EXPLORER

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle

1643 - 1687

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René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (; November 22, 1643 – March 19, 1687), was a 17th-century French explorer and fur trader in North America. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, and the Mississippi River. He is best known for an early 1682 expedition in which he canoed the lower Mississippi River from the mouth of the Illinois River to the Gulf of Mexico; there, on 9 April 1682, he claimed the Mississippi River basin for France after giving it the name La Louisiane, in honor of Saint Louis and Louis XIV. One source states that "he acquired for France the most fertile half of the North American continent". A later ill-fated expedition to the Gulf coast of Mexico (today the U.S. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle has received more than 1,376,378 page views. His biography is available in 41 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 40 in 2019). René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle is the 140th most popular explorer (down from 129th in 2019), the 1,773rd most popular biography from France (down from 1,644th in 2019) and the 13th most popular French Explorer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.4M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 58.33

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 41

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.40

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.36

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among EXPLORERS

Among explorers, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle ranks 140 out of 498. Before him are Vladimir Arsenyev, João Vaz Corte-Real, Gil Eanes, Frederick Cook, Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, and Andrés de Urdaneta. After him are Otto Sverdrup, Mikhail Lazarev, Sebastián de Belalcázar, Scylax of Caryanda, Cornelis de Houtman, and Emin Pasha.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1643, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle ranks 14. Before him are Johann Adam Reincken, Mary of Jesus de León y Delgado, Jean Chardin, Fran Krsto Frankopan, Ilona Zrínyi, and Henri Jules, Prince of Condé. After him are Jean-Baptiste Denys, Vasily Golitsyn, Godfried Schalcken, and Zinat-un-Nissa Begum. Among people deceased in 1687, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle ranks 4. Before him are Jean-Baptiste Lully, Johannes Hevelius, and William Petty. After him are Constantijn Huygens, Margravine Magdalene Sibylle of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Nicholas Mercator, Henry More, Nell Gwyn, Laura Martinozzi, Ferdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, and François de Créquy.

Others Born in 1643

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Others Deceased in 1687

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In France

Among people born in France, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle ranks 1,773 out of 6,770. Before him are La Goulue (1866), Jean François Paul de Gondi (1613), Nicolas de Largillière (1656), Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale (1822), Jean-Pierre Blanchard (1753), and Anne Desclos (1907). After him are Lambert Wilson (1958), Pierre Belon (1517), Joseph Fesch (1763), Joseph Bertrand (1822), Hervé Villechaize (1943), and Charles II, Duke of Bourbon (1434).

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Among EXPLORERS In France

Among explorers born in France, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle ranks 13. Before him are Jules Dumont d'Urville (1790), Jeanne Baret (1740), Jean de Béthencourt (1362), Charles Marie de La Condamine (1701), Jean Chardin (1643), and Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier (1705). After him are Henri Mouhot (1826), Constantin François de Chassebœuf, comte de Volney (1757), René Caillié (1799), Sophie Blanchard (1778), Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605), and Jean-Baptiste Charcot (1867).

French born Explorers

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