12. European 16th Century Game of Thrones
Four intensely competitive monarchs fought for control over 16th century Europe. Who would win the prize of European dominance?
Updated March 16, 2024
After Jacques Cartier introduced Canada to European mapmakers in 1542, French interest in exploration dropped precipitously for almost a half century. This puzzled me. Although the discovery of the St. Lawrence River would have monumental consequences for France and Britain, it would also have even greater consequences for the St. Lawrence Iroquois. But in 1542, no one would know this. After Lord Roberval returned to the port of St. Malo in France, the French king would no longer sponsor any more missions to Canada. The king had good reasons for this.
Even while Cartier was busy exploring the St. Lawrence River, bringing home captives, and making a nuisance of himself to the Indigenous peoples, a deadly game of thrones was being played out amongst four great powers of Europe. These powers were France, England, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire.1
By the end of the 16th Century, only one of these powers would be the “winner” and the prize would be the newl…
