who funded henry hudson voyage

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Henry Hudson

By: History.com Editors

Updated: June 6, 2023 | Original: November 9, 2009

Henry Hudson made his first voyage west from England in 1607, when he was hired to find a shorter route to Asia from Europe through the Arctic Ocean. After twice being turned back by ice, Hudson embarked on a third voyage in 1609. This time, he chose a southern route, drawn by reports of a channel across the North American continent to the Pacific. After navigating the Atlantic coast, Hudson’s ships sailed up a great river (today’s Hudson River) but turned back when they determined it was not the channel they sought. On a fourth and final voyage in 1610-11, Hudson spent months in the vast Hudson Bay before he fell victim to a mutiny by his crew. Hudson’s discoveries laid the groundwork for Dutch colonization of the Hudson River Valley, as well as English land claims in Canada.

Birth and Early Life

Though little is known about Hudson’s early life, most historians agree that he was born around 1565 in England, and later lived in London . It’s known that he received a better education than many, because he could read, write, and do mathematics. He also studied navigation and earned widespread renown for his skills, as well as his knowledge of Arctic geography.

Hudson married a woman named Katherine, and together they had three sons: Oliver, John and Richard. John would later accompany his father on his expeditions.

In 1607, the Muscovy Company of London provided Hudson financial backing based on his claims that he could find an ice-free passage past the North Pole that would provide a shorter route to the rich markets and resources of Asia. Hudson sailed that spring with his son John and 10 companions. They traveled east along the edge of the polar ice pack until they reached the Svalbard archipelago, well north of the Arctic Circle, before hitting ice and being forced to turn back.

Did you know? Knowledge gained during Henry Hudson's four voyages significantly expanded on that from previous explorations made in the 16th century by Giovanni da Verrazano of Italy, John Davis of England and Willem Barents of Holland.

The following year, Hudson made a second Muscovy-funded voyage between Svalbard and the islands of Novaya Zemlya, to the east of the Barents Sea, but again found his way blocked by ice fields. Though English companies were reluctant to back him after two failed voyages, Hudson was able to gain a commission from the Dutch East India Company to lead a third expedition in 1609.

The Half Moon

While in Amsterdam gathering supplies, Hudson heard reports of two possible channels running across North America to the Pacific. One was located around latitude 62° N (based on English explorer Captain George Weymouth’s 1602 voyage); the second, around latitude 40° N, had been recently reported by Captain John Smith .

Hudson departed from Holland on the ship Halve Maen ( Half Moon ) in April 1609, but when adverse conditions again blocked his route northeast, he ignored his agreement with his employers to return directly and decided to sail to the New World in search of the so-called “northwest passage.”

After landing in Newfoundland, Canada, Hudson’s expedition traveled south along the Atlantic coast and put into the great river discovered by Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524. They traveled up the river about 150 miles, to what is now Albany, before deciding that it would not lead all the way to the Pacific and turning back. From that time on, the river would be known as the Hudson River.

On the return voyage, Hudson docked at Dartmouth, England, where English authorities acted to prevent him and his other English crew members from making voyages on behalf of other nations. The ship’s log and records were sent to Holland, where news of Hudson’s discoveries spread quickly.

Hudson’s Final Voyage

The British East India Company and the Muscovy Company, along with private sponsors, jointly funded Hudson’s fourth voyage, on which he sought the possible Pacific-bound channel identified by Weymouth. Hudson sailed from London in April 1610 in the 55-ton ship Discovery , stopped briefly in Iceland, then continued west.

After traversing the coast again, he passed through the inlet Weymouth had described as a potential entry point to a northwest passage. (Now called Hudson Strait, it runs between Baffin Island and northern Quebec.) When the coastline suddenly opened up towards the south, Hudson believed he might have found the Pacific, but he soon realized he had sailed into a gigantic bay, now known as Hudson Bay.

Hudson continued sailing southward along the bay’s eastern coast until he reached its southernmost extremity at James Bay, between northern Ontario and Quebec. While enduring harsh winter conditions with no outlet to the Pacific in sight, some crew members grew restless and hostile, suspecting Hudson of hoarding rations to give to his favorites.

Last Days of Henry Hudson

In June 1611, as the expedition began heading back to England, sailors Henry Green and Robert Juet (who had been demoted as mate) led a mutiny. Seizing Hudson and his son, they cast them adrift on Hudson Bay with a few supplies in a small open lifeboat, along with seven other men who were suffering from scurvy.

Hudson, his 17-year-old son John, and his men were never heard from again. After further troubles on their return trip to England, by the time Discovery encountered a fleet of fishermen off the coast of Ireland in September 1611, the original crew of 23 was down to just eight survivors. They were arrested for mutiny, but never punished.

Henry Hudson. The Mariner’s Museum and Park . Henry Hudson. The Canadian Encyclopedia . Henry Hudson. PBS . Strangers In A New Land. American Heritage .

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Henry Hudson

English explorer Henry Hudson embarked on multiple sailing voyages that provided new information on North American water routes.

(1565-1611)

Who Was Henry Hudson?

Believed to have been born in the late 16th century, English explorer Henry Hudson made two unsuccessful sailing voyages in search of an ice-free passage to Asia. In 1609, he embarked on a third voyage funded by the Dutch East India Company that took him to the New World and the river that would be given his name. On his fourth voyage, Hudson came upon the body of water that would later be called the Hudson Bay.

Considered one of the world's most famous explorers, Henry Hudson, born in England circa 1565, never actually found what he was looking for. He spent his career searching for different routes to Asia, but he ended up opening the door to further exploration and settlement of North America.

While many places bear his name, Hudson remains an elusive figure. There is little information available about the famous explorer's life prior to his first journey as a ship's commander in 1607. It is believed that he learned about the seafaring life firsthand, perhaps from fishermen or sailors. He must have had a talent for navigation early on, enough to merit becoming a commander in his late 20s. Prior to 1607, Hudson probably worked aboard other ships before being appointed to lead one on his own. Reports also indicate that he was married to a woman named Katherine and they had three sons together.

First Three Voyages

Hudson made four journeys during his career, at a time when countries and companies competed with each other to find the best ways to reach important trade destinations, especially Asia and India. In 1607, the Muscovy Company, an English firm, entrusted Hudson to find a northern route to Asia. Hudson brought his son John with him on this trip, as well as Robert Juet. Juet went on several of Hudson's voyages and recorded these trips in his journals.

Despite a spring departure, Hudson found himself and his crew battling icy conditions. They had a chance to explore some of the islands near Greenland before turning back. But the trip was not a total loss, as Hudson reported numerous whales in the region, which opened up a new hunting territory.

The following year, Hudson once again set sail in search of the fabled Northeast Passage. The route he sought proved elusive, however. Hudson made it to Novaya Zemlya, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean to the north of Russia. But he could not travel further, blocked by thick ice. Hudson returned to England without achieving his goal.

Crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Hudson and his crew reached land that July, coming ashore at what is now Nova Scotia. They encountered some of the local Indigenous peoples there and were able to make some trades with them. Traveling down the North American coast, Hudson went as far south as the Chesapeake Bay. He then turned around and decided to explore New York Harbor, an area first thought to have been discovered by Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. Around this time, Hudson and his crew clashed with some local Indigenous peoples. A crew member named John Colman died after being shot in the neck with an arrow, and two others on board were injured.

After burying Colman, Hudson and his crew traveled up the river that would later carry his name. He explored the Hudson River up as far as what later became Albany. Along the way, Hudson noticed that the lush lands that lined the river contained abundant wildlife. He and his crew also met with some of the Indigenous peoples living on the river's banks.

On the way back to the Netherlands, Hudson was stopped in the English port of Dartmouth. The English authorities seized the ship and the Englishmen among the crew. Upset that he had been exploring for another country, the English authorities forbade Hudson from working with the Dutch again. He was, however, undeterred from trying to find the Northwest Passage. This time, Hudson found English investors to fund his next journey, which would prove to be fatal.

Final Journey and Death

Aboard the ship Discovery , Hudson left England in April 1610. He and his crew, which again included his son John and Robert Juet, made their way across the Atlantic Ocean. After skirting the southern tip of Greenland, they entered what became known as the Hudson Strait. The exploration then reached another of his namesakes, the Hudson Bay. Traveling south, Hudson ventured into James Bay and discovered that he'd come to a dead end.

By this time, Hudson was at odds with many in his crew. They found themselves trapped in the ice and low on supplies. When they were forced to spend the winter there, tensions only grew worse. By June 1611, conditions had improved enough for the ship to set sail once again. Hudson, however, didn't make the trip back home. Shortly after their departure, several members of the crew, including Juet, took over the ship and decided to cast out Hudson, his son and a few other crew members. Mutineers put Hudson and the others in a small boat and set them adrift. It is believed that Hudson and the others died of exposure sometime later, in or near the Hudson Bay. Some of the mutineers were later put on trial, but they were acquitted.

More European explorers and settlers followed Hudson's lead, making their way to North America. The Dutch started a new colony, called New Amsterdam, at the mouth of the Hudson River in 1625. They also developed trade posts along the nearby coasts.

While he never found his way to Asia, Hudson is still widely remembered as a determined early explorer. His efforts helped drive European interest in North America. Today his name can be found all around us on waterways, schools, bridges and even towns.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth Year: 1565
• Birth City: England
• Birth Country: United Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: English explorer Henry Hudson embarked on multiple sailing voyages that provided new information on North American water routes.
• Business and Industry
• Death Year: 1611
• Death date: June 22, 1611
• Death City: In or near the Hudson Bay
• Death Country: Canada

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• The land is the finest for cultivation that I have ever in my life set foot upon, and it also abounds in trees of every description.
• You cannot fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren.
• I sailed to the shore on one of their canoes with an old man who was the chief of a tribe consisting of 40 men and 17 women.
• I used all diligence to arrive at London, and therefore I now gave my crew a certificate under my hand, of my free and willing return, without any persuasion by any one or more of them. For when we were at Nova Zembla, on the 6th of July, void of hope of a northeast passage ... I therefore resolved to use all means I could to the northeast.
• This land may be profitable to those that will adventure it.

