Resource: Willem Barents

Description

Willem Barents was from the Netherlands and was interested to find a route to the East by sailing north across the top of Asia. He undertook 3 voyages, but was always frustrated by ice and eventually perished on Novaya Zemlya in 1597. In this resource we examine Barents’ life and voyages, which clearly reflect the relative lack of knowledge of Northern Asia held by the Europeans in the 16th century.