John Cabot

John Cabot 1450-1499

John Cabot was Giovanni Caboto, because he was from Genoa, Italy. He later received Venetian citizenship.

John Cabot was a skilled navigator and explorer. So much so, that on March 5, 1496, English King Henry VII equipped him with all necessary paperwork to discover unknown lands. King Henry of course expected him also to return to England with plenty of merchandise and riches.

John knew there was a decent commission in this and off he went, looking to find a new trade route to Asia, which would give him the edge in the trading of gold, gems, and spices.

John Cabot's main voyages across the North Atlantic took place in 1497 and 1498.

1497: John Cabot's First Voyage

On June 24, 1497, John saw land. It wasn't Asia, but Newfoundland, today's Canada. John Cabot stuck a British and a Venetian flag into the soil and traveled back home to announce that there was a continent missing on the map.

On August 6, 1497, an excited Cabot was back in Bristol, notifying everyone that he had been to Asia.

1498: John Cabot's Second Voyage

In 1498, John Cabot sailed with five ships, 200 men, and the goal to reach Japan. Shortly after setting sail, one of the ships of his fleet turned up in Ireland, the other four, including Cabot, were gone.

What exactly happened? Nobody knows. One possible explanation is that the fleet had been hit by a severe storm.

John Cabot's Importance in History

John Cabot's mounting of the British flag was one of the main foundations for the future British claims on the American continent.

And if Cabot's story reminds you of Christopher Columbus, you are not far off. Columbus, too, was from Genoa, Italy. He was born a year later than Cabot, in 1451, and just like Cabot, Columbus distributed foreign flags on foreign continents.