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World History Edu

• Famous Explorers / Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson: Facts and Major Achievements

by World History Edu · November 4, 2021

Henry Hudson – Biography and achievements

Henry Hudson was the English navigator and explorer who devoted much of his professional career searching for a “Northeast Passage” from Europe to Asia. Along the way, he made some very important discoveries that in so many ways enhanced the Age of Exploration in Europe.

Although all four attempts to find the northeast passage and northwest passage to Asia failed, his contributions had profound impact on future navigators and explorers of the North American continent. For example, Hudson was the first European to encounter the Hudson Strait and the Hudson Bay. In addition to those water bodies, the famous Hudson River in New York, U.S., was named for him.

What else was Henry Hudson most known for? World History Edu explores the life and major achievements of this renowned English explorer and navigator.

Quick facts about English navigator and explorer Henry Hudson

Born: c. 1565

Place of birth : England

Disappeared: June 23, 1611?

Place of disappearance and death : Hudson Bay?

Son: John Hudson

Most famous for : attempting to find the northeast passage as well as the northwest passage to Asia

Ships: Discovery , Halve Maen (“Half Moon”)

Major Accomplishments of Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson voyages

Below are 6 major accomplishments of English explorer Henry Hudson.

Henry Hudson’s quest for a short route from Europe to Asia through the North Pole

Henry Hudson’s search for the Northeast Passage from Europe to Asia began in the spring of 1607.

Being one of the few explorers in Europe who had extensive knowledge of the Arctic, Henry Hudson was able to secure financial backing from the Muscovy Company of London in his attempt to get to Asia via the North Pole.

In 1607, Hudson, along with a crew of 11 men, which included his son John Hudson, began his journey towards the Arctic. His goal was to find the highly-sought after passage via the North Pole to Asia. He hoped there would be an ice-free route that would enable him and his crew make it around the North Pole and then into the Pacific Ocean.

Henry Hudson experienced very minimal challenges until his journey was halted by a massive ice pack at the Svalbard archipelago (also known as the Spitbergen) near the Arctic Circle. Hudson and his crew, therefore, had to discontinue their journey.

In spite of that, Hudson’s first voyage into the Arctic was remarkable in the sense that it helped enhance what we knew about the North Pole at the time. His findings, thus, built upon the chartings made by early Arctic explorers like Dutch navigator Willem Barents.

Hudson’s Second Voyage (1608)

Although the first expedition of Henry Hudson was met with some challenges, his backers, the Muscovy Company of London, were inspired by the findings that emerged from it. And so, Hudson was once again commissioned to discover the Northeast Passage. The English explorer deployed a different approach this time.

Sailing from England on April 22, 1608, the explorer chose to pass between Svalbard and the islands of Novaya Zemlya. From there he made his way to the east of the Barents Sea. To his disappointment and that of his crew members, Hudson again encountered a big ice pack that prevented him from going further. After about 4 months at sea, Hudson sailed back to England.

The Third voyage – quest to discover the “northwest passage”

No sooner had he arrived in England from his second voyage than did he begin to receive reports of a two likely routs to the Pacific Ocean. According to those reports, the first possible route, which was said to be around latitude 62° N, was based on the findings from George Weymouth’s 1602 voyage. The second possible route, around latitude 40° N, had been inspired by the voyage of Captain John Smith.

Taking all of those reports into consideration, Hudson decided to embark upon a third voyage. This time, he was sponsored by the Dutch, i.e. the Dutch East India Company. On April 6, 1609, on board the ship the Half Moon (known in Dutch as the Half Maen ), Henry Hudson sailed from Holland and headed northeast. Unlike his first two voyages where massive ice packs halted him in his track, his third voyage was impeded by unfavorable winds. Rather than throw in the towel and return to Holland, Hudson sailed on, seeking the Northwest Passage instead. This went against the agreement that he signed with his Dutch financiers.

Hudson placed his bets on Captain Smith’s route and sailed for latitude 40° N. The Half Moon ’s journey took them along the Atlantic seaboard. Hudson and his crew arrived at Newfoundland in present day Canada. They then continued their travel south, along the Atlantic Coast, where they encountered the great river which was first discovered by Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524.

Hoping to discover an outlet, Hudson went up the river for almost 150 miles (240 km) until he made it to present-day Albany, New York. He and his crew came to a conclusion that there existed no route via the river to the Pacific. Therefore, Hudson turned his ship around and headed back to Holland.

Henry Hudson quotes

Henry Hudson’s fourth and final voyage

On his return journey to Europe from his third voyage, Hudson is said to have docked in England. He hoped to proceed from Dartmouth, which along the English Channel, to Holland. Around this same time, the English government had issued a ban on explorers and navigators from taking commissions on behalf of other European nations. Therefore, Hudson was left with no option than to send his findings from the third voyage to Holland.

Still committed to discovering the Northwest Passage, Hudson took the reports of English Captain George Weymouth’s 1602 voyage and planned sailing around latitude 62° N.

In April 1611, about a year after his third voyage, Hudson raised his sail again and journeyed from London aboard the 55-ton ship called the Discovery. His fourth and what eventually ended up being his final voyage was sponsored by the British East India Company, the Muscovy Company and other private individuals.

Hudson passed through Iceland before going west, hoping to follow Weymouth’s proposed Pacific-bound channel. By August of that year, he had sailed through an inlet (now called Hudson Strait) and then entered a bay area (the Hudson Bay). Thinking the Hudson Bay offered an outlet to the Pacific, Hudson continued heading towards the east coast until he encountered the James Bay, where he came to a dead end. There was no route to the Pacific, and the ship had to turn back and return to England.

Hudson had an enduring interest in finding a short route from Europe to Asia

Prior to Hudson, an English navigator John Davis journeyed (in 1585) to the Arctic on a quest to find the Northwest Passage to (from Europe) Asia. Some historians suggest that Henry Hudson was part of the preparation process of Davis’ expedition to the Arctic. If that were the case, that would likely explain Hudson’s interest in finding the Northwest Passage to Asia.

He was a committed and knowledgeable explorer

The fact that he  was commissioned for a whopping four times to discover a short route from Europe to Asia is testimony to the confidence people had him as an explorer and a navigator. Hudson must have thoroughly read the accounts of some of the first European explorers of the Age of Exploration, particularly the ones that ventured into the Arctic. It is therefore safe to say that Hudson was a well-versed explorer on Arctic geography.

Hudson is also most known for the sheer level of commitment he displayed on the four expeditions that he embarked upon. The extremely dangerous nature of the expeditions did not faze him as he went one expedition after the other. This trait of his was also one of the reasons why his wealthy sponsors had a tremendous amount of trust in him as an explorer and navigator.

How did Henry Hudson die?

John Collier’s painting of Hudson, his son, and loyal crew set adrift

Biting winter conditions compounded Hudson’s already despondent situation. The disappointment soon evolved into a bitter quarrel among his crew members, who were by this time restless and aggressive. Soon, some crew members accused Hudson of hoarding rations for his close crew members.

On his way back to England, crew members Henry Green and Robert Juet led a mutiny against Hudson. The mutineers took into custody Hudson, his son John Hudson, and seven other alleged allies of the captain. After a few deliberations, the mutineers cast Hudson and the eight men adrift on Hudson Bay.

On June 22, 1611, Hudson and the eight men, seven of which were suffering from scurvy, were given a small open lifeboat and then left to fend for themselves in a very hostile and unfamiliar environment.

It is unclear what fate Henry Hudson or the eight men suffered after they were cast away. None of them were ever heard from again. To this day, the whereabouts of the bodies of Hudson and the eight men remain unknown.

As for some of the leaders of the mutiny, it’s been stated that they were killed during a deadly confrontation with Eskimos. According to Abacuk Pricket’s account, alleged mutineer Juet died of starvation just a few days before the ship arrived in Ireland.

The ship, Discovery, did eventually make it back to England, however, with significantly fewer men than it had at the start of the voyage. No punishment was meted out to any of the eight sailors that returned with the Discovery .

Henry Hudson’s sponsors and patrons

Henry Hudson accomplishments | Image: Replica of the Halve Maen (Half Moon)

Henry Hudson was commissioned three times by England, i.e. the British East India company – 1607, 1608, and 1610/11. He was commissioned once by the Dutch, i.e. the Dutch East India Company, in 1609. Other sponsors and financiers of Hudson include: Muscovy Company of London and the Virginia Company of Plymouth.

More on Henry Hudson

Hudson took quite a lot of inspiration from voyage reports and findings of Dutch explorer Willem Barents and Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano.

Before the mutineers left Hudson and the eight other castaways in the Hudson Bay, they gave them some clothes, pikes, some food and other provisions. This account is from navigator Abacuk Pricket, one of the survivors, possibly a member of the mutineers, that made it back to England.

The leaders of the mutiny, Henry Green and Robert Juet, were very close friends of Henry Hudson. The latter even accompanied Hudson during his 1609 voyage. It remains unclear why Greene and Juet took such drastic decision as casting away Hudson.

All in all, Henry Hudson embarked upon four very dangerous voyages in his lifetime.

Henry Hudson was described by many as a strong-willed sea captain. He was never the kind to back down from challenges. However, he has been accused of endorsing favoritism on his ship. If the accounts are true, then it was very much evident towards the latter part of the fourth voyage.

In addition to the Hudson Bay, the Hudson River and the Hudson Strait bearing Henry Hudson’s name, the Hudson County in New Jersey, the town of Hudson in New York, and the Henry Hudson Bridge in New York City are named after the English navigator and explorer.

While cruising up the Hudson River, Henry Hudson came about 100 miles away from the expedition team led by French explore Samuel de Champlain. Even though the two explorers were so close to each other, they were not aware of each other’s presence in the region.

Known as Muhheakunnuk (“Great Waters Constantly in Motion”), the Hudson River served as an important waterway during the American Revolution. However, did you know that it was named in honor of English explorer and navigator Henry Hudson? Hudson exploration in the area in the early 17th century allowed for the Dutch settle in the Hudson Valley.  | Hudson River – The Bear Mountain Bridge across the Hudson River as seen from Bear Mountain

Bibliography

Butts, E. (2009).  Henry Hudson: new world voyager . Toronto: Dundurn.

