Favorite European New World EXPLORER

I voted for George Vancouver for favorite English explorer. Didn't really know much about him until a couple of years ago when I was working as an aide in the schools and had to help a student write a report about him. The girl I was helping found him fascinating.....

But my real fav is not on the list ----MacKenzie, who discovered the MacKenzie River.

Voted for Marquette for my favorite french guy, mostly because I grew up on Lake Marquette, so I was particularly interested in stories about Marquette and Joliet and the source of the Mississippi River in my fifth grade Minnesota history. (Although I might quibble with them about the true source of the Mississipi.)

But you forgot to list an important one--Plantagenett.

And voted for Lief Erikson, too. What can I say? He's Norwegian!

[ September 13, 2003, 03:41 PM: Message edited by: russell55 ]

 

Really thinking of Champlain, which I see you already have on your list, but somehow I missed it, but too late to edit.

Will blame it all on the fog I'm walking around in as of late.....

 

The Pizarro conquest of the Incas was fascinating to me so I guess that's why I voted for Pizarro. He was leading about 150 men when he encountered the Incan army (of about 3,000 - maybe more) along with their king, Atahualpa. The Spaniards were uncharacteristicly afraid of this huge army and scurried off the road and hid behind rocks and in caves.

The priest was sent out to to meet with the king, and, with the help of native interpreters, try to establish a diologue. The priest offered the king a Bible and told him that it was God's book. The king threw the Bible into the dirt, pointed to the sun, and declared the sun to be his god.

The priest was in shock, turned toward the frightened conquistadores, and shouted "Santiago!" The Spaniards forgot their fear upon hearing their battle cry and came out of the rocks with muskets blazing. In no time they captured the king, and the war was over.

Ransom was demanded by the Spaniards, in exchange for the king's life. The ransom was met, but the king was executed anyway. The Spanish religious clerics had determined that Atahualpa was a heretic, because he worshipped another god and had to be burned at the stake. Pizarro was unhappy about it, because he liked Atahualpa. He convinced Atahualpa to accept Christ as savior and openly declare it. That way he could be garroted to death instead of getting burned.

The authorities in Spain were unhappy about the execution, because Atahualpa was a monarch, and Spain's policy was to spare the lives of captured monarch's.

Although today we may think ill of the conquering Spaniards, for their militaristic ways, we need to remember that Spain had been in a constant state of war for about 700 years or more. Muslims had conquered Spain and for centuries were in control. Things were going miserably for the resistance until they found what they believed was the beheaded body of their patron saint, Saint James (Santiago). It was considered an omen from God, so the Battle cry "Santiago!" went out, and from then on the natives were successful in driving out the Muslims.

In 1492, the last battle was fought, and in that same year, Columbus set sail under the Spanish flag, in search of the New World.

Anyway, I give Pizarro two thumbs up.

Roy

[ September 17, 2003, 11:11 PM: Message edited by: Roy ]

 

Regarding question #1:

I didn't know that television's "Mr. French" was an explorer!

Fortunately he was a "gentleman's gentleman" and wouldn't do anything as rude as executing the people he conquered or serve soft drinks in the can.