baptism record found by Jean-Marie Germe, French genealogist.

His family had several mariners including his father and uncle. Samuel learned to navigate and draw nautical charts at a young age.

As a young man he served in the army of King Henry IV during France's religious wars in Brittany from 1594 or 1595 to 1598. During this time he also acquired the skill of fighting with firearms. He became a "capitaine d'une compagnie" by 1597.

His uncle-in-law was a navigator and he asked Samuel Champlain to accompany him on a trip to transport Spanish troops to Cadiz in 1598. He travelled with his uncle to Cadiz and from there he accompanied a large Spanish fleet to the West Indies. He gained a lot of valuable knowledge from these early experiences.

His uncle died in 1601 leaving Champlain a substantial estate which gave him considerable independence. The same year he was appointed as a geographer in the court of King Henry. He travelled a lot as a part of his job and learned much about North America.

He joined a fur-trading expedition led by François Gravé Du Pont to North America as an observer in 1603. Du Pont was an experienced navigator from whom Champlain leaned a lot. The expedition sailed up the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers and explored the Gaspé Peninsula, ultimately arriving in Montreal. Champlain made accurate predictions about the geographic features of the region which earned him considerable admiration.

Champlain accompanied Pierre Dugua de Mons to Acadia in 1604. Dugua planned to establish a French colony (New France) there and assigned Champlain the responsibility of investigating the coast in search of an ideal location for settlement. They explored the surrounding regions for the next few years and in 1608 Dugua sent Champlain to establish a settlement at Québec.

Champlain arrived at the "point of Quebec" in July 1608 and immediately started fortifying the area. He had three main wooden buildings erected, marking the very beginning of Quebec City. The city became the hub of French fur trade.

Samuel de Champlain is known as the "The Father of New France" for the role he played in the establishment of the French settlement in New France in North America. He founded the city of Quebec with just 28 men, toiling under harsh conditions, and served as its administrator for the rest of his life.