Rink, O. A. (1986).  Holland on the Hudson: an economic and social history of Dutch New York . Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 29

Mancall, P. (2009).  The Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson . Basic Books

Sandler, C. (2007).  Henry Hudson: Dreams and Obsession . New York: Kensington Publishing Corp

Tags: English Explorers Henry Hudson Hudson Bay Hudson Strait

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The Ages of Exploration

Henry hudson, age of discovery.

Quick Facts:

English captain and navigator who discovered the Hudson River, Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay and sailed through parts of the Arctic on his search for a Northwest Passage to China

Name : Henry Hudson [hen-ree] [huhd-suh n]

Birth/Death : ca. 1565 - ca. 1611

Nationality : English

Birthplace : England

Henry Hudson portrait

Portrait image of Henry Hudson, who explored North America looking for a Northwest Passage to Asia. The Mariners' Museum E129.H8 J64 1992

Introduction Henry Hudson made four voyages in search of a water route to the Far East. His first two voyages were through Arctic waters and proved to be unsuccessful due to ice. His third and fourth voyages were to North America where he discovered and sailed the Hudson River, Hudson Strait, and Hudson Bay. Henry Hudson’s discoveries influenced other explorers and laid the foundation for future colonization and trading.

Biography Early Life Not much is known about Henry Hudson’s early life prior to his first significant voyage in 1607. Most historians believe he was born around 1565 in England, and lived for some time in London. 1 He would have received a good education, because it is known that he could read, write, and do mathematics. Most scholars believe that Hudson’s grandfather was one of the founders of the Muscovy Company. This was a very important trading company of this time, and would be the reason Hudson would go on his voyages. It is very likely that Henry worked on ships from a young age, probably as a cabin boy. He would have learned how to cook, handle sails, care for a ship, and keep a ship’s log. 2 He would also have learned navigational skills as well. It is not exactly known when, but at some point, Hudson married a woman named Katherine and they had three sons – Oliver, John, and Richard. 3 His son, John, would join him on all four of his voyages.

It is thought that Hudson sailed with fellow explorer John Davis in 1587. On Davis’s voyage, they sailed to the Arctic in search of the Northwest passage. Trade and commerce were two motivations for explorers during the 17th century. Much of the world had been mapped and settled by various countries. But the possibility of a sea route on top of the world was still unknown. Many countries in Europe were continuing to search for quicker passages to Asia. The desire for faster routes to Asia was driven by the demand for different goods, such as spices. The Muscovy Company was no exception. They had ships and a crew, but no one to captain the voyage. Richard Hakluyt, a respected priest and scholar, recommended Hudson for the job. 4 Before then, Hudson only had experience as a navigator, not a captain. But In 1607, Hudson was commissioned by the Muscovy Company lead a journey to sail across the Arctic Circle to China.

Voyages Principal Voyage Henry Hudson sailed out of Gravesend, England in April 1607 aboard the ship Hopewell . He had a crew of ten men, including his son John. It was a slow trip with bad winds. It took 26 days to reach the Shetland Islands north of Great Britain. Then another week and a half to reach the Arctic Circle. 5 Not only was the weather difficult, but along the way, he had trouble with some of his crew members. Hudson demoted two experienced men: first mate William Collins and James Young. John Colman replaced Collins as first mate. 6 This upset many of the crew, and would possibly lead to trouble for Henry Hudson later on. They sailed past Greenland’s coast into heavily ice packed waters. They continued toward the North Pole and reached Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago (part of Norway). Along the way they saw many whales, some seals and walruses, and several species of seabirds. He made several attempt to sail around the ice packs, but was unsuccessful. On July 27, the Hopewell and her crew headed back towards England. Hudson had failed to find his northern route to China.

The Muscovy Company was excited to hear about the whales Hudson saw in the arctic. Whaling in the 17th century was very profitable. Whale meat and fat were used to make oils that helped burn candles. The Muscovy Company quickly made plans to begin a whaling expedition. 7 But Hudson was not interested in whaling, he was interested in exploration. So in 1608, the Muscovy Company commissioned Hudson once again to find passage to the Far East. This time, Hudson planned to find a Northeast passage, sailing towards the Russian region of Novaya Zemlya. Hudson left on April 22, 1608 aboard the Hopewell once more, with a crew of 14 men, including his son John again. 8 Hudson had trouble once again with several of his crewmen. But they continued onward, and reached Novaya Zemlya. They saw several animals again, and Hudson even recorded in his journal seeing a mermaid. But like his last journey, Hudson could not navigate past the large ice packs and returned to England.

Subsequent Voyages The men of the Muscovy Company were unhappy with Hudson’s results. So they denied him the chance to make another voyages. So Hudson turned to the Dutch. He went to Amsterdam, and was commissioned by the Dutch East India Company in 1609 to find a Northeast passage to Asia. He sailed from Holland aboard the ship Half Moon on April 6, 1609. Not far above Russia, Hudson and his men were once again blocked by heavy ice packs. Hudson chose to ignore his orders from the Dutch, and instead headed in search for the Northwest passage. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean, made his way down Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in Canada. Continuing onward, he passed the sites that would become Plymouth and Boston (in present day Massachusetts). They made it as far down to the British settlement of Jamestown, Virginia. 9 They then turned back around, heading north, and entered into a river in present day New York. Hudson was hopeful this was the passage he had been looking for. This is the same area Giovanni da Verrazzano had explored previously in 1524. Hudson traveled 150 miles up this river, but found it was not the passage as he had hoped. This river would become known as the Hudson River. The expedition followed the river until the crew determined that it did not lead out to the Pacific Ocean. They headed back to Europe.

On his return to Holland, the Half Moon docked at Dartmouth, England. The English, who had poor relations with the Dutch, did not allow Hudson to return to Holland. He had to send his log book of information on without him. During this time, Hudson was one of the most experienced captains of Arctic exploration in Europe. 10 So they called on him once more to go back in search of a Northwest passage. Hudson, his son John, and Hudson’s crew set sail on the Discovery on April 17, 1610. They sailed across the Atlantic, reaching northern Canada, and then heading for the Hudson Strait. They soon found themselves in James Bay, at the southernmost part of the Hudson Strait. But they found no outlet leading to the Pacific Ocean towards Asia. After searching for sometime, they were forced to remain there as the Arctic winter set in. During these winter months, tension between Hudson and his crew would lead to a sad fate.

Later Years and Death Hudson and his crew spent the winter in James Bay since they were unable to sail through the icy waters. By June 1611, the Discovery was free of ice and could continue on her journey. But by the end of winter, the crew had only grown more upset with their captain. Many of them felt that their trip was a waste of time. In June 1611, Robert Juet, after being demoted as mate, led a mutiny against Hudson. Hudson, his son, and several sick crew members were sent adrift in a small boat. What became of the castaway men is still unknown today.

Legacy Henry Hudson was a determined captain, explorer, and navigator. He sailed through the uncharted, dangerous icy waters of the Arctic. But his poor leadership skills led to his unfortunate end. Although he never achieved in finding a passage to Asia, Hudson discovered various North American water routes. His discoveries led other Europeans to journey to North America where colonization and trading would take place. Many of the areas that he explored and sailed through are named after him today. A strait, a bay, and a river – the Hudson River in New York – are all named after him.

• Josepha Sherman, Henry Hudson: English Explorer of the Northwest Passage (New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2003), 13.
• Kristin Petrie, Henry Hudson (Edina: ABDO Publishing Company, 2007), 8.
• Anthony Dalton, Henry Hudson: Doomed Navigator and Explorer (Canada: Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd., 2014), 20.
• Dalton, Henry Hudson: Doomed Navigator and Explorer , 24.
• Dalton, Henry Hudson: Doomed Navigator and Explorer , 27.
• Dalton, Henry Hudson: Doomed Navigator and Explorer , 28.
• Edward Butts, Henry Hudson: New World Voyager (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2009) 49.
• Fergus Fleming, Off the Map: Tales of Endurance and Exploration (New York: Grove Press, 2004), 87.
• Corey Sandler, Henry Hudson: Dreams and Obsession: the Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (New York: Citadel Press Books, 2007), 2.
• Fergus Fleming, Off the Map , 88.

Bibliography

Butts, Edward. Henry Hudson: New World Voyager . Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2009.

Dalton, Anthony. Henry Hudson: Doomed Navigator and Explorer . Canada: Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd., 2014.

Fleming, Fergus. Off the Map: Tales of Endurance and Exploration . New York: Grove Press, 2004.

Petrie, Kristin. Henry Hudson . Edina: ABDO Publishing Company, 2007.

Sandler, Corey. Henry Hudson: Dreams and Obsession: the Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer . New York: Citadel Press Books, 2007.

Sherman, Joseph. Henry Hudson: English Explorer of the Northwest Passage. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2003.

• Original "EXPLORATION through the AGES" site
• The Mariners' Educational Programs

Henry Hudson North-West Passage expedition 1610–11

Why did Hudson's crew mutiny against him?

Henry Hudson was a well-known English explorer and navigator in the 17th century. He was the third explorer to search for the North-West Passage.

The North-West Passage was a fabled seaway linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans via the Arctic Circle and a sought-after trade route. The Virginia Company and the British East India Company, both keen to capitalise on the potential trade route, funded Hudson's expedition. It was to be his last ever voyage.

Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay

Hudson set sail in his ship Discovery in May 1610 and was swept by tides into what is now known as Hudson Strait, at the northern tip of Labrador, Canada. Pushing westwards, through ice-choked water, the Discovery reached the end of the strait six weeks later. Hudson then spent time mapping and exploring the area. In his journal he describes passing a narrow channel between two capes, which he named Cape Wolstenholme and Cape Digges, on what is now known as Digges Islands, both named after financiers of the voyage. From there he found ‘a sea to the westward’, today known as Hudson Bay.

Hudson then pushed south, reaching James Bay by 1 November 1610. Ten days later, the Discovery was frozen in and the crew became the first Europeans to spend winter in the Canadian Arctic. When the ice began to break up in the spring of 1611 the crew wanted to return home after a long, cold winter, but Hudson was resolved to continue with his quest, hoping he might find a westerly exit from the bay. The result was mutiny. On 23 June 1611, Henry Hudson, along with his son and some loyal crew members, were cut adrift in a shallop (a small boat for use in shallow water) and were never seen again.

