Samuel de Champlain
We only have a little bit of information about Samuel de Champlain’s early life. ... We know that Champlain was born in the town of Brouage, which was a seaport on the western coast of France, close to Bordeaux. ... Champlain fought in France when King Henry IV was king. ... The king wanted to learn more about the Americas and thought that if Champlain would live there he could bring the riches back to France. He organized for Champlain to visit Canada with a group of people who had a leader named Francois Grave who everybody knew as Pontegrave. ... This was Champlain’s first of eleven trips across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada. ... Champlain came back in the fall and a man named Sieur de Monts said he would pay for another trip of Champlain’s.