John Cabot. Who Was John Cabot?. When and Where Was John Cabot Born?. Family and Early Life. Wife and Kids. Cabot’s Route

John Cabot

Who Was John Cabot?

John Cabot (Italian: Giovanni Caboto; c. 1450 – c. 1500) was a Venetian navigator and explorer whose 1497 discovery of the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England was the first European exploration of coastal North America. After setting sail in May 1498 for a return voyage to North America, Cabot's final days remain a mystery.

When and Where Was John Cabot Born?

John Cabot was born around 1450 in Genoa, Italy.

Family and Early Life

John Cabot was the son of a spice merchant, GiulioCaboto. At age 11, the family moved from Genoa to Venice, where John learned sailing and navigation from Italian seamen and merchants.

Wife and Kids

In 1474, John Cabot married a young woman named Mattea.

The couple had three sons: Ludovico, Sancto and Sebastiano.

Sebastiano would later follow in his father’s footsteps, becoming an explorer in his own right.

Cabot’s Route

1. Like Christopher Columbus, Cabot believed that sailing west from Europe was the shorter route to Asia. Hearing of opportunities in England, Cabot traveled there and met with King Henry VII, who gave him a grant to " seeke out, discover, and finde" new lands for England.

In early May of 1497, Cabot left Bristol, England, on the Matthew, a fast and able ship weighing 50 tons, with a crew of 18 men. Cabot and his crew sailed west and north, under Cabot's belief that the route to Asia would be shorter from northern Europe than Columbus's voyage along the trade winds. On June 24, 1497, 50 days into the voyage, Cabot landed on the east coast of North America.

2. The precise location of Cabot’s landing is subject to controversy. Some historians believe that Cabot landed at Cape Breton Island or mainland Nova Scotia. Others believe he may have landed at Newfoundland, Labrador or even Maine. In July 1497, the ship sailed for England and arrived in Bristol on August 6, 1497. Cabot was soon rewarded with a pension of £ 20 and the gratitude of King Henry VII.

3. In 1498, Cabot was given permission by Henry VII to take ships on a new expedition to continue west from Newfoundland. The aim was to discover Japan. Cabot set out from Bristol with 300 men in May 1498. The five ships carried supplies for a year's travelling. There is no further record of Cabot and his crews, though there is now some evidence he may have returned and died in England. His son, Sebastian (1474 –1577), followed in his footsteps, exploring various parts of the world for England and Spain.

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