The Discovery took the long journey home, losing many of the remaining crew on the way. The navigator was Robert Bylot, who would return in search of the North-West Passage several times, notably as captain of the Discovery accompanied by William Baffin in 1615.

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Henry Hudson

Article by Douglas Hunter

Published Online January 2, 2008

Last Edited January 9, 2019

Early Life and Career

Little is known about Henry Hudson’s origins. He was probably born around 1570 and in his late thirties when he began making his known voyages in 1607. He may have been related to a number of men named Hudson (sometimes spelled Hoddesdon or Herdson) who were associated with the Muscovy Company, a London-based trading enterprise. He had a wife, Katherine, and three sons, Oliver, John and Richard. Together they lived in London’s St. Katherine district.

First Voyage (1607)

Henry Hudson (with his son John) made his first known voyage in 1607 in the Hopewell, with a crew of 12. The voyage was associated with Sir Thomas Smythe, a leading figure in the East India Company. It was an attempt to find a passage through the Arctic, over the North Pole , to Asia. At the time, Hudson and others thought that the long summer days of the high Arctic might create an ice-free zone at the top of the world. Hudson was able to sail above Spitsbergen, one of the islands of Svalbard, an archipelago between Norway and the North Pole. This placed him beyond latitude 80° north, a record-setting effort, but the cold reality of Arctic ice made further progress impossible.

On the way home Hudson sailed about 800 km off course and in the process sighted a volcanic speck of rock north of Iceland that became known as Hudson’s Tutches. English whalers subsequently called it Trinity Island, while Dutch whalers gave the landfall its enduring name, Jan Mayen island. Hudson was probably trying to gather additional information on the feasibility of the Northwest Passage , which would lead to Asia through what is now the Canadian Arctic, as his course was taking him towards southern Greenland. Although he failed to reach Asia, Hudson’s exploration in and around Spitsbergen led to a new whale and walrus fishery.

Second Voyage (1608)

In 1608, Hudson sailed again in the Hopewell , again in association with Sir Thomas Smythe, but now with the aim of finding the Northeast Passage, a route to East Asia over the top of Russia. Hudson and his crew of 14 were unable to progress beyond Novaya Zemlya, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. The voyage was otherwise noteworthy for a remark in Hudson’s journal that crewmembers had sighted a pair of mermaids: one was “as big as one of us; her skin very white; and long hair hanging down behind, of colour black; in her going down they saw her tail, which was like the tail of a porpoise, and speckled like a mackerel.”

Third Voyage (1609)

For his third voyage Hudson was hired by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to make another attempt at finding the Northeast Passage. He was provided a small, nimble vessel called the Halve Maen ( Half Moon ).

Hudson and the Half Moon , with a total crew of 17 (13 of them Dutch) left Amsterdam in April. He was no more successful in overcoming Novaya Zemlya than he had been with the Hopewell in 1608. Despite explicit instructions from the VOC to return home should he not find the Northeast Passage, Hudson made an extraordinary detour — all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, to the east coast of North America.

Hudson’s motivations are unclear. He may have made off with the Half Moon in hope of making a major discovery that could land another voyage commission. After crossing the Grand Banks , Newfoundland , Hudson had a dangerously close encounter with Sable Island before stopping at present-day LaHave , Nova Scotia , to replace a broken mast. There, Hudson met friendly Mi’kmaq , but after a few days a rift erupted between the English minority and the Dutch majority of his crew. A dozen heavily armed men, who were probably the Dutch faction, went ashore and “drove the savages from their houses,” according to crewmember Robert Juet’s journal. The Half Moon crew’s aggression may explain why in 1611 the Mi’kmaq took captive six men from a Dutch voyage that anchored at LaHave. None were ever seen again.

Hudson continued south to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and then briefly into Chesapeake Bay (an inlet between Maryland and Virginia), before turning north. He inspected Delaware Bay (between Delaware and New Jersey) before arriving at Upper New York Bay and the island of Manhattan. Upon entering Upper New York Bay he followed north the river that now bears his name. He probed 240 km of navigable water, all the way to present-day Albany, New York, before turning back.

Instead of returning to Amsterdam, Hudson sailed back across the Atlantic to the English port of Dartmouth. There he secured new backing for an English attempt at finding the Northwest Passage, and in July 1610 the Half Moon returned to Amsterdam without him.

Fourth Voyage (1610–11) — Exploration of Hudson Strait, Hudson Bay and James Bay

For his fourth voyage, Hudson was backed by a wealthy and influential group of men, including the Prince of Wales, and provided with the Discovery . The Discovery left London on 17 April 1610 with a crew of 23, among them Hudson’s son, John, and Robert Juet, who had been with him since at least his second voyage in 1608. Before he had even reached the sea, Hudson brought aboard another man, Henry Greene, to serve as a spy on the crew.

Provided with only a single ship and no messenger vessel, Hudson likely had only been expected to make a preliminary, one-season search for the Northwest Passage. But he sailed all the way across the strait named for him before turning south into a massive expanse of open water that also would bear his name. From Hudson Bay he probed still farther south, into James Bay , in which he sailed back and forth, “for some reasons to himself known,” according to one crewmember. In September, Hudson held an ad hoc trial of his mate, Juet, to air allegations that he was plotting to seize control. Hudson spared him from punishment, but replaced him as mate with Robert Bylot .

The voyage paused for the winter at the southern end of James Bay, probably in Rupert Bay. Remarkably, the Discovery crew endured the winter with the loss of only one man, but Hudson had a serious falling out with his shipboard spy, Henry Greene. In June 1611, after returning from a reconnoitering expedition in the ship’s boat, Hudson agreed to sail back to England. Before leaving, though, he replaced Bylot as his mate with another sailor, John King. The Discovery was stalled in ice on James Bay when a faction of the crew that included Juet, Greene and Bylot seized control of the ship on the morning of 22 June. Hudson, his son John, and seven other crewmembers (including King) were forced into the ship’s boat and cast adrift. They were never seen again.

Five mutineers died on the return voyage. Four, including Greene, were killed in a clash with Inuit at Digges Islands at the northern end of Hudson Bay; Juet died of starvation only days before the ship reached the British Isles. When the battered Discovery drifted into the company of a fishing fleet off the south coast of Ireland on 6 September, the original crew of 23 was down to eight.

Hudson’s third and fourth voyages ignited a flurry of exploration and trading activity. The Half Moon voyage led to fur trading opportunities for the Dutch. Dutch merchants were in the Manhattan area by 1612, and the colony of New Netherland was soon formed.

The French explorer Samuel de Champlain was told by a translator, Nicolas de Vignau, that Anishinaabe people at Lake Nipissing had secured an English boy from the Cree , the lone survivor of a wreck in the “northern sea” ( Hudson Bay ), and wanted to make a gift of him. The boy sounded like John Hudson and inspired Champlain to mount his 1613 journey up the Ottawa River . While the information Vignau provided was likely false, the failed 1613 journey led to Champlain’s more ambitious 1615–16 visit to Georgian Bay and the Huron-Wendat people.

Hudson’s explorations on the fourth voyage also inspired immediate follow-up voyages by the English in search of the Northwest Passage . Three survivors, Robert Bylot , Habakkuk (Abacuk) Prickett and Edward Wilson, participated in a 1612–13 voyage into Hudson Bay under Thomas Button. With William Baffin , Bylot made two significant voyages into the Canadian Arctic. Only after the final Baffin-Bylot voyage failed to locate the passage did Bylot and other survivors of the 1610–11 Discovery voyage stand trial for the murders of Henry and John Hudson and their companions. All were found not guilty in 1618.

• exploration

Recommended

Jens Eriksen Munk

Sir john ross.

Henry Hudson and Exploration

Written by: bill of rights institute, by the end of this section, you will:.

• Explain the causes of exploration and conquest of the New World by various European nations

Suggested Sequencing

This narrative should be assigned to students after the First Contact Narrative. Students can make comparisons between concepts in this narrative and the motives for exploration discussed in the following Primary Sources: Columbus’s Letter to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, 1494 and Richard Hakluyt and the Case for Undertaking Sea Voyages .

In early April 1609, the 80-ton Halve Maen (the “Half Moon”) sailed from the Dutch commercial capital of Amsterdam toward the frozen seas of the Arctic Ocean. The ship’s captain was seeking a quicker northeast passage around Russia for access to the valuable spices and other riches of the East Indies. The great powers of Europe were locked in a worldwide struggle for empire that included competing for the vast wealth associated with the Asian trade. The intrepid captain of the ship, Henry Hudson, was determined to be the first to chart a path through the Arctic ice – or perhaps he had other discoveries in mind.

Hudson was an Englishman who found employment as a ship captain for the Dutch. He was sailing familiar waters with his Dutch and English crew. In the previous two years, he had twice tried to discover a northeast passage for the English East India Company. Merchants in several countries were looking for an alternative to sailing around Africa, because the long journey increased the dangers posed by weather, piracy, and diseases like scurvy. Hudson’s voyage was sponsored by Dutch merchants who would soon form the Dutch East India Company. Although the monarchs of some European nations used government funds to sponsor voyages, these entrepreneurial merchants, acting with the permission of their governments, formed and invested in privately owned joint-stock companies that launched voyages of exploration in search of profit. The investors split the profit and paid a share to the crown.

Hudson sailed into the Barents Sea north of Scandinavia but soon found the ice impassable. After some bickering among the officers and crew about their next destination, the captain persuaded them to sail across the Atlantic and search for the fabled Northwest Passage that had captured the imaginations of so many mariners, investors, and monarchs of Europe. Over the past century, several Spanish, English, and French explorers had probed just about every broad river they encountered along North America’s Atlantic coast in hopes that it would provide a water route through the continent. Hudson was drawn to North America by the same ambition of being the first to sail directly to the East Indies, although not by the path his investors had directed.

This 1687 Dutch map illustrates the widely held belief that a northwest passage to the riches of China and the East Indies existed. For centuries, European explorers like Henry Hudson hoped to be the first to chart this route.

