Henry Hudson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henry Hudson
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One of many speculative portraits
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| Born | c. 1565 |
| Disappeared | 23 June 1611 (aged 45–46) James Bay, North America |
| Other names | Hendrick Hudson |
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| Years active | 1607–1611 (as explorer) |
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| Children | John Hudson (c. 1591–1611) |
Henry Hudson was an English explorer and navigator. He lived in the early 1600s. He is famous for exploring parts of Canada and the northeastern United States.
In 1607 and 1608, English merchants hired Hudson. They wanted him to find a new sea route to Asia. This route, called the Northeast Passage, was rumored to go over the top of the world, through the Arctic.
In 1609, a Dutch company sent him to North America. He explored the area where New York City is today. On his ship, the Halve Maen (meaning "Half Moon"), he searched for a Northwest Passage to Asia. He sailed up a big river, which is now called the Hudson River, after him. His trips helped start Dutch settlements in that area. They also helped Europeans meet and trade with the native people of North America.
On his last trip, he found the Hudson Strait and the huge Hudson Bay. He was still looking for the Northwest Passage. In 1611, after a cold winter, most of his crew rebelled. They left Hudson, his son, and six other men in a small boat. No one knows what happened to them after that.
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Henry Hudson's Early Life
We don't know much about Henry Hudson's early life. He was likely born in London, England, sometime around 1565. By 1607, he was already a skilled sailor. He was chosen to lead important trips to find new trade routes.
Hudson's Voyages of Exploration
Searching for a Northern Passage (1607–1608)
In 1607, an English company called the Muscovy Company hired Hudson. They wanted him to find a northern sea route to Asia. English and Dutch traders were competing for these routes. People thought that the summer sun in the far north might melt the ice. This would allow ships to sail over the "top of the world."
On May 1, 1607, Hudson set sail on his ship, the Hopewell. He had a crew of ten men and one boy. They reached Greenland and then sailed north. They saw and named several places, like "Hold with Hope." Later, they spotted "Newland," which is now called Spitsbergen.
They sailed very far north, but thick ice blocked their way. They had to turn back. Hudson wanted to try a different route home, but the ice made it impossible. The expedition returned to England in September.
Hudson saw many whales in the waters around Spitsbergen. His reports might have encouraged other countries to start whaling trips there. However, some historians believe other explorers' reports were more important for starting the whaling industry.
In 1608, English companies sent Hudson on another trip. Again, he sailed the Hopewell to find a passage to Asia, this time east of northern Russia. They traveled far north, past the Arctic Circle. But once more, thick ice blocked their path, even in summer. They had to turn back to England.
Exploring North America (1609)
In 1609, a Dutch company hired Hudson. They wanted him to find an eastern sea route to Asia. But while in Amsterdam, he heard about a possible western route through North America. Hudson was supposed to sail north of Russia. However, ice blocked that path. So, Hudson changed his plans. He decided to sail west, hoping to find a passage through North America instead.
They reached the Grand Banks of Newfoundland in July. Then they landed in Nova Scotia, Canada. There, they met local Indigenous people. These people were used to trading with the French. Hudson's crew stayed for about ten days, fixing their ship and fishing. Sadly, some of Hudson's men attacked a village. They took a boat and other items from the people living there.
In August, they sailed past Cape Cod. Hudson then explored the coast northward. On September 3, he found the mouth of a large river. This river was first called the "North River." Today, it is named the Hudson River, after him. Other Europeans had seen this area before, but Hudson explored it more deeply.
On September 6, one of his crew members, John Colman, was killed by an arrow. A few days later, Hudson sailed into Upper New York Bay. He met local Lenape Native Americans and traded with them. Then, he began sailing up the river that now bears his name. His ship went far upriver, near where Albany, New York, is today.
On September 23, Hudson decided to sail back to Europe. He arrived in Dartmouth, England, in November. English officials held him there, wanting to see his ship's logbook. Hudson managed to send his log and report to the Dutch ambassador. The ambassador then sent them to Amsterdam.
