"At the starting point of the uninterrupted history of Canada, we find Champlain," writes historian Marcel Trudel. Champlain the man played many roles in his lifetime. He took the parts of naturalist, soldier, diplomat, ethnologist, explorer, artist and even playwright. He widened the view of his countrymen to include Canada in their vision. He guided much of the early history of New France by the conviction of his beliefs and by the force of his own will.

In the pursuit of his dream of colonizing New France, Champlain crossed the Atlantic Ocean 29 times, traveling some 160,000 km under sail. He was the first European to explore the Great Lakes and present-day New York State and Ontario. He was the first to provide images of the New World and to describe details of the geography, wildlife and First Nations of early Canada. He made maps so clear that they could be used today. In his lifetime Champlain published four books, including a treatise on seamanship.

We can praise or criticize the career of Champlain, but with few exceptions we cannot get to know him personally. We don't even know what he really looked like. The portrait that is often used to depict him in the history textbooks not only has nothing to do with him, it hardly suggests a man of action who fought battles, braved the sea and overcame numerous physical injuries. [See close-up]

Today, when the vital statistics of every person are so carefully tracked by computer, it is hard to imagine that we cannot even be sure when Champlain was born. We do know that it was around 1567 near the seaport of Brouage, on the western coast of France. [See Map]

It is sometimes said that Champlain was born Protestant, but the evidence is sketchy. For example, his name Samuel is said to be preferred by Protestants. However, by the time he began writing his journals, he was certainly a devout Catholic. That was the religion that he sought to teach the Amerindians whom he encountered.

Champlain lived in a turbulent period in French history, filled with wars and religious strife. It seems to us, looking back 400 years, an era of intolerance and even madness. For example, the infamous water test for witches was not abolished until well into Champlain's lifetime. This was meant to be a "trial" for witchcraft, in which a woman accused of being a witch was bound with heavy weights and thrown into a body of water. Those who floated were pronounced guilty. Those who sank were found innocent, but risked drowning if their accusers didn't pull them out in time.

Champlain was exposed to violence throughout his childhood, as Brouage was a focus of conflict between Catholic and Protestant forces. Later (likely from 1593 to 1598) he served in the army of Henry of Navarre. In one battle with this army the French drove 400 Spaniards to the edge of the sea and slaughtered all but 11 of them. The French and their English allies lost nearly 3000 men. These Wars of Religion came to at least a temporary end in 1598, and with the peace Champlain's thoughts turned elsewhere.