Etienne Brûlé was only 16 years old when he arrived in New France. His birthplace was in Champigny sur Marne, France and he made the voyage across the North Atlantic with Samuel de Champlain in 1608. For the first two years he lived and worked on the habitation constructed under Champlain’s direction on the site of the present city of Quebec.
The Huron
Etienne Brûlé was tasked with paving the way for Champlain’s future explorations. During the winter of 1610-11 Etienne lived amongst the Huron, learned their ways and adopted their customs. He traveled up the Ottawa River and was the first European to reach Georgian Bay. When he returned to Quebec, Champlain was delighted and chose him as his interpreter in his dealings with the native peoples. He went with Champlain into the land of the Huron in 1615 and then set out with a dozen Huron to travel down to Lake Simcoe and Lake Ontario probably as far as Niagara Falls.
Exploration
Failing to meet up with Champlain as planned, Etienne Brûlé wintered with the Andastes and in 1616 traveled east to the Susquehanna River and possibly as far south as present Virginia. On the return journey he was captured by Iroquois and tortured but managed to escape. As he recovered he explored Lake Huron and paddled up into Lake Superior before returning to report to Champlain.
Capture of Quebec
In 1629 Brûlé and a few others were sent to Tadoussac to act as guides for the French ships coming down the St. Lawrence. On the way they encountered the English Kirke Brothers who had established themselves on the river with the intention of stopping supplies from reaching the French colonists and to attack and capture Quebec. Champlain settled in to wait out the winter with the meager supplies he had. Many of the colonists deserted him in search of food. For reasons known only to himself, Etienne Brûlé assisted the Kirkes. One account states that he felt the French had no hope of holding out anyway so it did not seem wrong for him to act with the English. When spring came and the English arrived at Quebec they found a handful of starving colonists and priests. Insisting on generous terms, Champlain surrendered Quebec and was sent to England as a prisoner. He would return to Quebec when the war ended between the French and English and Quebec was restored to its former owners.
His betrayal of Champlain marked the end of Brûlé’s glory days. Thereafter he slunk in shame to the Hurons and wasted his life in slothful indolence. Etienne Brûlé met his end in June 1633. Near Penetanguishene Bay, Ontario, for reasons unknown, he was set upon by his Huron friends, killed and eaten.
Bibliography
Edwin and Mary Guillet - Pathfinders of North America - 1957
Thomas B. Costain - The White and the Gold - 1954
Encyclopedia Canadiana
