Pre-History To 1599: A Brief History Of Canada

A Brief History of Canada

Pre-History to 1599

Early Exploration

Introduction

In the beginning, North America and Canada did not exist... at least in the minds of Europeans. They knew of Cathay and of the rich trade possibilities there, but the ocean to the west was a barrier which seemed too vast to cross. When overland trade routes became blocked and the voyage around Africa was found to be long and dangerous, the European nations began to look westward for a shorter journey. Little did they know that they would discover a whole new world complete with its own unique peoples and riches.

This section deals with the discovery and early explorations of Canada and the attempts by both the English and French to settle in and lay claim to the New World. It deals with the first encounters with the Native People and the fragile relationships which developed between the Natives and Europeans, and even among the Europeans themselves. It deals with the development of the fur trade which would effectively change Canada's history forever.

Note: Clicking

Native raids forced them to abandon their attempts to settle.

1360

--- The Church of Rome sent Norwegian Paul Knutsson to reclaim Greenland. Records indicate that Knutsson sailed westward into Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay and then south into James Bay. It is believed that Knutsson travelled inland along the Albany River all the way to Lake Nipigon, north of Lake Superior.

1398

--- Micmac legends indicate that a 'White Man' (believed to be Norwegian Henry Sinclair) landed in present-day Nova Scotia. Sinclair was told of red-haired, green-eyed men with beards (Lief Ericsson?) who had arrived centuries earlier and taught the Micmac how to fish with nets. Navigation records in Venice, Italy, may substantiate this.

1420

--- Basque whalers began fishing off the coast of