Hochelaga (village) - in 1556, Venice Takes Interest in Hochelaga

In 1556, Venice Takes Interest in Hochelaga

Jacques Cartier's exploration of the West Indies did not go unnoticed in Venice, in particular by Giovanni Battista Ramusio, statesman and secretary of the Council of Ten. A career diplomat, his role as ambassador brought him to numerous European countries. This director of the Serene political view, who was seven when the Genovese Christopher Columbus reached the West Indies in 1492, considered the discovery of new lands as being the most important undertaking of the time. In effect, Venice was facing a grave problem accessing India since the Ottoman Turks had taken Constantinople in 1453. It isn't known how, but Venice obtained a copy of Bref Recit, a memoir that Jacques Cartier had given to the king François Ier in 1545. His explorations are described in volume III of the work Delle Navigationi et Viaggi by Giovanni Battista Ramusio. The 1556 edition contains assorted illustrations by Jacopo Gastaldi, including La Terra de Hochelaga Nella Nova Francia, describing in the European mode of the time, Jacques Cartier's visit on Mount Royal.