In early July, the Halve Maen reached Newfoundland, where Hudson and his crew encountered a French fishing fleet hauling in cod. The sailors aboard the Dutch ship caught and salted dozens of cod for their journey, and Hudson eventually plied the officers of another French vessel for information about the coast. The Halve Maen also made contact with Native Americans in or near Nova Scotia; Hudson traded knives, kettles, clothing, and beads for beaver skins and other furs. He heard tales of gold and silver, and possibly the Northwest Passage. However, because his men feared the Native Americans had stolen items from the ship, they went ashore and raided the native village. It was an ominous start to Hudson’s relationship with the indigenous people of North America.

By early August, the Halve Maen had spotted Cape Cod and traded with more Native Americans for tobacco and meat. A few weeks later, the ship arrived at the eastern shore of Virginia, but Hudson quickly sailed away rather than exploring the Chesapeake Bay and risking trouble with the new English colony at Jamestown. After repairing damage the ship had suffered in storms, the Halve Maen’s crew sailed to New York in early September. Hudson then traveled what is now the Upper New York Bay for a couple of weeks and had many trading encounters with different local Native American tribes.

On these occasions, the Native Americans generally paddled over to the ship in several large canoes with items for trade. Some came aboard, invited and not, to trade tobacco, oysters, furs, wheat, and corn for knives, hatchets, and beads. After the crew grew suspicious of some Natives Americans and chased them from the ship, however, a group of Munsees attacked one night. Three sailors were injured, one of whom was shot through the throat with an arrow and died. The Europeans were even more wary and cautious after this violent exchange and were prepared to use their muskets and cannons should further violence ensue. They may also have abducted a few Native Americans, who later escaped.

Hudson was pleased at the prospect that one of the rivers – the Hudson that would later be named for him – was the Northwest Passage. The Halve Maen sailed up this river, passing the Peekskills and the Hudson Highlands. The crew traded cautiously with Native Americans along the way, especially the Mahicans at Catskill Creek. They sailed all the way to modern-day Albany and went ashore to trade with Native Americans, who sought wampum (strings or belts of purple and white shells used as currency). The crew also introduced the Native Americans to alcohol.

The ship finally reached shallows and was forced to turn around. As Hudson sailed back down the Hudson, a trading encounter with the Indians turned violent when a Native American climbed aboard the ship and stole some items. A sailor shot him in the chest and killed him, after which the other Native Americans on the ship jumped into the water and were chased by sailors in a small boat. When the Indians in the river tried to overturn the boat, a sailor cut off the hand of one, causing the Indian to drown. Two canoes assaulted the ship, and word spread quickly for additional warriors to join the attack. As more than one hundred Native Americans shot arrows from canoes and the nearby shore, the sailors opened up with a cannon and killed three. A few other Native Americans were cut down by cannon and musket fire while a hail of arrows flew ineffectively against the crew.

The Halve Maen reached what is now Manhattan by early October, and Hudson and his crew again faced a decision. Hudson wanted to continue searching for the Northwest Passage and winter in North America, but the crew was strongly opposed. So Hudson reluctantly sailed into the Atlantic bound for Europe. The ship reached Dartmouth, England, in early November, and, curiously, Hudson went to London to report on his voyage rather than returning to his employers in Amsterdam. Perhaps the English detained him and prevented him from going to Amsterdam because they were trying to gain a competitive advantage in the struggle for empire. Whatever the case, Hudson sailed to North America for the English the following year on the Discovery , but he was stranded with his son and some other crew members in a mutiny and was never seen again.

The Dutch established their first permanent fur-trading post near modern-day Albany, New York, in 1614. For a decade, the post had fewer than 50 inhabitants. In 1625, the Dutch West India Company established New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island as a fortified town to guard the Hudson River and the fur trade against any competing European powers. The company selected a governor, Pieter Stuyvesant, who presided over the settlement. New Amsterdam’s policy of religious toleration invited the growth of a religiously and ethnically diverse group of settlers. Eventually, the Dutch colony was caught up in the Anglo-Dutch wars in the mid-seventeenth century and was lost in 1664 when English warships forced its surrender. The Netherlands ceded “New York,” as it came to be known, to England a few years later.

Review Questions

1. Why were European empires locked in a competition to discover the Northwest Passage?

• It would provide a shortcut to the slave coast of Africa.
• It would keep explorers safe from the threat of piracy.
• It would ensure easier access to the trade winds for the return voyage to Europe.
• It would provide a shortcut to the riches of the East Indies and China.

2. Which of the following best describes a joint-stock company?

• An international body formed to oversee treaties between Europeans and Native American groups
• A business venture formed by merchants and their governments to launch voyages of exploration in search of profit.
• A formal liaison between explorers and their sponsoring monarchs
• An international body formed to prosecute pirates

3. Why did the Dutch establish a settlement at Albany?

• As an outpost for persecuted religious groups
• As a permanent fur-trading post
• To guard against pirate raids by rival European powers
• To convert native groups to Christianity

4. Why did the Dutch establish a settlement at New Amsterdam?

• To guard the entrance to the Hudson River and the fur trade
• As an outpost for religious freedom

5. How did Henry Hudson and his crew interact with Native Americans during their voyage?

• Hudson’s interactions with Native Americans were based entirely on peaceful trade.
• Hudson’s interactions with Native Americans were violent.
• Hudson had little interaction with Native Americans, because most had died of European diseases.
• Hudson’s interactions with Native Americans involved both trade and violence.

6. Why did the Dutch settlement at New Amsterdam attract a diverse group of settlers?

• The colony practiced a policy of religious toleration.
• New Amsterdam’s location attracted numerous Europeans as well as Native Americans.
• The Dutch West India Company issued quotas to control various groups of immigrants.
• New Amsterdam’s location ensured relative safety from attacks by rival European groups.

Free Response Questions

• Explain why Henry Hudson sought both a northeast and a northwest passage.
• Explain the entrepreneurial basis of Hudson’s expedition for the Dutch.
• Describe the nature of Hudson’s relations with Native Americans.

AP Practice Questions

A 1687 Dutch map of North America.

1. This 1687 Dutch map illustrates the widely held belief at the time that there existed

• a middle passage
• a northwest passage
• a Columbian Exchange
• a triangle trade

2. At the time this 1687 Dutch map was created, which empire controlled the most territory in the New World?

• The Netherlands

“The States-General of the United Netherlands, to all who shall see these Presents, or hear them read, Greeting. Be it known, that we knowing the prosperity of these countries, and the welfare of their inhabitants depends principally on navigation and trade, which in all former times by the said Countries were carried on happily, and with a great blessing to all countries and kingdoms; and desiring that the aforesaid inhabitants should not only be preserved in their former navigation, traffic, and trade, but also that their trade may be encreased as much as possible in special conformity to the treaties, alliances, leagues and covenants for traffic and navigation formerly made with other princes, republics and people, which we give them to understand must be in . . . The aforesaid Company may, in our name and authority . . . make contracts, engagements and alliances with the limits herein before prescribed, make contracts, engagements and alliances with the princes and natives of the countries comprehended therein, and also build any forts and fortifications there, to appoint and discharge Governors, people for war, and officers of justice, and other public officers, for the preservation of the places, keeping good order, police and justice, and in like manner for the promoting of trade.”

Charter of the Dutch West India Company, 1621

3. This document was created primarily to

• establish religious toleration for all settlements of the Dutch West India Company
• authorize any actions necessary for successful trading ventures on behalf of the Dutch West India Company
• establish alliances with Native Americans
• refute the authority of the monarch over business transactions of the Dutch West India Company

4. How did join-stock companies contribute to the European race for empire in the seventeenth-century?

• Joint-stock companies provided explorers with supplies for their voyages.
• Joint-stock companies pooled resources to sponsor voyages as a gamble on potential profits and losses.
• Joint-stock companies acted a liaison between explorers and monarchs.
• Joint-stock companies oversaw relations with Native American groups.

Primary Sources

The Third Voyage of Master Henrie Hudson: http://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-133/summary

Suggested Resources

Hunter, Douglas. Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World . New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2009.

Kammen, Michael. Colonial New York . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Mancall, Peter. Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson . New York: Basic, 2009.

Taylor, Alan. American Colonies: The Settling of North America . New York: Penguin, 2001.

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49 Facts About Henry Hudson and His Voyages

Published: Dec 21, 2014 · Modified: Nov 11, 2023 by Russell Yost · This post may contain affiliate links ·

Henry Hudson was a famous explorer who sailed for both England and the Dutch during the Age of Exploration . He explored modern New York City, Canada, and a large body of water that would be named after him, Hudson Bay.

He laid the foundation for Dutch colonization of the New World and may have been the first man to circumnavigate the globe by taking the northern passage, but his crew mutinied and abandoned him, his son, and those loyal to him in Canada.

Early Life and Family

First voyage, second voyage, third voyage, fourth voyage.

They were never heard from again, although many legends survive.

There is some disagreement as to when Henry Hudson was born. The range of dates is from 1550 - to 1570s. There was a Henry Hudson in England who died in 1555, which suggests a possible father or grandfather. The 1550s date seems off since he would have been 60 by the time of his last voyage, which is unlikely.

He was from Hoddesdon, in Hertfordshire, about 17 miles northwest of London.

As a young man, he was most likely employed by the Moscavy Company. His family had shares in the company.

In 1587, he may have sailed for the Northwest Passage with explorer John Davis. During the voyage, Davis named what would later be called the Hudson Strait the Furious Overhaul.

Henry married Katherine and had three sons: Richard, John, and Oliver.

By all accounts, Katherine was an incredibly strong woman. After Henry and John failed to return from their voyage, she petitioned for rescue missions. Henry and John's death left her poor and destitute, but she managed to acquire much wealth through her own ingenuity and resourcefulness.

Henry's son Richard also accumulated much wealth in India. He was one of the first Europeans to be given a permit to live in Imperial Japan. He stayed in India for the rest of his life and lived a life of luxury. Several of his children migrated to the New World.

Hudson's first voyage took place in 1607. During this time, the English and the Dutch were competing for different trade routes and trying to find a northern passage to Asia.

His first command was of the Hopewell and was financed by the Muscovy Company. The vessel was old and had a small crew.

After some initial delays, Henry Hudson set sail with his crew on May 1, 1607.

