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.
More about: John CabotDefinition
Timeline
-
c. 1450 - c. 1498Life of the explorer John Cabot, aka Giovanni Caboto.
-
1476John Cabot becomes a citizen of Venice.
-
1496John Cabot is given a royal patent to explore the North Atlantic in the name of Henry VII of England.
-
5 Mar 1496King Henry VII of England issues patents to John Cabot and sons, granting them the right to explore new lands and claim any that were not already under the flag of a Christian nation as per the policies of the Doctrine of Discovery.
-
1497Henry VII of England supports John Cabot's pioneering voyage to the eastern coast of North America.
-
24 Jun 1497Explorer John Cabot claims Eastern Canada for England, most likely Cape Breton Island or Newfoundland, marking England's first claim to land in North America under King Henry VII.
-
1498The explorer John Cabot makes his second voyage to the eastern coast of North America. Its outcome is not known.
