Henry Hudson In history, Hudson is recognized for establishing the Dutch claim to New Amsterdam in the New World, as well as England’s claim for land across Canada. He discovered and named several bodies of water after himself including the famous Hudson Bay and the famous Hudson River. But Hudson did not have an easy time of it becoming as famous as the waterways he named.

Henry Hudson Hudson lived in the 1500s, during the Age of Exploration, when much of the world was uncharted. Brave men like Hudson wanted to explore the unknown. They wanted adventure, riches, and fame.

Henry Hudson Not a lot is known about the early life of Henry Hudson. It’s believed he was born in the mid 1500s (about 70 years after Columbus discovered America.) We know he started his seafaring life as a cabin boy and worked his way up to captain. He loved his life at sea and he loved adventuring.

Henry Hudson was hired by England to find a sea route from England, through the North Pole, to reach China and India for the spices they produced.

Henry Hudson In 1607, Hudson set out on his first of four sailing expeditions. One of his three sons, John, joined him on the Hopewell. Hudson tried. But he did not find a way to China. What he found were found seals and whales and other wildlife in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean.

Henry Hudson England paid for a second trip. Again, Hudson was unsuccessful. Again he ran into ice, Arctic ice. Hudson returned to England without finding a passage. England refused to pay for a third trip.

Henry Hudson Henry Hudson turned to the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch and the English were rivals for discovery of new lands. They both wanted to find a sea route to China and India. The Dutch made Hudson a commander of the ship the Half Moon.

Henry Hudson Hudson River Once again, sailing for the Dutch this time, ice put a stop to his attempt to find a northwest passage to China. Hudson turned his boat south, and discovered the Hudson River. He claimed all the land along the Hudson River for the Dutch.

Henry Hudson On the way back to the Netherlands (Holland), Hudson stopped in England for supplies. There, his ship and any English men among the crew were seized and arrested. England was not happy that Henry Hudson was exploring for the Dutch. They treated it as treason. To avoid prison, Henry Hudson had to promise not to work for the Dutch again. Any new lands he discovered on his adventures had to be claimed for England. 

Henry Hudson Hudson Strait Hudson Bay Fortunately for Hudson, he had many supporters in England. In 1610, on a limited budget, he headed again for the New World, in search of a Northwest Passage. It was his fourth and final voyage. He sailed through and around the Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay. He ran into trouble, not ice this time, but definitely trouble.

Henry Hudson His budget was too tight. Supplies had run low, and then nearly ran out. Hudson had hoped to find food to supplement his limited supplies once he reached the New World. But the food they found was not enough. The crew faced starvation. Hudson, who did not have the best reputation for dealing with crew members, faced a mutiny.

Henry Hudson It is a history mystery. Hudson, his son John, and a few other crew members were set adrift in a small boat. The mutineers sailed away in the Discovery. Nobody knows exactly what happened to the captain. It is a history mystery.