Description
Book SynopsisWhen the Norman and Breton armateurs sent their ships to the New World in the sixteenth century, they had faith that through the ability to negotiate with the Indigenous peoples with whom they sought to trade, the leaders of these expeditions would return to Saint-Malo or Dieppe with precious cargo. Among these were brazilwood (used to dye cloth), chinaroot (to relieve symptoms of the pox), and furs for the European market. Storms or attacks by hostile vessels could destroy or reduce the value of the profit, but over the years the financial return proved advantageous. How and why this risky but profitable venture fell into the hands of Breton and Norman financiers lies at the heart of our story. The consequences of their investment in Brazil, Canada, and Florida would change the world, and the strategies used by the merchant mariners they sent out were key to the success of their enterprise. Seeing and Knowing the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: Exchange and Alliance B
Table of Contents
List of Figures – Acknowledgments – Introduction: Relations and Human Relations – Jacques Cartier and Northern Encounters – Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptaméron and Roberval. The Impact of North America on the French Imagination – Intertextual Echoes. Marguerite de Navarre, François de Belleforest and André Thevet – Jean Ribault et René de Laudonnière. Floridian Encounters – Strained Alliances. Second and Third Voyages to Florida (Laudonnière) – Jean de Léry’s Brazil. Continuity and Innovation – "Fidelle tesmoignage": Samuel Champlain’s Des sauvages – Conclusion: "Le Naturel de la Nation Françoise" – Bibliography – Index.