By May 26, Hudson reached the Shetland Islands

On June 13, Hudson sighted the eastern coast of Greenland. Greenland is known for its rough weather and difficulty to navigate. Even today, these waters are considered treacherous to vessels - even today's modern steel-hulled ships with manganese-bronze propellers.

Sailing Directions, published by the U.S Defense Mapping Agency, notes the waters around southern Greenland as "Notorious for foul weather and heavy seas... Dangerous rocks up to four leagues... Very strong mountain squalls... Winds from the southeast very strong gale strength..."

Small, wooden ships like the Hopewell would have had to progress carefully, always watching for ice, rock, and sudden shifts in weather. A little inattention could quickly result in disaster.

Early-Mid June, the weather became treacherous. Hudson had been mapping the unexplored coast of Greenland and was forced to proceed without any visibility. This shows remarkable bravery and skill.

By June 20, the weather cleared, and Hudson steered away from Greenland.

There was little success in finding a northwest passage, although Hudson did discover a few islands and different wildlife.

Unfortunately, his discoveries led to the decimation of wildlife around many of those islands. The whale and walrus populations were destroyed by hunters wanting their tusks.

Hudson's first voyage ended on September 15, 1607. He still believed there to be a northwest passage and began to prepare for a second voyage.

While making some discoveries in his first voyage, Hudson still believed there to be a shorter passage to the north that would take them to the wealthy Indies.

He took command of the Hopewell for a second time and again sailed for the Muscovy Company of England. This time, he would sail to the northeast around Russia, where he believed there would be a northeast passage.

On April 22, 1608, Hudson and his small crew set sail for the Northeast Passage.

On June 15, 1608, the crewmen sighted what they believed to be a mermaid. Hudson also described what they saw as a mermaid. He recorded what they saw in his log, saying that the creature had a tail like a porpoise, very white skin and was speckled, and had a woman's breast.

By June 27, Hudson reached an impasse. The waters were frozen, and he could not get through to the Kara Sea.

By July 5, Hudson decided that there was not a feasible northeast passage. He had explored many different rivers that proved to be too shallow, much of the arctic water remained frozen, and he had begun to fix his eyes on seeking the northwest passage. He secretly decided to set sail for the New World again.

The crew learned of Hudson's plan and forced his hand to return to England. They arrived in England on August 26, 1608.

After Hudson's second failed attempt to find the Northwest Passage, he could not find a sponsor for his mission. He would eventually be approached by the Dutch East India Company and sail under a different flag.

The Dutch East India Company made Hudson sign a contract that required him to search for the Northeast passage, which he failed to find on his second voyage.

By May, he reached the coast of Nova Zemlya and saw nothing but ice and worse conditions than the year prior. He turned west towards the new world, and the crew began to mutiny.

Hudson was able to calm the crew by showing them maps from a good friend of his, Captain John Smith. John Smith is known for his contributions at Jamestown, but he also explored the coast of the New World and made maps. He had heard the natives talk of a northwest passage but had not been able to document it.

By July, the crew had dealt with much treacherous weather but reached the coast of Newfoundland.

The crew met and traded with many peaceful natives. Unfortunately, the natives put their trust in the wrong place because even though they showed much kindness and fed the crew well, the Europeans would pillage their village and rob them of their spoils.

Hudson explored the coast of New York and met many friendly native tribes. There were many instances where he and his crew traded for food, were invited to the local Indian village for dinner, and had drinks with the natives.

Hudson returned to the Old World after his crew threatened to mutiny. They sailed into Dartmouth, England, where Hudson was put under house arrest for sailing with the East India Company. It was not uncommon for mariners to sail under different flags, which suggests that Hudson was a victim of jealous merchants.

He and his crew never returned to Amsterdam

Despite his arrest, Hudson was able to convince the Virginia Company to fund an exploration of the Northwest Passage.

Hudson and his crew left in mid-April and, by May 11, were passing Iceland.

Hudson was unable to navigate the Hudson Strait (which would be named later) due to ice and was forced to look for another passage.

By July, Hudson was trapped in Ungave Bay. He was forced to navigate slowly through the ice and deal with his mutinous crew, who began to want to go home. Hudson convinced them to press forward, and morale was boosted.

On August 2, 1610, Hudson came into what is now called Hudson Bay. He and his crew spoke of its beautiful waters and believed they had found the Northwest Passage.

He sailed along Hudson Bay and eventually James Bay, where he would eventually set up winter quarters.

Hudson's crew had shown signs of mutiny for months, and this did not change throughout the winter. His crew grew unhappier as time passed. By June of 1611, the crew wanted to head back to England, but Hudson wanted to press forward.

He continued to push his crew hard, and finally, they broke. They mutinied and left Hudson, his son John, and others behind.

Hudson and the others pursued in a small boat until the Discovery was out of sight.

Hudson and his remaining crew were never heard from again. He left behind many helpful resources for future mariners.

The Northwest Passage would not be successfully navigated until the Norwegian Explorer Roald Amundson explored it between 1903 - 1906.

Almost 300 years after Henry Hudson.

Hudson was employed by the Russia Company (also called the Muscovy Company - the "merchants who trade with the Muscovites") to explore the coast of Siberia much further east than the area previously reached by Stephen Borough in 1556. The merchants wanted an alternate trading route in case the good relations currently established between England and Russia might not survive when the elderly Tsar Ivan the Terrible died. They wanted to grab some of Spanish trade in the Far East by taking a direct sea route to Japan and Cathay (China) across the seas north of Asia.

Queen Elizabeth's court astrologer, Dr. John Dee , was also adviser to the Muscovy Company. He was convinced there was a sea passage, a belief shared by his contemporary geographers and mapmakers Mercator and Ortelius. Although his father, Richard Hakluyt, the lawyer, agreed with Dee, the younger Richard Hakluyt was less confident that the passage existed. Dee, however, had lost favour in the court following the death of Elizabeth, and himself died in 1608.

The founding governor of the Muscovy Company, Sebastian Cabot , had also believed in the existence of this passage and had organized several unsuccessful expeditions to search for it, before is death in 1577.

Hudson's observations about the sea proved him an able navigator, but he was unable to get through the ice-laden waters past the islands of Novaya Zemlya (Nova Zemlya or also Nova Zembla). He turned around and was planning to try for a northwest passage, but was prevented from doing so when his crew found out they weren't going home. He was able to placate his crew only by turning for home and writing a letter saying they had not forced him to do so.

• It had been eight months since Hudson's last voyage.
• He sailed again as captain of the Hopewell (first used for Arctic exploration by John Knight in 1606) for the Muscovy Company, which directed him to "finding a passage to the East Indies by the northeast." He decided to sail the then-unknown waters north of Russia, where the late Sebastian Cabot and others believed sailors would find an open passage to Cathay.
• The Hopewell was strengthened with extra planks to help it make its way through icy waters.
• Robert Juet (Ivett), 50, was aboard as master seaman. Hudson wrote to Hakluyt, describing Juet as a man "filled with mean tempers."
• Juet appears to have kept a separate journal of the 1608 voyage, but Puchas omitted to reprint it when he printed Hudson's journal, noting only he did so "for brevity." That journal, along with other original records of the voyages, have since been lost. Juet was one of the few literate men onboard, aside from Hudson.
• A crew of 14 only included three members who had sailed with Hudson to the Arctic previously (in his first voyage ). His young son John was also aboard, for a total of 15. Included in the crew were: Robert Juet, master's mate; Arnall Ludlowe (Arnold Ludlow or Ladle); John Cooke, boatswain; Philip Stacie (Staffe), carpenter; John Barnes; John Braunch, cook; John Adrey; James Strutton; Michael Feirce; Thomas Hilles; Richard Tomson; Robert Raynor (Rayner) and Humfrey Gilby.
• 22: Hudson left St. Katherine's Docks, on the Thames, London. According to Philip Vail, an Anglican priest blessed the voyagers, but Juet didn't take part in the religious ceremonies. He was busy entertaining friends in his quarters. Hudson was forced to turn out Juet's guests in order to get underway. "The nose of Master Juet was put much out of Joint," Vail says Hudson wrote in his journal. "When I desired to retire to my sleeping cabin, J. was still in foul humours, and had to be summoned to take the watch."

If true, this was an inauspicious start and indicates bad feelings between Juet and Hudson from even before the first day they sailed together. Chamberlain puts the date of sailing as April 25.

