Guillaume Le Testu | Timeline

Guillaume Le Testu, sometimes referred to as "Guillaume Le Têtu" (c. 1509-12 – April 29, 1573) was a French privateer, explorer and navigator. He was one of the foremost cartographers of his time and an author of the Dieppe maps. His maps were distinguished by their sophistication and detail; they influenced generations of cartographers, navigators and explorers. (Wikipedia)

January(?) 1(?), 1509 - Le Havre - Guillaume le Testu is born
January(?) 1(?), 1550 - Dieppe - Le Testu was commissioned by the King of France to create a map of the Americas, specially Brazil =(START)
June 14, 1551 - Dieppe - Sails to Brazil
June 23(?), 1551 - NW of Brest - Sailing towards Brazil
August(?), 18(?), 1551 - Off Natal, Brazil - Arrival in Brazil
November(?) 1(?), 1551 - São Francisco do Sul, E. of Joinville, Brazil - With the Cartographer André Thevet, establishes a french colony (speculative date)
December(?), 3(?), 1551 - Off Natal, Brazil - Heading north/Northwest, in coastal exploration
December(?), 16(?), 1551 - Amazon River Mouth - Passes through the Amazon River mouth
December(?), 29(?), 1551 - Off Trinidad - Involved in a seafight with two portuguese ships
June(?) 22(?), 1552 - NW of Brest - Le Testu enters the English Channel
July(?), 1(?), 1552 - Dieppe - Return to France
January(?) 1(?), 1555 - ? - Le Testu Publishes "Cosmographie Univerelle"
July 12, 1555 - Le Havre - Le Testu departs to Brazil with Villegagnon
August 14, 1555 - Le Havre - On their third try, Le Testu and Villegagnon manage to sail out of Le Havre, with better winds
August(?) 20(?), 1555 - NW of Brest - Sailing towards Brazil
October(?) 13(?), 1555 - Off Natal, Brazil - Arrival in Brazil
November 10, 1555 - Guanabara Bay - Arrival to the Guanabara Bay, after a Voyage of 3 months
February 12, 1556 - Guanabara Bay - Le Testu departs to France with a report about the situation in Brazil and requests from the Colony.
March(?) 6(?), 1556 - Off Natal, Brazil - Sailing towards France
April(?) 31(?), 1556 - NW of Brest - Le Testu enters the English Channel
May(?) 8(?), 1556 - Le Havre - Le Testu arrives in France with reports about the situation in Brazil and requests to Coligny
October(?) 1(?), 1556 - Publishes an Atlas of the World
November 19, 1556 - Honfleur - Le Testu departs to Brazil with Jean de Lery and 300 colonists
November 28(?), 1556 - NW of Brest - Sailing towards Brazil
February(?) 13(?), 1556 - Off Natal, Brazil - Arrival in Brazil
March 7, 1556 - Island of Villegagnon, Rio de Janeiro - Le Testu arrives with the colonists
October 1, 1559 - Guanabara Bay - Le Testu departs to France with Villegagnon
October 26(?), 1559 - Off Natal, Brazil - Sailing towards France
December(?) 20(?), 1559 - NW of Brest - Le Testu enters the English Channel
December 29(?), 1559 - Honfleur - Back to France (speculative date)
January(?) 1(?), 1567 - Le Testu joins the huguenots in the Religious War and conducts privateering raids for 2 years
January(?) 1(?), 1569 - Middelburg, Netherlands - Le Testu is captured by the catholics, arrested and taken to Middelburg
June 1, 1571 - Middelburg - King Charles IX writes a letter to King Phillip II demanding Le Testu's release
January 30, 1572 - Middelburg - Le Testu is released from prison
December(?) 27(?), 1572 - Honfleur(?) - Le Testu sails for the Antilles, Caribbean Sea
January(?) 5(?), 1573 - NW of Brest - Sailing towards the Caribbean
February(?) 30(?), 1573 - E of Dominica - Le Testu arrives to the Antilles
March 25, 1573 - Off Gulf of San Blas, Panama - Le Testu encounters Francis Drake
March 31, 1573 - Mouth of River Cuango - E of Nombre de Dios, Panama - Drake and Le Testu meet at the mouth of River Cuango
April 1, 1573 - Nombre de Dios, Panama - Drake and Le Testu ambush the Spanish treasure convoy of mules. Le Testu is wounded.
April 2, 1573 - Nombre de Dios - Le Testu, wounded, is captured by the Spanish
April 29, 1573 - Nombre de Dios - Guillaume Le Testu is beheaded by the Spanish, for piracy =(END)