John Cabot (aka Giovanni Caboto, c. 1450 - c. 1498 CE) was an Italian explorer who famously visited the eastern coast of Canada in 1497 CE and 1498 CE in his ship the Mathew (also spelt Matthew). Sponsored by Henry VII of England (r. 1485-1509 CE) to search for a sea route to Asia, Cabot's expeditions 'discovered' what the Italian called 'Newe Founde Launde'. Cabot was probably, then, the first European since the Vikings to land in and explore North America. Unable to find a passage from that continent to Asia, Cabot either died during his second voyage or returned to England and obscurity c. 1500 CE; the reasons for his demise - one way or another - remain a mystery.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 1450 - c. 1498Life of the explorer John Cabot, aka Giovanni Caboto.
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1476John Cabot becomes a citizen of Venice.
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1496John Cabot is given a royal patent to explore the North Atlantic in the name of Henry VII of England.
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1497Henry VII of England supports John Cabot's pioneering voyage to the eastern coast of North America.
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1498The explorer John Cabot makes his second voyage to the eastern coast of North America. Its outcome is not known.
