Hendrick Christiaensen facts for kids

Hendrick Christiaensen was a Dutch explorer and ship captain. He lived a long time ago, around the early 1600s. He played an important part in exploring the area that later became the Dutch colony of New Netherland. This colony was located in what is now the United States.

Early Life and Explorations

Hendrick Christiaensen worked as a ship captain and trader. He was employed by a company from Amsterdam called the Van Tweenhuysen Company. This company was involved in trade and exploration across the seas.

In 1611, Christiaensen visited Manhattan twice. He sailed on his ship, the Fortuyn. On one trip, he was joined by another explorer named Adriaen Block. Block sailed on his ship, the Tyger.

When Christiaensen returned to the Netherlands in 1612, he brought two young Native American boys with him. They were the sons of a local sachem, which is like a chief or leader of a Native American tribe. The Dutch people were very interested in these boys. They called them Orson and Valentine Christiaensen.

In 1613, Christiaensen and Block sailed back to the region. They used their two ships to create the first map of the area. This map clearly showed Manhattan and Long Island as separate pieces of land.

Building Fort Nassau

In 1614, Christiaensen sailed his ship, the Fortuyn, up the North River. This river is now known as the Hudson River. He reached Castle Island (New York). There, he built a warehouse on the remains of an old French fur trading post.

He added a strong wooden fence, called a stockade, and a wide ditch, called a moat, around the warehouse. The moat was eighteen feet wide. He named this new fort Fort Nassau. He named it to honor Maurice of Nassau, who was an important leader in the Netherlands. The river itself was sometimes called the Mauritius, also named after Maurice.

Christiaensen took two large cannons and eleven smaller swivel guns from his ship. He left twelve men at the fort under the command of Jacob Eelkens. Then, Christiaensen sailed back down the river.

Later Life and Death

In the spring of 1619, Christiaensen's ship, the Swarte Beer, was in the Hudson River. His ship was suddenly attacked by Native Americans. During the attack, Hendrick Christiaensen and many of his crew members died. The remaining survivors managed to drive away the attackers by firing their guns.