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Henry Hudson: 15 Fascinating Facts About the Explorer

Henry Hudson was an explorer who disappeared in 1611. No one knows if he died a natural death or got lost at sea. To date, there are so many theories and conspiracies surrounding that. He was an English sea explorer and navigator all through the early 17th century. He was popularly known for his explorations of what is presently known as Canada and also parts of the northeastern United States. His explorations are what shed light on what we know so far of present Western countries. So what are some of the fascinating facts about Henry Hudson? Here is a list

1. Hudson’s early life is not known so much

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The year and place of birth of Henry is not really known. It has been speculated that he was born in England around 1565 or 1570 in Greater, London maybe. He is also thought to have been the son of a sea merchant. He is considered to have spent many years at sea starting off as a cabin boy and working his way up to becoming the ship’s captain. Literally resilience and determination to achieve what you want. No authentic portrait of Hudson is known to be in existence.

2. He made a number of attempts to find a passage to Asia

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In the late 16th and 17th centuries, European businesses were looking for an easy and navigable passway to Asia over Northpole. Map makers at the time thought that the sun melted the ice at the pole during the summer and this meant that there would be a passable shorter northeast or northwest route from Europe to Asia. These voyages aimed at finding an ice-free passage past the North Pole that would ultimately provide a shorter route to the rich markets and resources that were in Asia.

3. Hudson was the first European to navigate so far into North

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In 1607, an English trading company by the name of Muscovy Company hired Henry to find a passage from the North Pole to Asia. He set sail on May 1st with a crew of 11 people and reached the east coast of Greenland on June 14th. The ice however blocked their way although no European had ever reached this far. Because of the blockage, he was however forced to turn back and reached Tilbury Hope on September 15th. It came to be known as the map of Henry Hudson’s 1607 Voyage.

4. Hudson was also the first European to explore the Artic Ocean

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In 1608, Muscovy sent Hudson again to find the northerly passage to Asia. This time though it was to the East around Northern Russia. He left on April 22nd, 1608 and this time around, he traveled almost 2,500 miles making it to Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic Ocean to the north of Russia. His way again was blocked by ice and forced to return, arriving at Gravesend on August 26th. Though he failed twice by this time, he carried out the first European explorations of the Arctic Ocean.

5. He made a third attempt for the Dutch East India Company

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*oil on canvas
*83.8 x 121.9 cm
*signed b.c.: Rbt W Weir
*1835

In 1609, Hudson made a third attempt when the Dutch East India Company in the Netherlands employed him to take the northeast voyage to find that route to Asia. By this time, he had heard of two possible channels to the Pacific across North America. Even though his interest in the northwest passages had been aroused already, he agreed to return directly to Holland just in case the northeast one was unsuccessful. He, therefore, sailed from Holland and when adverse conditions blocked his passage again, he ignored the agreement he had made with the company to return immediately should that happen and changed the ship’s direction from North America in order to seek the northwest passage.

6. Hudson River is actually named after Henry Hudson

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After turning to seek the northwest passage to the Pacific, he landed in Canada on July 2nd. His expedition traveled south along the Atlantic coast and found the river that was discovered by Florentine in 1524. Hudson and his crew traveled up the river reaching present-day New York. From then, the river came to be known as the Hudson River. He thought that the river would not lead to the Pacific and hence decided to return to Europe by landing on Dartmouth in 1609. The authorities seized the ship and forbade Henry from working with the Dutch ever again.

7. He also discovered the Hudson Strait and the Hudson Bay

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In 1610, the Virginia Company and the British East India Company sponsored Henry’s fourth and final voyage, He started by setting sail from London in 1610 in an attempt to find the northwest passage to Asia. The ship circled the Southern tip and entered the Northern tip of Labrador which became known as the Hudson Strait. After sailing through the strait, Hudson believed he had finally found the Pacific but it was actually a gigantic bay now known as Hudson Bay.

8. Hudson’s crew mutinied on him

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When Hudson hit a dead end at James Bay, there were harsh winter conditions zeroing in and supplies began to run low. Crewmembers began to be restless and hostile and the story goes that Hudson hoarded on the little that was there and this increased resentment from his crew.  When they began heading back to England, the crew mutinied and seized him, his son, and seven others. They were thrown off into a small boat and were never heard from again. This was on June 22nd, 1611. The story however has so many loopholes and no one knows what’s true anymore.

9. Hudson was one of the most skilled navigators in history

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*oil on canvas
*83.8 x 121.9 cm
*signed b.c.: Rbt W Weir
*1835

Throughout history, Henry Hudson commanded four different voyages that never really reached their destination but still, he is recognized as one of the world’s most famous explorers. At the time, traveling by sea was not an easy feat thanks to the dangerous North Atlantic icebergs. Also, during that time, he did not lose a single crew member regardless of the harsh conditions. This shows how skilled he was as a navigator

10. There are a number of places in North America named after him

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The discoveries Hudson made formed the basis for Dutch colonization of the Hudson River and claims on Canada (most of it). The Hudson Bay Company of England controlled the fur trade at the time due to his discovery of the region. It ended up becoming so powerful that it influenced the history of the area. He also contributed to geographical knowledge. Apart from the Hudson River, Hudson Strait, and Hudson Bay, there is the Hudson  County in New Jersey, the Henry Hudson Bridge, the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York City, and also the town of Hudson in New York.

11. Hudson was not the first one to step foot in New York

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Contrary to common belief, Hudson was not the first European to explore the territory that is known as New York. An Italian Adventure known as Giovanni da Verrazzano sailed up the Hudson River in 1524. This is more than 80 years before Hudson ever made his trip. The French supported Giovanni’s journey and his exploration of the region and this played a huge role in the ultimate colonization of North America by European powers.

12. Hudson was held temporarily in the Netherlands

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There has been debate over Hudson’s contacts with the East India Company and the fact that he was never placed under house arrest. That one is still debatable though. In 1609 however, during his third journey for the Dutch East India Company, he was temporarily held in the Netherlands on suspicion of breaching his contract. He was released quickly however and returned to London where he continued to get more gigs for more explorations.

13. He had a family with a woman named Katherine

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At one point Henry married a woman named Katherine and had three sons with her. They were Richard, John, and Oliver. After the disappearance of her husband and son John, she petitioned for a search party and rescue missions. After he was declared dead, Katherine was left poor but somehow managed to acquire back her wealth through her own resourcefulness and hustles.

14. His other son accumulated wealth in India

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Hudson’s disappearance left his family poor. That is his wife and two remaining sons. Richard, his other son, managed to accumulate wealth in India and was one of the first Europeans to be given a permit to live and work in Imperial Japan. He stayed in India for the rest of his life and is said to have lived a life of luxury.

15. Hudson’s discoveries led to the destruction of wildlife

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As much as Hudson’s exploration shed light on so many things, his discoveries also led to the decimation and destruction of wildlife around many of those islands. The whale and walrus populations, for instance, were heavily destroyed by hunters for their tusks.

Henry Hudson will forever be remembered as the explorer who helped the world know of so many things it hadn’t even fathomed before.