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Vikings from Iceland and Greenland became the first known Europeans to reach North America. They established a colony in their found land but it did not last very long.
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King Henry VII (English) hired John Cabot (Italian) to cross the Atlantic ocean in search of a shorter route to Asia than what Columbus had done. Although no one knows exactly where he landed.
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King Francis I of France sent Jacques Cartier to the New World to search for gold and other valuables. Cartier landed on the Gaspe Peninsula and claimed it for France.
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Cartier became the first European to explore the interior of Canada. He sailed up the St. Lawrence river up to Montreal.
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Cartier joined a French expedition that wanted to establish permanent settlement in Canada. Unfortunately the colony only lasted until 1543.
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The felt hat made from beaver fur becomes a popular thing to have in Europe. As a result the value of Canadian beaver pelts increased greatly. This was the start of the Fur Trade!
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Samuel de Champlain founded a settlement along the St. Lawrence river. He called the village Quebec. He also started befriending Huron and Algonquin Indians near by and traded fur with them.
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Champlain and two other French fur traders helped teir Indian friends defeat the Iroquis in battle. After the battle the Iroquis were also enemy to the French.
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Henry Hudson sailed into Hudsons Bay in search for a passage to Asia. England claimed the bay and named it after him later.
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Champlain wanted Quebec to become a larger settlement but it remained a small trading post for a long time. At this time only 60 people lived there.
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The English captured Quebec, but the French regained it back a few years later in 1632.
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The Iroquois conquered Huronia and killed most of the French missionaries. The Algonquin and Huron fled leaving the French to fight the Iroquois alone. During the next ten years the Iroquois increased their attacks on the French. The French Fur Trade was now destroyed.
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Peirre Gaultier de Varennes, and Sieur de La Verendrye formed many trading posts inbetween what is now Saskatchewan and Montreal.
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The fourth of the seven year war began. It lasted until 1763. It spread to Europe in 1756 then becoming known as the seven year war.
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The Biritish army's won over Quebec city with support from the British Navy.
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In Paris, France signed and surrendered most of New France to the UK. They had lost the war.