CABOT VOYAGES

CABOT VOYAGES. Early in 1496 a petition was placed before King Henry VII of England in the name of John Cabot, an Italian navigator, and his three sons, Sebastian, Lewis, and Sanctius, for the privilege of making explorations in the New World. The king granted letters patent, dated 5 March 1496, to the Cabots. In the spring of 1497 they sailed west from Bristol, England, setting a southward course on a single ship, the Mathew, with a crew of only eighteen. They discovered, it is believed, the present-day Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, although the exact location of landing is a matter of much controversy. After a month of exploration, during which time the elder Cabot staked England's claim to the land, the Mathew and crew set sail for home, reaching Bristol in early August.

John Cabot received a pension of twenty pounds per year as a reward, and the following year he received letters patent authorizing him to make further explorations along the eastern coast of North America. The discoveries made on this voyage were supposedly recorded on a map and globe made by the explorer. Both are now lost.

Because there is no firsthand data concerning the Cabot voyages, Sebastian Cabot has often been confused

with his father, John. The Cabots made important contributions to the geographical knowledge of North America, although the descriptions of the regions they explored apply to no portion of the United States.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Maestro, Betsy, and Giulio Maestro. The Discovery of the Americas. New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, 1991.

Williamson, James A. The Cabot Voyages and Bristol Discovery under Henry VII. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1962.

Lloyd A.Brown/ShelbyBalik

See alsoExploration of America, Early ; Explorations and Expeditions, British ; Northwest Passage .