John Cabot(1450 — 1498)
John Cabot
république de Venise
9 min read
Venetian navigator and explorer in the service of England, John Cabot reached the east coast of North America in 1497, becoming one of the first Europeans to explore the continent since the Vikings. His voyage paved the way for British claims over North America.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- 1497: first voyage from Bristol, reached the east coast of North America (probably Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island)
- Sailed under the commission of King Henry VII of England
- 1498: second voyage, explored a large stretch of the North American east coast
- His exploration established England's legal claims over North America
- Born around 1450 in Genoa or Gaeta, naturalized as a Venetian citizen
Works & Achievements
Cabot left Bristol aboard the Matthew with around twenty men and reached the eastern coast of North America on 24 June 1497, returning to Bristol 53 days after his departure. It was the first documented crossing of the North Atlantic under the English flag and the first attested European contact with the American continent since the Norse in the 11th century.
On his return, Cabot described the extraordinary abundance of cod in the coastal waters, reporting schools of fish of a density never before seen. This information, which spread quickly across Europe, soon attracted hundreds of Breton, Basque, Norman, and English fishing vessels that would exploit these resources for centuries.
On his return, Cabot drew a chart of the coasts he had explored — now lost, but whose existence is confirmed by several contemporary accounts. It constituted the first cartographic representation of northern North America and served as the basis for subsequent English expeditions.
Comprising five ships and around three hundred men, this expedition aimed to establish a permanent trading post on the newly discovered coasts. Although Cabot never returned from it, one of the vessels brought back valuable geographical data on the eastern American coastline.
Anecdotes
John Cabot's real name was Giovanni Caboto: born in Genoa or Gaeta around 1450, he obtained Venetian citizenship in 1476 after fifteen years of residence in Venice. After failing to convince the courts of Spain and Portugal to fund his plans, he settled in Bristol and persuaded Henry VII of England to grant him letters patent to explore westward.
His first attempt in 1496 came to nothing: exhausted and short of provisions, his crew forced him to turn back after just a few days at sea. Far from discouraged, Cabot set out again the following year aboard a modest vessel of about fifty tons, the Matthew, with around twenty men recruited in Bristol. That second departure, on 20 May 1497, would change history.
On 24 June 1497, John Cabot set foot on a coast he believed to be eastern Asia — most likely Cape Breton Island or Newfoundland. He planted the English flag and the banner of Venice, claiming the land for Henry VII. On his triumphant return to Bristol, the king gave him ten pounds sterling, then an annual pension of twenty pounds, a sign of royal interest in these new lands.
Cabot was struck by the extraordinary abundance of cod in the coastal waters: he reported that the shoals of fish were so dense they could almost be scooped up by hand with baskets. The discovery of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland would transform the economy of the North Atlantic for centuries, drawing hundreds of European fishing boats every year.
In 1498, John Cabot set out again with five ships and around three hundred men, hoping to reach Japan and establish a trading post. He never returned. One of his ships was forced back to Ireland after a storm, but the others vanished without a trace. The date and circumstances of his death remain unknown to this day.
Primary Sources
We have granted and given licence to our well-beloved John Cabot, citizen of Venice, and to Lewis, Sebastian and Sancio, his sons, to seek, discover and find all islands, lands, regions or provinces of the Saracens, Heathens and Infidels, in whatsoever part of the world they may be.
This Venetian who went to the land of the Baccalaos has returned and says he has discovered, two thousand leagues from here, the territory of the Grand Khan. He reached a great mainland of which he could not see the end.
Mister Zoane [John] has discovered two very large islands and also sighted three others which he did not wish to approach. He believes that England will henceforth have spices in abundance, as he thinks these lands are part of Asia.
The people of Bristol who discovered this island are those who every year set out with two or three caravels in search of Brazil and the Island of the Seven Cities. Cabot's expedition is certain and they found land.
Given to a Venetian who brought good tidings of the new land — ten pounds.
Key Places
The likely birthplace of John Cabot, born around 1450. Like his contemporary Christopher Columbus, he grew up in one of the great Italian maritime cities before seeking his fortune abroad.
The city where Cabot lived for at least fifteen years and obtained Venetian citizenship in 1476. It was here that he trained in Mediterranean maritime trade and developed his knowledge of navigation and cartography.
The busy merchant port from which Cabot's two expeditions departed (1496 and 1497). Bristol was at the time one of England's leading Atlantic ports, whose merchants actively funded the search for new trade routes.
The site of Cabot's landing on 24 June 1497, where he planted the English flag and claimed the land in the name of Henry VII. The exact location remains debated, but this coastline marks the starting point of future British claims to North America.
The seat of Henry VII's court, where Cabot obtained his letters patent in 1496 and was welcomed as a hero upon his return in 1497. It was here that the king granted him his pension, and where his accounts fired the imagination of future English expeditions.
