4
Who Was Jacques
Ca r tier?
W o W
J
Ca r tie ?
Most of Jacques Cartier’s early
life is a mystery.
There are very
few records of Cartier’s family
or activities. Historians do know
that he was born in St. Malo,
France, in 1491. His parents were
Jacques Jamet Cartier and Geseline
Jansart. It is believed that Cartier
had seven
siblings
and half
siblings. St. Malo is a seaport in
northwestern Brittany, a province
of France. As Cartier grew up, he
would have seen ships coming in
and out of the port. His father
made sure he was taught
navigation
and seamanship.
No one painted
Jacques Cartier
during his lifetime.
In this portrait from
the 19th century,
the artist imagined
Cartier wearing a
traditional Breton
cap and clothing.
St. Malo was almost destroyed
in World War II. Its old
buildings were rebuilt to look
the same as before the war.
