Sebastian Cabot

Timeline

1. c. 1474–1509Bristol · BristolSebastian moved with his father John Cabot from Venice to Bristol, England, where he received good maritime training. In his later years he repeatedly claimed to have taken part in John Cabot's historic 1497 voyage discovering Newfoundland, but historians are skeptical, with some scholars believing he exaggerated or fabricated the extent of his participation. Around 1508–1509, with authorization from Henry VII, he independently led a team to explore the Northwest Passage, reportedly reaching the area of present-day Hudson Bay or Labrador in Canada, an important source of early North American geographical knowledge.
2. 1512–1530Seville · AndalusiaAround 1512, Cabot was employed by the Spanish crown, participating in mapmaking work, and in 1518 was appointed Piloto Mayor (Chief Pilot) of Spain's Casa de Contratación, responsible for examining mariners' qualifications and approving nautical charts. In this post he gained access to all of Spain's important geographical information. From 1526 to 1530, he led an expedition to the Río de la Plata region of South America (present-day Argentina/Uruguay) in search of a legendary land of silver; the voyage lasted several years and brought back important reports on the region, although he failed to complete the original plan of crossing the Americas.
3. 1530–1547Seville · AndalusiaAfter returning from the Río de la Plata expedition in 1530, Cabot continued to serve as Spanish Piloto Mayor, overseeing the revision and surveying of nautical charts. This period (c. 1531–1540) was his core period of work in Seville, directing mapmaking and examining mariners' qualifications. In 1544 he published a famous world map synthesizing the geographical knowledge known in Europe at the time. In 1547, summoned by England's new king Edward VI, he left Spain and returned permanently to England.
4. 1547–1557London · LondonAfter returning to England, Cabot was honored by Edward VI, granted a lifetime pension, and appointed governor of the Merchant Adventurers. In 1553 he planned and organized the 'Northeast Passage' expedition led by Hugh Willoughby and Richard Chancellor, intending to open a new route to Asia around the Arctic Ocean. Although Willoughby's party perished in the Arctic, Chancellor successfully reached Russia, laying the foundation for subsequent Anglo-Russian trade (the Muscovy Company, 1555). In his later years Cabot was active in London as an exploration adviser and died around 1557.