This encounter proved decisive for Cartier’s exploratory career, as, by royal commission, he undertook three voyages to the New World (First Voyage: 1534; Second Voyage: 1535–1536; Third Voyage: 1541–1542).

Cartier spent his final years in Saint-Malo, where he died in 1557 from a plague epidemic at the age of 66. Although Jacques Cartier did not become wealthy from his discoveries, he is now regarded as one of the pioneers in the formation of Canada. He was, in fact, the first to use the name “Canada.”

Cartier is also considered to have been an exceptionally skilled navigator for his time. The only significant losses he suffered occurred on land, due to epidemics or attacks by Indigenous peoples. His written accounts were also highly important, as they introduced Europe to North America.