• Hopewell sailed northeast for a month, rounding the northern tip of Norway in late May, then went on into the Barents Sea. Bad weather and cold forced Philip Stacy, the ship's carpenter, and three or four others, into their bunks with illness.
• 3 : Sighted North Cape at 71°N.
• In early June they encountered ice and tried to go through it. Hudson almost got trapped in the ice, but backed out in time before the ship took serious damage.
• 15: Two crew members - Thomas Hilles and Robert Rayner - sighted a mermaid at 75° 7' N, and shouted at the rest of the crew to come and look. Hudson recorded it in his log as having a "tail of a porpoise and speckled like a mackerel." She was "looking earnestly on the men" who gathered on the side to see her. The description Hudson wrote says she had very white skin, "speckled like a macrell" (mackerel), long black hair, white skin and a woman's breasts - with the tail of a porpoise. By the matter-of-fact record, it seems obvious Hudson believed in mermaids. 
• 22 : At 74° 35'N, surrounded by ice, Hudson sailed southeast.
• 26 : They sighted land at 72° 25'N, about 12-15 miles away.
• 27: Hudson reached the islands of Novaya Zemlya, north of Russia, but could not go further north because of the ice. He tried to go south around the islands to the Kara Sea on the other side. The Kara is usually blocked by ice, except for August and September.
• Their boat was followed back to the ship by a herd of curious walrus, but the crew were unable to catch any ashore.
• 30 : Hudson sent his crew back to land to look for the walrus, thinking they may have arrived by warm currents. Although they spied 40-50 of the animals asleep on a rock, they were only able to shoot one, and brought back its head as a trophy. During the night, their anchor broke free and the ship went aground, but was pulled off without further damage.
• 2: Hudson spotted a "fair river" on the island, "six to nine miles broad, its depth exceeded 20 fathoms" the colour of the sea and "very salty with a strong current setting out of it." He turned the ship to explore it, but barely escaped a collision with an iceberg. It took the crew all day to fend the ice off with beams and spars, while pulling the ship out of its path.
• 4: Hudson sailed 15-18 miles upriver but the water became too shallow to continue - down to one fathom (about six feet). He sent Juet and five or six others in a boat to explore the river. This action was similar to what he would do in the New World river that now bears his name.
• 5 : The crew returned after travelling another 18-24 miles upstream, saying it became too shallow to go further. They said they saw many deer while they travelled. The mate Ladle (Ludlow) went ashore with four crew to hunt for walrus, but didn't find any. Instead, they shot almost 100 birds called 'wellocks.' Hudson decided there was no passage around the island this way and gave up his quest to get past Novaya Zemlya. He secretly decided to sail for North America, but didn't tell his crew.
• 6 : Hudson decided to look for 'Willoughby Land' (Willoughby Island), which was actually a 'conceit' of map makers and didn't exist. The Hopewell set sail west and southwest, heading back the way they came. They travelled through considerable rain and bad weather for the rest of the month.
• 11 : Hudson again noted a green sea and a "black-blue colour sea...is a sea pestered with ice, according to last and this year's experience." He was the first mariner to record the changing colour of the water with the proximity of ice.
• 26 : Hudson noted the crew has to burn lights again at night because the midnight sun is no longer with them.
• 30 : Off the Lofoten Islands, north of Norway.
• "I used all diligence to arrive at London," Hudson wrote in his journal. "and therefore I now gave my crew a certificate under my hand, of my free and willing return, without persuasion or force by any one or more of them. For when we were at Nova Zembla on the 6th of July, void of hope of a Northeast Passage...I therefore resolved to use all means I could to sail to the northwest."
• Although he recorded in his journal his belief that a passage lay through the Furious Overfall, he headed back to London. Historians have speculated that Robert Juet was the man behind the crew's insubordination. Thomas Janvier called him Hudson's  "evil genius."
• 26: The Hopewell returned to Gravesend, England.
• After his failure, the English lost interest in his goal of a Northwest Passage. The Company directors were disappointed in Hudson's efforts and probably had lost confidence in Hudson's abilities. The Company refused his request for another voyage with more men and less rigid orders.
• With no employment for him in England, Hudson went first to the Dutch, then to the French, looking for sponsors. Cold at first to his plan, at the end of 1608, the Dutch decided to hire him, probably to prevent their rivals, the French, from hiring him. For details, see the story of Hudson's third voyage , 1609.

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Hudson's voyages.

• ... members of Henry Hudson's expedition were the first Europeans to reach the famous Manhattan Island, September 12 th , 1609? They met the friendly Indian tribes Algonquin and Lenape.
• ..., thanks to the mapping and information provided by the English captain in the service of the Dutch, Henry Hudson, Spitsbergen became an important area for fishing and whaling?
• ... of the crew that mutinied and set Hudson, his son John and seven other loyal men adrift, only eight returned to England?
• ... the only records of his expeditions survived thanks to the first mate, Robert Juet, who kept the ship's log?
• ... Hudson discovered the mouth of the river that is named after him, up which he sailed for 200 kilometers and thought he was sailing to the Pacific Ocean?
• ... Hudson also discovered the island of Jan Mayen?
• ... the mutineers, after returning to England, became valuable sources of information for subsequent expeditions?
• Henry Hudson's four expeditions took place between 1607 and 1611.
• Hudson reached as far north as 1,000 kilometers from the north pole.
• Hudson's final expedition lasted from April, 1610 to June of 1611, when his mutinous crew set him adrift in a small boat.
• Only eight of the mutineers made it back to England. They were put on trial, but not convicted.

In 1610, in the service of the British East India Company on the ship Discovery, Hudson set out on the fourth of his attempts to find the Northwest Passage, this time further to the north. He sailed from the southern tip of Greenland to Labrador, and then turned north. He encountered a wide channel and assumed that this was a way to China. From that day, the bay has been called Hudson's Bay. He sailed into the bay, which he assumed to be part of the Pacific Ocean, then travelled further south, into what is known today as James' Bay. On its shore, at 53° northern latitude, Hudson was forced to spend the winter. In June of 1611, he set out to continue the expedition. Several days after leaving the bay, his crew mutinied. They had had enough exploring and wanted to go home. The captain refused to consider their demands. When the crew was unable to persuade him, they set him, his son John and seven crew members loyal to Hudson adrift in a small boat and left them to their fate in a stormy and freezing sea, with no prospects of rescue. Nothing further is known of their fate. Locating the Northwest Passage eluded Henry Hudson, but his enthusiastic description of the area near the mouth of the Hudson River led to Dutch colonization of the area, and to the founding of New Amsterdam, later New York. At the time of these discoveries, he was in the service of the Dutch.

The Four Voyages of Henry Hudson – by Joe Santacroce

• By Joe Santacroce
• February 19, 2019
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The Four Voyages of Henry Hudson

By joe santacroce.

It may be fair to say that Henry Hudson is one of the world’s most famous explorers. Yet there is much we do not know. Henry Hudson’s actual date of birth is not known. It is estimated around 1570 which would have made him around 37 years old when he made his first big voyage in 1607. He was married and had three children. He was English, not Dutch. By today’s standards, they might be considered middle class in that they could afford to live in a decent dwelling near the Tower of London and even afford a Maid Servant to help wife Katherine with the three boys, Oliver, John, and Richard.

We do know that his name was Henry and not Hendrick, as so often called and emblazoned on the newest and finest steamboat on the Hudson River at the time. Evidenced in his contract with the Amsterdam directors of the Dutch East India Company where he signed as Henry Hudson.

Nothing of certainty is known about his family or parents. There are family trees for Henry Hudson but many are filled with question marks. What is known is that he could read and write, understood mathematics, and knew how to navigate the stars.

It is said that the portraits that commonly refer to him are certainly not him and that no authenticated portrait of him is known to exist. The pictures alleged to be likenesses of him were made after his death coming from the artists’ imaginations. All that is known about Henry Hudson covers his four voyages that occurred between 1607 to 1611.

Henry Hudson had one goal. That goal was to find a passage to the Orient and he wasn’t the first to try. Many had attempted before him. Europe’s population was growing, the economy was changing as well as strained. Food and clothing prices were at an all-time high and food was scarce. People were moving from the countryside to the city.  Henry Hudson was on a mission and he had friends and influences in London to help him get started on his first voyage.  It became his passion and that passion is what probably led to his death.

Henry Hudson – The First Voyage

His first of four voyages began on May 1, 1607, as Captain of the ship Hopewell, sponsored by the English Muscovy Company for which it is believed his family had a history and\or stake in working for.  He had a crew of 10 plus himself and his son John. The purpose of the trip was to discover a passage past the North Pole to Japan and China. Incredibly, Hudson, and others believed the waters would be warmer because the days were longer near the North Pole. At one point weather was so bad that he sailed blindly in snow along the coast of Greenland. Ice prevented him from reaching his goal. However, a great deal geographically was learned.

His report on the number of Whales led to others to begin Whaling in that area. Some writers and historians claim that the whaling boom that followed was a direct result of Henry Hudson’s sighting and that other nations sent expeditions as a result. Other accounts attribute this to explorer Jonas Poole in 1610 and others who followed.

From Henry Hudson’s Own Log “July 14, 1607. At noon being a thick fog, we found ourselves near land . . . and running farther we found a bay open to the west. . . . The northern side of this bay’s mouth … is a small island which we called Collin’s Cape by the name of our boatswain who first saw it. In this bay we saw many whales, and one of our company having a hook and line overboard to try for fish, a whale came under the keel of our ship and made her held. Yet by God’s mercy we had no harm, but the loss of the hook and three parts of the line. In the bottom of this bay, John Colman, my mate, and William Collin, my boatswain, with two others of our company went on shore and there they found and brought aboard a pair of morse’s [Walrus] teeth in the jaw; they likewise found whale’s bones, and some dozen or more of deer’s horns, they saw the footings of beasts of other sorts, they also saw rote-geese, they saw much driftwood on the shore, and found a stream or two of fresh water. Here they found it hot on the shore, and drank water to cool their thirst. This night proved clear, and we had the sun on the Meridian, on the North and by East part of the compass, from the upper edge of the horizon with the cross-staff we found [its] height 10°40′ . . . from a north sun to an east sun, we sailed between north and north north east for eight leagues”.

Whether Henry Hudson or Jonas Poole can be credited with the find, within a decade the whale and walrus population was depleting. Sad commentary and footnote to the voyage but at the time this was seen as the highlight of the trip and if it was Hudson that got the credit it is what helped him to be able to make the second voyage after failing in the first. On September 15th after 3 ½ months away they pull back into port.

Henry Hudson – The Second Voyage

The second voyage begins eight months later on Friday, April 22, 1608, again sailing for the Muscovy Company on the Hopewell. This time Hudson is in search of a northeast passage going above Novaya Zemlya, an Island above Russia. His crew totals 13 including son John. Hudson demands additional men and that the ship is reinforced. Robert Juet joins the crew and is older than Hudson, literate, and an able seamen. But Juet also becomes part of the problem. Hudson himself describes Juet in his log as a man “filled with mean tempers” ,

It is believed that Robert Juet also kept a log on the second voyage as he did on the third. But when pieces of Hudson’s journal were printed in 1625, Juet’s was not. The belief being in the interest of brevity. But if that was really the case we will never know as Juet’s log was never found. An investigation in 1841 by the New York State Legislature also turned up nothing more.

Near the end of June, they reach the island of Novaya Zemlya above Russia but ice prevented them from going further. They did some exploration and finding not only signs of many Walrus, Deer, Bear, and birds, they also find pieces of a broken Cross indicating they were not the first to pass this way.

Whether due to the cold, rough seas, or something else several of the men became ill on this voyage. At the end of May, beginning of June, the ship ran into snow and gales.

From Henry Hudson’s Own Log:  “June 9, 1608. In latitude 75°29′ we entered into ice, being the first we saw in this voyage; our hope was to go through it. We held our course between northeast and east northeast . . . until four in the afternoon at which time we were so far in and the ice so thick and firm ahead . . . that we had endangered us. We returned the way we had entered, with a few rubs of our ship against the ice.”