During his river exploration, Hudson traded furs with different native groups. His journey helped the Dutch claim this region. It also led to a successful fur trade, with a trading post set up in Albany by 1614. Later, New Amsterdam, on Manhattan Island, became the capital of the Dutch colony of New Netherland.
Final Expedition and Disappearance (1610–1611)
In 1610, Hudson got support for another trip, this time from English companies. He sailed a new ship called the Discovery. He reached Iceland in May and Greenland in June. Then he sailed around the southern tip of Greenland.
On June 25, they found the Hudson Strait, near Labrador. In August, the ship entered the huge Hudson Bay. Everyone was excited, thinking they had found the Northwest Passage to Asia. Hudson spent months exploring the bay's eastern parts. But they never found a way through to Asia. In November, their ship got stuck in ice in James Bay. The crew had to spend the winter on land.
The Mutiny
When spring arrived in 1611, Hudson wanted to keep exploring Hudson Bay. He still hoped to find the Northwest Passage. But most of his crew wanted to go home. In June, many of the crew members rebelled against Hudson. This event is called a mutiny. We only know about it from the people who were part of the mutiny.
A survivor named Abacuk Pricket kept a journal. He wrote that Henry Greene and Robert Juet led the mutiny. Pricket's story says the mutineers put Hudson, his teenage son John, and seven other crewmen into a small open boat. These men were either sick or loyal to Hudson. They were left behind in Hudson Bay. The mutineers gave them some clothes, supplies, and food.
Hudson's Disappearance
After the mutiny, Hudson's small boat tried to follow the Discovery. But the larger ship soon sailed away, leaving them behind. Hudson, his son, and the other seven men were never seen by Europeans again. People searched for them later, but their fate remains unknown.
The Mutineers' Story
Pricket's journal is one of the few records of the voyage. However, some historians question how reliable it is. Pricket and the other survivors knew they would be questioned in England. It was in their interest to blame the mutiny on men who had not survived the trip back.
Only eight of the thirteen mutineers made it back to Europe. They were arrested in England. Some were put on trial, but no one was punished for the mutiny. One idea is that they were too valuable for their knowledge of the New World to be executed.
Later Clues and Stories
In 1612, a man named Nicolas de Vignau claimed he saw parts of an English ship on the shores of James Bay. While this was doubted at the time, historians now think it might be true.
A Canadian author, Dorothy Harley Eber, collected stories from the Inuit people. She believed these stories might refer to Hudson and his son after the mutiny. The Inuit told of an old man with a long white beard and a young boy arriving in a small wooden boat. The Inuit had never seen white people before. They took them in and fed them. After the old man died, the Inuit tied the boy to one of their houses. This was to stop him from running away. These stories, though old, are taken more seriously now. This is because other Inuit stories helped find the lost ships of Franklin's lost expedition in the 2010s.
In the late 1950s, a 150-pound stone was found near Deep River, Ontario. It had carvings of Hudson's initials (H. H.), the year 1612, and the word "captive." The lettering matched 17th-century English maps. However, experts could not tell when the carving was made.
Henry Hudson's Legacy
The huge bay named after Hudson is three times the size of the Baltic Sea. Its many large rivers lead into parts of Western Canada and the Arctic. This allowed the Hudson's Bay Company to create a rich fur trade along its shores for over 200 years. This company became very powerful. It even influenced the history and borders of western North America.
Many other places are named after Hudson. These include the Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait in Canada. The Hudson River in New York and New Jersey also bears his name. Other landmarks include Hudson County, New Jersey, the Henry Hudson Bridge, the Henry Hudson Parkway, and the city of Hudson, New York.
See also
In Spanish: Henry Hudson para niños
- Age of Discovery
- List of people who disappeared mysteriously (pre-1910)
- List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea
