Jean Nicolet
Jean Nicolet (also Nicollet ; * around 1598 probably in Cherbourg , France ; † October 27, 1642 near Sillery (Québec) , Canada ) was a French explorer.
Nicolet was the first European to discover Lake Michigan . He also explored the area that is now the US state of Wisconsin .
Nicolet, a supporter of the Ancien Régime , came to Québec in 1618 as an employee of the Compagnie des Marchands , a trading company of the French aristocracy . He was sent to the Algonquians to live with them and learn their language. The Algonquins were friends with the French and settled along the fur trade route on the Ottawa .
From 1620 he lived on Lake Nipissing , where he lived with Nipissing Indians for eight years . He ran a business and traded with various indigenous peoples .
After the city of Quebec was taken by the English on July 19, 1629, he withdrew to the Huron country , from where he pursued pro-French interests until French rule over Quebec was restored.
In 1642 Nicolet was tragically killed. His boat swirled on the St. Lawrence River near Sillery and sank - Nicolet could not swim. His body was not found.
The city of Nicolet (Québec) in Canada is named after him.
Web links
- Jean Hamelin: Nicollet de Belleborne, Jean . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
- Jean Nicolet on the site of the Prevot family ( French )
proof
- ↑ Jean Hamelin: Nicollet de Belleborne, Jean . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nicolet, Jean |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French explorer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1598 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cherbourg , France |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 27, 1642 |
| Place of death | near Sillery (Québec) , Canada |