During the second voyage and documented in Hudson’s own hand was the Mermaid Incident. On June 15, 1608, as follows:

“This morning one of our companie looking over boord saw a mermaid, and calling up some of the companie to see her,one more came up and by that time shee was come close to the ships side, looking earnestly on the men. A little after a sea came and overturned her. From the navill upward her backe and breasts were like a womans, as they say that saw her, but her body as big as one of us. Her skin very white, and long haire hanging downe behinde of colour blacke. In her going downe they saw her tayle, which was like the tayle of a porposse, and speckled like a macrell. Their names that saw her were Thomas Hilles and Robert Rayner.”

It’s been suggested that this “Mermaid” was a seal, or perhaps just a faulty observation. But one has to wonder why did he give the names of witnesses?

Hudson decides to sail to North America. There were weeks of rain and the crew had enough. In his log, Hudson hints at a mutiny rising and decides it best not to waste time getting back to England and on August 26, 1608, he returns. The Muscovy Company Directors are none too pleased. Henry Hudson is now without a ship or employment.

Henry Hudson – The Third Voyage

Hudson’s third voyage was for the Dutch East India Company on the Half Moon. He had fallen out of favor with the Muscovy Company after the last voyage. The French also wanted to hire Hudson but the Dutch, who were initially stalling, jumped at the chance when they heard the French wanted to employ his services.

While Hudson was negotiating a strict contract with the Dutch to sail back over Novaya Zemlya he received a package from his friend and famous Jamestown Settler, Captain John Smith, stating the belief that a passage to the West lay to the North through America. He sent Hudson some maps given to him by the Natives which later proved to include the Great Lakes.

As they head toward Novaya Zemlya it was frozen over and the men were freezing. Hudson propositioned the men to sail to America. Speculation that he used the information provided to him by Captain John Smith. The other option was to sail through Davis Straights which would provide no further comfort, or warmth. They headed for America.

Through the rest of May, June, July, and August the crew of the Half Moon sailed along charting the coastline and at different points stop and trade with the natives. They also had several altercations, particular on July 25th where Robert Juet writes in his log that:

From Robert Juet’s Log: “In the morning we manned our scute with four muskets and six men, and took one of their shallops and brought it aboard. Then we manned our boat and scute with twelve men and muskets, and two stone pieces, or murderers, and drave the salvages from their houses, and took the spoil of them, as they would have done us.”

This seems to be his justification. What is troublesome is that it appears that Hudson does nothing about it or perhaps even condones it. What really happened, we will never know.

What we now know is that in September of 1609 Henry Hudson and his crew entered

New York Bay and the now named Hudson River with the ultimate goal of finding a passage west. Although Hudson’s discovery can be disputed including Verrazzano’s log of 1524 describing entering the mouth of the bay, and earlier maps showing the Hudson River, including the 1569 New France Mercator Map showing a Fort near what is now Albany. What cannot be disputed is that to this point in time no one had clearly documented the river, it’s beauty, it’s natural resources, or the Native American life from where its mouth empties into the sea, to where their small ship could go no further. The trip up and down the river was full of excitement and surprises that reads like an adventure novel. It was not without misfortune and it was not without altercation and violence with the natives. Scholars to this day still debate the logs.

They anchored near what is now Albany on the 19th of September. They trade with the Natives. Then on the 20th, the small boat is sent out with several crew and they return at night with measurements for the river ahead which confirms they can go no further.

Hudson realizes at this point his quest is over. On the 23rd the ship is turned around and they start to head back down the river. While making their way down the river they have several more encounters with the natives both good and bad. What remains of Hudson’s log entries describe this new world as “pleasant a land as one can tread on”. He tells of visiting with the natives and of being treated well by them. Robert Juet’s log has a different perspective, stating more than once – “but we durst not trust them”.

On October 29th it is generally agreed that they anchored in Newburgh Bay. Robert Juet writes in his journal on the 29th:

From Robert Juet’s Log: “The nine and twentieth was drie close weather ; the wind at south, and south and by west; we weighed early in the morning, and turned downe three leagues by a lowe water, and anchored at the lower end of the long reach ,- for it is sixe leagues long. Then there came certaine Indians in a canoe to us, but would not come aboord. After dinner there came the canoe with other men, whereoff three came aboord us. They brought Indian wheat, which we bought for trifles. At three of the cloeke in the after-noone wee weighed, as soone as the ebbe came, and turned downe to the edge of the mountaines, or the northermost of the moun- Moun- taines. taines, and anchored : because the high land hath many points, and a narrow channell, and hath manie eddie winds. So we rode quietly all night in seven fathoms water.”

They stop and trade with the natives along the way down and on the 30th the Half Moon anchors near Peekskill which although historians differ, many believe this is the location that refers to as “a very pleasant place to build a town on”.  Some believe it was Newburgh. Others believe it was Cornwall.

On the 2nd of October, they are ambushed by approximately 100 Natives including one of them that they held captive after an earlier altercation. Arrows are shot at the half moon and the Natives try to board but none of the crew are hit. Hudson orders the guns to be fired and several Natives are killed. The ship heads for the mouth of the river and then for Europe. The trip takes a month to return after being away for 7 1/2 months.

From Robert Juet’s Log: “October 5, 1609- We continued our course toward England, without seeing any land by the way. All the rest of this month of October. And on the seventh day of November, being Saturday, by the grace of God we safely arrived in the range of Dartmouth, in Devonshire.”

What is interesting is they return to England, not Amsterdam. The ship is seized as are the logs and Henry Hudson is arrested for Treason and put under House Arrest for sailing for another country.

Henry Hudson did not find his passage. But the New World was about to change forever.

Henry Hudson – The Fourth Voyage

Henry Hudson’s fourth voyage began in April of 1610. Once again in search of a Northwest passage, and surprisingly sailing for England after his house arrest. He kept a journal but only pieces survive. The rest probably being destroyed by the mutinous crew.

After sailing towards Greenland and then across Davis Straight, he turns into the bay which now carries his name. In late June they ran into Ice. By November, and after a number of issues with the crew including jealousy, disobedience, scurvy, and freezing cold, a decision needed to be made whether to turn around and give up seeking a Northwest Passage or wait out the winter. They would need to build shelter, hunt, and fish, get firewood and hope that the Natives are not hostile. They would need to ground the ship to relieve the pressure on the hull so ice doesn’t crack it. One crew member had already died.  Henry Hudson decides that they will stay and move on in the spring. A decision that will cost him his life.

On June 12, 1611, after a long and arduous winter, they were once again ready to set sail. Hudson had made some changes in the crew which did not go over well. They again get stuck in Ice and on June 20th Hudson turns the ship West but the crew wants to return. Provisions are running low and he orders a search of the ship and divides the remaining food including that which is spoiled, but some feel cheated.

On June 21st things go very bad.

The only account of the mutiny written by passenger Abacuck Prickett is disputed by all who have studied his account. But it is the only account we have. What is certain, is that Henry Hudson, his son John, and seven other men never returned.

Of the 12 remaining men, 4 died on the way home, including three responsible for the mutiny, including Robert Juet. Justice Served, – perhaps.

Although the remaining crew was questioned and recommended to hang. A trial did not officially take place until 1618 and several had already passed and some believe the sentence was never carried out. There are those that also believe that Hudson’s Voyage, and the reason he was allowed to sail for England again after his arrest upon his return from his third voyage and sailing for the Dutch, was a secret mission to search for Gold and Treasures for England.

From 1607 to 1611 Henry Hudson made four attempts to find a passage to the far east. Each failed to meet their goal. Like other men and women, he was driven by a passion to succeed at no matter what the cost.

During his four voyages, there were at least three attempted mutinies, probably four. The last mutiny put him, his son, and seven others adrift in the icy waters of Hudson’s Bay. He sailed on three different ships during those four voyages, the Hopewell, Half Moon, and the Discovery. All three ships were subsequently sunk or captured after having gone on and sailed by other captains. There is little doubt that he was not the first to enter the river and bay at New York harbor. Yet Henry Hudson was a sought after captain, has more bodies of water named after him, and is carved in history, book, stone, and song.

The Video Version of this Article can be viewed at:  “The Four Voyages of Henry Hudson”

References:

• Life and Voyages of Henry Hudson, by Ian Chadwick:
• Henry Hudson New World Voyager, by Edward Butts, 2009
• Henry Hudson – Dreams and Obsessions, by Corey Sandler, 2007
• Henry Hudson and the Dutch in New York. By Milton W. Hamilton, 1959.
• Hudson Tercentenary – An Historical Retrospective, by Frank Chamberlain, 1909
• A Brief Statement of his aims and Achievements, by Thomas Janvier, 1909
• Henry Hudson, Fatal Journey, The Final Expedition and of Henry Hudson, A Tale of Mutiny and Murder in the Artic, by Peter C. Mancall, 2009
• Henry Hudson and Robert Fulton, A Brief History of the Discovery of the Hudson River, by Edward Hagaman Hall, 1909
• Troys One Hundred Years 1789 1889, by Arthur James Weise, 1891
• Henry Hudson The Navigator, by George Michael Asher, 1860
• Adventures of Henry Hudson, by Alpheus Richards, 1842
• #HenryHudson , #northwestpassage

Joe Santacroce

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Target is a retail powerhouse. With stores all across the country, it is a one-stop shop for everything from clothes to home goods to food. But what about people on assistance programs? Does Target take WIC?…

Does UPS Deliver on Sundays?

As customers continue to demand from retailers and shipping companies to post their package sooner rather than later, have UPS hopped on the bandwagon offering 7-day deliveries? Let’s find out …

15 Places to Sell a Broken TV

You accidentally dropped your flat-screen TV, and it’s completely broken. The good news is you can still get some money out of the broken television. But knowing where to go to get the best deal can be tricky…

Gas Stations That Take Apple Pay

Apple Pay is a digital wallet service that allows users to make payments with their Apple devices. It can be used at a variety of merchants, including gas stations. So, let’s take a look at the Gas Stations That Take…

Ralphs Holiday Hours Open/Closed

If you are having the family round for the holidays, then a trip to Ralphs is in order. With plenty of delicious food and treats available, it is the perfect place to do all your grocery and holiday shopping …

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