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Rene-Robert Cavelier De La SalleFrench explorer of North America
Date of Birth: 22.11.1643
Country:  France |
Content:
Rene-Robert Cavelier de La Salle: The Famous French Explorer of North America
Rene-Robert Cavelier de La Salle was a renowned French explorer of the 17th century who extensively explored the region of the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico. His expeditions led to the claim of the entire Mississippi River basin as French territory. La Salle was born on November 21, 1643, in Rouen, France, to a wealthy merchant named Jean Cavelier. He later adopted the surname "de La Salle" from the name of his family estate near Rouen.
Early Life and Education
In his youth, La Salle had a keen interest in science and the study of nature. His father sent him to the Jesuit College, now known as Lycée Pierre-Corneille, to pursue his education. His older brother also chose a religious career. In 1660, to please his father, Rene-Robert became a novice of the Society of Jesus and continued his studies at Jesuit educational institutions in Alençon, Tours, and Blois. However, much later, in Canada, La Salle requested to be released from his novitiate in the order, citing his "moral weakness." He was subsequently released from his initial vows on March 27, 1667. Although he never took holy orders and later harbored hostility towards the Jesuits, some historians mistakenly refer to La Salle as a priest.
Explorations in North America
In the spring of 1666, La Salle sailed to New France (now Canada). A year earlier, his brother Jean, a Sulpician monk, had also traveled to America. When Rene-Robert became a Jesuit novice, he renounced his paternal inheritance, leaving him almost destitute. He hoped to improve his fortunes in North America. He was granted control of a large tract of land in the western part of the Island of Montreal, known as a seigneurie, and immediately began establishing settlements, distributing land grants, and learning the languages of the indigenous peoples, primarily the Mohawk Indians. The Mohawks informed him about the great river called the Ohio, which they believed flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. La Salle planned an expedition, hoping to find a western route to China. He obtained permission for the expedition from Governor Daniel de Rémy de Courcelle and Intendant Jean Talon. To finance his venture, he sold all his holdings on the Island of Montreal. In 1669, La Salle embarked on his first expedition. Witnesses reported that the expedition consisted of 5 canoes and 15 men, reaching the Ohio River and descending approximately to the site of present-day Louisville, Kentucky. There, La Salle encountered waterfalls that prevented further progress.
Fort Frontenac and Louisiana
In 1674, La Salle founded Fort Frontenac on Lake Ontario, which is now Kingston, and named it after the new governor of New France, Louis de Buade de Frontenac. The fort proved to be highly valuable as it allowed the French to control the fur trade in the region. In 1674-1675, La Salle traveled to France, where, with the support of the influential governor Frontenac, he obtained concessions for the fur trade and a grant of hereditary nobility.
Returning to New France, La Salle led a second expedition in which he, along with the Italian banker and traveler Henri de Tonti and his son, descended the Mississippi River and reached the Gulf of Mexico in April 1682. La Salle claimed the entire Mississippi River basin as the territory of French King Louis XIV and named these fertile lands Louisiana in honor of the king. Despite facing hostilities from the new governor of New France, Joseph-Antoine de La Barre, who held a strong animosity towards La Salle, he managed to gain support from the king himself. In July 1684, La Salle returned to America and embarked on his final and largest expedition, intending to establish a French colony in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tragic End
The expedition faced attacks from pirates, hostile Native American tribes, and diseases. They lost ships and men along the way. Eventually, while La Salle and his men were attempting to reach the mouth of the Mississippi River on foot, they were ambushed. La Salle met his tragic end on March 19, 1687. However, his killer did not survive for long, as other members of the expedition killed him in revenge for La Salle's death.
Today, many cities, ships, schools, parks, streets, and entire counties are named in honor of this remarkable explorer and adventurer.
