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John Cabot Reaches Newfoundland
In 1497 Venetian navigator John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), funded by England's Henry VII, sailed the Matthew across the North Atlantic and landed on Ne…
Timeline
- 1497Bristol · EnglandCabot prepared the Matthew in Bristol and obtained a charter from Henry VII to seek and claim lands in unknown western seas, promising the crown one-fifth of any gains.
- 1497Coast of Newfoundland or Labrador · Atlantic coastThe fleet crossed the Atlantic in about five weeks and, according to later-transmitted letters of Cabot and Bristol merchant records, landed in a 'newly found land', saw rich fishing grounds and traces of a few indigenous people, and raised the English flag to claim possession.
- 1497Bristol · EnglandCabot returned to Bristol that same year, reported his discoveries to Henry VII, received a reward of ten pounds and permission to organize larger follow-up voyages, sparking England's lasting interest in North Atlantic fisheries and North American routes.
Sources
- John Cabot — Encyclopaedia Britannica https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Cabot
- The Cabot Voyages and Bristol Discovery Under Henry VII — James A. Williamson (1962)