“Defeat of the Iroquois at Lake Champlain,” July 30, 1609 (which happened near Ticonderoga) is the only known likeness of Samuel de Champlain to survive from his own time. (Library of Congress)
2009 is the 400th anniversary of the discovery of Lake Champlain by the man whom it is named after. There are many local celebrations taking place this summer in recognition of this event.
Champlain is best remembered for his role as an explorer, map maker, and as a prolific writer but many facts about him have been lost to history.
However, we can gleam some historical clues into the life of Champlain from the small image above.
Champlain stands in the center wearing armor and firing an arquebuse a rouet, which was a very advanced model of a very sophisticated weapon for that day. Two french soldiers appear at the top of the engraving. On the left we see a small number of Algonquin warriors attacking a larger band of Iroquois of the Mohawk nation.
The plumage he wears is the sign of an officer of high standing. Some historians even speculate that he may have been the illegitimate son of Henri IV of France. The helmet he wears is usually seen in equestrian drawings, so some historians surmise that he was familiar with horses.
The alliances depicted in the engraving would stand for approximately the next 150 years. The Algonquin would side with the French and the Iroquois would team with the British in the battle for North America which would continue over the next two centuries.
Champlain is regarded as one of the few explorers of North America who believed in treating the Indians humanely and with respect. He was also a naturalist. He loved the plants and animals he encountered in the new world and wrote extensively on what he encountered.
To learn more about Samuel de Champlain I would highly recommend the book; Champlain’s Dream by David Hacket Fischer, which I am working my way through slowly. It is an exquisite history of the man and the founding of New France.
So now the next time you cross Lake Champlain on your way to Huletts, you’ll be able to say that you’ve seen the only likeness of Champlain which is judged by historians to be authentic and which survives from his time.