Vitus Bering

Vitus Jonassen Bering (baptised 5 August 1681 – 19 December 1741), also called Ivan Ivanovich Bering, was a cartographer, explorer, and officer in the Russian Navy who was born in Denmark. He led two major Russian expeditions: the First Kamchatka Expedition and the Great Northern Expedition. These voyages charted the northeastern coast of Asia and, from there, the western coast of North America. Several geographic features bear his name, including the Bering Strait, the Bering Sea, Bering Island, the Bering Glacier, and Vitus Lake.

Early life and family background

Bering was born in the Danish port town of Horsens to Anne Pedderdatter and Jonas Svendsen, a customs inspector and churchwarden. He was baptised in the local Lutheran church on 5 August 1681. His name came from a maternal great-uncle, Vitus Pedersen Bering, a recently deceased royal court chronicler. The family was reasonably well-off; two of Bering’s elder half-brothers attended the University of Copenhagen.

Early seafaring career

At age 15, Bering became a ship’s boy. From 1696 to 1704, he sailed to India and the Dutch East Indies, and also completed naval officer training in Amsterdam. He later claimed, with some supporting evidence, to have served on Danish whalers in the North Atlantic and to have visited European colonies in the Caribbean and along North America’s eastern seaboard.

Russian naval service

In 1704, Bering joined the rapidly expanding navy of Tsar Peter I. Under the guidance of Norwegian-born Russian admiral Cornelius Cruys, he received a commission as a sub-lieutenant. He rose steadily through the ranks, becoming a second captain by 1720. Although he saw no sea battles, he commanded vessels on dangerous missions, such as transporting a ship from the Azov Sea to the Baltic. During the later stages of the Great Northern War (which ended in 1721), his work mainly involved lightering duties.

Marriage and family life

On 8 October 1713, Bering married Anna Christina Pülse at the Lutheran church in Vyborg. Anna, the daughter of a Swedish merchant, was about 11 years younger than Bering. Over the next 18 years, they had nine children, only four of whom survived childhood. Because of his naval service, especially during the Great Northern War, Bering spent little time with his family.

After the Great Northern War ended in 1721, Bering was not promoted, unlike many of his peers. This became especially embarrassing in 1724, when Anna’s younger sister Eufemia married Thomas Saunders.