Historedia
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Jacques Cartier Departs for Third Voyage

When
1540–1541
Where
Saint-Malo, Brittany; France
Episodes
3

On May 23, 1541, Jacques Cartier departed Saint-Malo with five ships for his third voyage. This followed a 1540 royal order to lead a colonization project in Canada. The departure occurred after Roberval was appointed lieutenant general in January 1541.

Episodes

  1. October 17, 1540 · FranceRoyal Order for Colonization

    King Francis orders Cartier to return to Canada in 1540 to lead a colonization project.

  2. January 15, 1541 · FranceRoberval Supplants Cartier

    Roberval is named lieutenant general of French Canada, supplanting Cartier in January 1541.

  3. May 23, 1541 · Saint-Malo, BrittanyDeparture for Third Voyage

    Cartier leaves Saint-Malo with five ships to begin his third voyage to Canada in May 1541.

Background and detail

Royal Mandate. In October 1540, King Francis ordered Jacques Cartier to return to Canada. The purpose was to lend weight to a colonization project, for which Cartier was appointed captain general. This mandate established the official framework for the subsequent 1541 departure.

Departure from Saint-Malo. On May 23, 1541, Cartier set sail from Saint-Malo with a fleet of five ships. This departure marked the beginning of his third voyage. The expedition was intended to support a colonization project in Canada as per the royal order.

Change in Command. On January 15, 1541, Cartier was supplanted by Jean-François de La Rocque de Roberval. Roberval, a Huguenot courtier and friend of the king, was named the first lieutenant general of French Canada. This appointment occurred before the May 23 departure.

People involved

Sources

  1. Jacques Cartier Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-02

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.