John Cabot

John Cabot

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-John Cabot, also called Giovanni Caboto, Zuan Chabotto, Jean Cabot

-born in 1450, in Genova (Italy) and died around 1498-1499

-moved to Venice in 1461 and became a citizen in 1476

-nationality: Italian

-his first voyage was in 1496

- navigated for the King Henry VII (England)

-1496 first voyage (failure because of quarrels with his crew)

-June 1497 discovery of the coast of North America

-December 1497 the island of Cipango (Japan) by the north Atlantic

- May 1498 but never came back

Cabot’s Second Voyage

In 1496, King Henry VII issued letters patent to Cabot and his son, which authorized them to make a voyage of discovery and to return with goods for sale on the English market. After a first, aborted attempt, Cabot sailed out of Bristol on the small ship Matthew in May 1497, with a crew of 18 men. The expedition made landfall in North America on June 24; the exact location is disputed, but may have been southern Labrador, the island of Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island. When Cabot went ashore, he reportedly saw signs of habitation but no people. He took possession of the land for King Henry, but hoisted both the English and Venetian flags.

Cabot explored the area and named various features of the region, including Cape Discovery, Island of St. John, St. George’s Cape, Trinity Islands and England’s Cape. These may correspond to modern-day places located around what became known as Cabot Strait, the 60-mile-wide channel running between southwestern Newfoundland and Northern Cape Breton Island. Like Columbus, Cabot believed that he had reached Asia’s northeast coast, and returned to Bristol in August 1497 with extremely favorable reports of the exploration.

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John Cabot was an explorer born in 1450 in Genova (Italy) and died around 1498-1499. He moved to Venice around 1461; he became a Venetian citizen in 1476. Jean Cabot is his French name, John Cabot is his English name and his Italian name is Giovanni Caboto. Since he moved to Venice he signed his name as Zuan Chabotto. He married a Venitian, Mattea, that gave him three son (Ludovico, Sebastiano, and Sancio). He and his son (Sebastiano) were sent by the King Henry II (King of England) which authorized them to make a voyage of discovery and to return with good for the sale on the English market. In 1496, John Cabot left Bristol with one ship. But this first voyage was a failure, John Cabot doesn’t go beyond Island and because of quarrels with his crew, shortage of food and bad weather. In June 1497, he was looking for a way by the north-west to reach Asia, with his three sons. He reached the North-America by the North Atlantic and took possession of the land. In December 1497, he made the same voyage as in June 1497 by the North Atlantic but this time, he would continue westward from his first landfall until he reached the island of Cipango (Japan). In May 1498 Cabot leaves Bristol with five boats for a new expedition and never came back.

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