Henry Hudson was an English explorer. In 1607 Henry Hudson was hired by the English Muscovy Company to lead the ship Hopewell on an expedition north of the European continent. The company hoped to discover a northeastern sea passage that led to the spice islands of the South Pacific.
Route Taken and Obstacles Faced
On his first voyage Henry Hudson reached Greenland but his path was blocked by ice. On his second voyage, a year later, he made it as far as the Arctic Ocean. The merchants of the Dutch East India Company were still convinced that there might be a separate passage to the northeast, and hired Henry Hudson in 1609 to lead an expedition on the ship Half Moon. Hudson had other ideas, however, and sailed in the other direction, across the Atlantic to North America.
Accomplishments
While on his third journey Henry Hudson found three waterways that were named after him; the Hudson River, Hudson Bay, and Hudson Strait. He aslo sailedfarther north than any explorer before him.
Henry Hudson returned to North America for a fourth expedition in 1611. While exploring North America, Hudson's crew turned against him. They put him, his son, and seven crewmen on a small boat and left. He was never heard from again.