Étienne Brûlé (; – c. June 1633) was the first European explorer to journey beyond the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

into what is now known as Canada. He spent much of his early adult life among the Wendat (Huron), and mastered their language and learned their culture. Brûlé became an interpreter and guide for

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...

, who later sent Brûlé on a number of exploratory missions, among which he is thought to have preceded Champlain to the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

, reuniting with him upon Champlain's first arrival at Lake Huron. Among his many travels were explorations of

Georgian Bay The Georgian Bay () is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To its northwest is t ...

and

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the lake is derived from early French ex ...

, as well as the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...

and

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...

s. Champlain agreed to send Brûlé, at his own request, as an interpreter to live among the Onontchataron, an Algonquin people, in 1610. In 1629, during the Anglo-French War, he escaped after being captured by the

Seneca tribe The Seneca ( ; ) are a group of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthe ...

. Brûlé was killed and eaten by the Wendat Bear tribe, who believed he had betrayed them to the Seneca.

Early life in France

Brûlé, the son of Spire Bruslé and Marguerite Guérin, was born in

Champigny-sur-Marne Champigny-sur-Marne (, literally ''Champigny on Marne'') is a major city in the region of Île-de-France, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Name Champigny-sur-Marne was originally called simply Champigny. The name Champigny ultim ...

southeast of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Brûlé's exact date of birth is unknown since the Champigny-sur-Marne parish registers for 1590–1600 have been lost. He came to Canada in 1608 when he was 16 years old. Brûlé has not left any recollection or description of his early life, his time among the

Indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

, or of his explorations. His life, therefore, has only been viewed through the works of others, including Champlain, Gabriel Sagard, and

Jean de Brébeuf Jean de Brébeuf () (25 March 1593 16 March 1649) was a French Jesuit missionary who travelled to New France (Canada) in 1625. There he worked primarily with the Huron for the rest of his life, except for a few years in France from 1629 to 1 ...

Life in New France

Champlain wrote of a youth who had been living in

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

since 1608, and whom many believe to have been young Brûlé. In June 1610, Brûlé told Champlain that he wished to go and live with the Algonquins, learn their language, and better understand their customs and habits. Champlain arranged for him to do so and in return, the chief Iroquet (an Algonquin leader of the Petite nation who wintered his people near Huronia), requested that Champlain take Savignon, a young Wendat, with him to teach him the customs and habits of the French. Champlain instructed Brûlé to learn the Wendat (Huron) language, explore the country, establish good relations with the First Nations, and report back in one year's time. On 13 June 1611, Champlain returned to visit Brûlé, who astonishingly had done all that Champlain had asked of him. Brûlé now dressed like an Indigenous person and was extremely pleased with the way he was treated and all that he had learned. Champlain requested that Brûlé continue to live among the Indigenous peoples so that he could fully master everything, and Brûlé agreed. For four years, Champlain had had no connection or communication with Brûlé who, it is thought, was then the first European to see the

. In 1615, they met again at Huronia. There, Brûlé informed Champlain of his adventures and explorations through North America. Brûlé explained that he was joined by another French interpreter by the name of Grenolle. He reported that they had traveled along the north shore of what they called ''la mer douce'' (the freshwater sea), now known as

, and went as far as the great rapids of Sault Ste. Marie where

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

enters Lake Huron.(online
archive.orgLibrary of Congress
In 1615, Brûlé asked permission from Champlain to join 12 Wendat warriors on their mission to see a nation referred to as Carantouan (who may or may not have been the Andaste

Susquehannock The Susquehannock, also known as the Conestoga, Minquas, and Andaste, were an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian people who lived in the lower Susquehanna River watershed in what is now Pennsylvania. Their name means “people of the muddy river.” T ...

people), allies of the Wendat, to ask them for their support during an expedition Champlain was planning. Champlain ordered the party to travel west of the Seneca country because they needed to arrive there quickly and the only way to do so was by crossing over enemy territory. This proved dangerous, but Brûlé did reach Carantouan; however, he arrived at the meeting place Champlain chose two days too late to assist Champlain and the Wendat, who had been defeated by the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

. Brûlé probably visited four of the five Great Lakes — Lake Huron, Lake Superior,

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

—and may have also seen

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

. Brûlé was more than likely the first European to complete these expeditions across North America. In these expeditions he visited places such as the

, Mattawa River,

Lake Nipissing Lake Nipissing (; , ) is a lake in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It has a surface area of , a mean elevation of above sea level, and is located between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay. Lake Nipissing i ...

