The Cabots and their voyages of discovery

John cabot

John Cabot and the Cabot voyages of discovery

Have you ever heard of the Cabots and their voyages of discovery? In 1497, the Italian Giovanni Caboto, also known as John Cabot, embarked on a voyage of discovery on behalf of King Henry VII of England. Cabot explored the coast of North America and probably reached Newfoundland. The route taken by Giovanni Caboto is not fully known to this day. The discovery of North America by John Cabot was an important step in the history of discovery.

John Cabot? - ca 1498

Little is known about John Cabot. His real name was Giovanni Caboto. He received the citizenship of Venice in 1476. The English King Henry VII hired him around 1496 for a voyage of discovery to the west with the task of looking for a way to Asia. He was called John Cabot by the English, a name with which he became world famous.

In May 1497, John Cabot set out from Bristol and on June 24th sighted land for the first time, which he briefly set foot in order to take possession of it in the name of Henry VII. For thirty days he followed the coastline without seeing a soul and returned to England at the beginning of August, where he proudly reported that he had discovered Asia.

In fact, John Cabot was the first European after Columbus to set foot on American soil. Where that happened is still unclear today, as neither his logbook nor an eyewitness report from his trip have been preserved. Historians agree that it must have been somewhere between Labrador and Cape Breton, perhaps even on Prince Edward Island. Most likely it was the east coast of Newfoundland.

In 1498 John Cabot set out on another voyage of discovery, from which he never returned.

 

The Lost Voyage of John Cabot
John Cabot's Landfall in 1497, and the Site of Norumbega: A Letter to Chief-Justice Daly, President of the American Geographical Society (Classic Reprint)
The Discovery of North America: and the Expeditions to South America and the Arctic Ocean
John and Sebastian Cabot (Classic Reprint)
The Lost Voyage of John Cabot
John Cabot's Landfall in 1497, and the Site of Norumbega: A Letter to Chief-Justice Daly, President of the American Geographical Society (Classic Reprint)
The Discovery of North America: and the Expeditions to South America and the Arctic Ocean
John and Sebastian Cabot (Classic Reprint)
14,95 EUR
25,52 EUR
26,00 EUR
21,04 EUR
The Lost Voyage of John Cabot
The Lost Voyage of John Cabot
14,95 EUR
John Cabot's Landfall in 1497, and the Site of Norumbega: A Letter to Chief-Justice Daly, President of the American Geographical Society (Classic Reprint)
John Cabot's Landfall in 1497, and the Site of Norumbega: A Letter to Chief-Justice Daly, President of the American Geographical Society (Classic Reprint)
25,52 EUR
The Discovery of North America: and the Expeditions to South America and the Arctic Ocean
The Discovery of North America: and the Expeditions to South America and the Arctic Ocean
26,00 EUR
John and Sebastian Cabot (Classic Reprint)
John and Sebastian Cabot (Classic Reprint)
21,04 EUR

 

Sebastian Cabot approx. 1484 - 1557

John Cabot's son, Sebastian, followed in his father's footsteps. In 1509 he made the first attempt to circumnavigate the globe on the north path. It appears to have reached the entrance to Hudson Bay before its crew refused to proceed. He thought the bay was a passage to Cathay in northern China.

Upon his return, he joined the Spanish Navy in 1512, where he served until 1547. At the age of 63 he retired to England, where he died in 1557.

Ships and Navigation by John Cabot and his son

The sailing ships with which the John Cabot and his son made their voyages were three-masters with rectangular sails and at least one latin sail in the shape of a triangle, which made the ships more manoeuvrable.

The bow planks were smoothed. The ships were wide in order to be armed against the strong storms of the North Atlantic. They were not built large in order to remain easily maneuverable in the unknown coastal waters. John Cabot's Matthew could only transport 50 tons of cargo and had a crew of less than 20 men.

Life on board these ships was uncomfortable. The crew quarters were cramped, dirty, and cold. Fires were only kindled when the weather was calm and there were no washing facilities. The food at sea was extremely monotonous and consisted mainly of dry rusks, beer (which remained drinkable longer than water), salted meat, dried peas, salted fish, butter, cheese, rice, oats, raisins and nuts. Scurvy was a constant scourge of seafarers.

Navigation was difficult in those times. In addition to the compass, with which the north direction could be determined, the seafarers of those days knew the astrolabe, the quadrant or the cross stick, with which they could determine the angle between the north star or the sun and the horizon and calculate the latitude of the ship. Longitudes had to be guessed. Speed ​​was measured by throwing a rope into the water with knots attached at regular intervals. There were no coast maps. Sandbanks or reefs could only be circumnavigated if someone was constantly on the lookout. A weighted rope was thrown into the water to determine the water depth.

Questions and answers about John Cabot and his voyages of discovery

Where exactly did John Cabot dock in North America?

It is believed that John Cabot landed in Newfoundland in 1497, possibly near Bonavista or St. John's.

How many expeditions did John Cabot make to North America?

John Cabot made at least two expeditions to North America, one in 1497 and another in 1498.

Why is John Cabot's discovery of North America so important?

The discovery of North America by John Cabot was an important step in the history of discovery and laid the foundation for European settlement of the continent.

What role did John Cabot play in the English colonization of North America?

John Cabot laid the foundation for the English colonization of North America by exploring the coast and establishing England as a claimant to the territory.

Where can I still find traces of him and his expedition today?

Bonavista, Newfoundland has a memorial and interpretive center dedicated to the story of Cabot's discovery of North America. Also in Bristol, England, there is a John Cabot monument and the Cabot Tower commemorating the voyages of discovery.

On the trail of the Cabots through eastern Canada

 

John cabot
Click on the photo and make a note of “John Cabot Explorer” on Pinterest

 

Source: own research

Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs
Photos: © Copyright Public Domain

The Cabots and their voyages of discovery

Last update on 8.09.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX / Affiliate links / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API

Monika Fuchs

Monika Fuchs and Petar Fuchs are the authors and publishers of the Food and Slow Travel blog  TravelWorldOnline. They have been publishing this blog since 2005. TravelWorldOnline has been online since 2001. Their topics are trips to Savor, wine tourism worldwide and slow travel. During her studies Monika Fuchs spent some time in North America, where she - partly together with Petar Fuchs - traveled to the USA and Canada and spent a research year in British Columbia. This intensified her thirst for knowledge, which she satisfied for 6 years as an adventure guide for Rotel Tours and then for 11 years as a tour guide for Studiosus Reisen around the world. She was constantly expanding her travel regions, but curiosity still gnawed at her: "What's beyond the horizon? What else is there to discover in this city? Which people are interesting here? What do they eat in this region?" As a freelance travel journalist (her articles have appeared in DIE ZEIT, 360° Canada, 360° USA, etc.), she is now looking for answers to these questions as a travel writer and travel blogger in many countries around the world. Petar Fuchs produces the videos on this blog as well as on YouTube. Monika Fuchs from TravelWorldOnline is among Germany's top 50 bloggers in 2021. Find more Information about Monika and Petar Fuchs here.