, and the French River to

. From Georgian Bay, Brûlé was able to cut into Lake Huron. He paddled up the St. Marys River and

portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

d into Lake Superior. He journeyed through

Lake Simcoe Lake Simcoe is a lake in southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly within the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century, the lake was called ''Ouentir ...

and portaged through what is now

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

to Lake Ontario. From Lake Ontario Brûlé was able to travel in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

and explore

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and cross down the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

.Brule, Etienne, 1592?–1632
It is also said that it is very probable that Brûlé was one of the first Europeans to stand along the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. He had spent months visiting indigenous peoples that lived along Lake Erie between the Niagara and

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Rivers, but because he left no writings of his own, almost nothing identifiable is known about the tribes he visited, many of which would be obliterated a few decades later in the

Beaver Wars The Beaver Wars (), also known as the Iroquois Wars or the French and Iroquois Wars (), were a series of conflicts fought intermittently during the 17th century in North America throughout the Saint Lawrence River valley in Canada and the Great L ...

(in contrast, Joseph de La Roche Daillon, who conducted a missionary journey among the tribes of

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...

in 1627, kept meticulous notes of his journeys; it is de La Roche's writings that serve as the primary history of pre-Beaver Wars native occupation of Western New York). Champlain and the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

s often spoke out against Brûlé's adoption of Wendat customs, as well as his association with the

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

rs, who were beyond the control of the colonial government. Brûlé returned to Quebec in 1618, but Champlain advised him to continue his explorations among the Wendat. Brûlé was later confined in Quebec for a year, where he taught the Jesuits Wendat. In 1626 Brûlé returned to France, where he worked as a merchant, and in 1626 or 1627 he married Alizon Coiffier. In April 1628, Brûlé and his French fleet were captured by the British off Anticosti Island and Brûlé was brought to London before being released and returned to New France where, "pledging support to the Kirkes, he resumed his life among the Wendat and his trading activities." In 1629, Brûlé betrayed the colony of New France. David Kirke and his brothers, English merchants of Huguenot extraction, paid 100 pistoles to Brûlé and three of his companions to pilot their ships up the

St. Lawrence river The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

and "undoubtedly gave information as to the desperate state of Quebec's garrison" that emboldened the Kirkes to attack it. In his last accounts, Samuel Champlain "accused Brûlé of treason because the latter agreed to do business with the Kirke brothers when they took Quebec for England in 1629." After 1629, Brûlé continued to live with the Indigenous peoples, acting as an interpreter in their dealings with the French traders.

Death

In 1633, Brûlé died at Toanché, on the Penetanguishene peninsula, however the actual events surrounding his death remain unclear. The rumours of his death first reached Quebec through second and third party accounts largely by the Algonquins, who at the time, were believed to be in a trading dispute with the Wendat.Sandoz, Mari (1978). The Beaver Men: Spearheads of Empire. U of Nebraska Press. pp.42-43 One theory is that he was captured by the Seneca Iroquois in battle. Though he managed to escape, when he returned to his home among the Wendat, they did not believe his story. Suspecting him of trading with the Senecas, they stabbed Brûlé to death—his body dismembered and eaten by the villagers. However, contrary to this theory, there is no ethnographic evidence that the Wendat practiced cannibalism.Pitek, Emily (2019, August 13)
''Huron also known as "Wendat"''
UBC Community and Partner Publications. Database of Religious History (DRH). pp.7-8 Additionally,

, who arrived in the region shortly after Brûlé's death, described his murder as treacherous, but made no mention of cannibalism. One explanation is that the Wendat were misinterpreted—using the term ''eaten'' to describe that Brûlé was thrown from his high position. In this sense, ''eaten'' had previously been used by Wendat to describe deposed chieftains. Brûlé's murder also appears to have been controversial among the Wendat. In the immediate aftermath of his death, Toanché was abandoned and subsequently Wenrio and Ihonatiria were founded—suggesting a schism formed in the clan between those who supported Brûlé's murder and those that didn't.Trigger, Bruce G. (1987). Children of Aataentsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660. McGill-Queen's Press. pp.473-476 To further complicate the matter, Father Le Jeune wrote in his 1633 journal in Jesuit Relations that on the last day of June, 1633 he met a French Interpreter among an envoy of Wendat who had lived with them for many years. It is unknown whom else Le Jeune could be referring to other than Brûlé, despite reports that Brûlé was already dead.

Early life in France

Life in New France

Death

See also

References

Further reading