LYCOS RETRIEVER Beta Retriever Home  |  What is Lycos Retriever?   
John Cabot
built 176 days ago
John Cabot (about 1450-1499) was an Italian-born English explorer and navigator. In Italy, he is known as Giovanni Caboto (which is his original name).Cabot was born in Italy but moved to England in 1495. At the request of King Henry VII of England, Cabot sailed to Canada in 1497, commanding the small ship called "Matthew." Cabot landed near Labrador, Newfoundland, or Cape Breton Island (the exact spot is uncertain) on June 24, 1497. One of John Cabot's three sons, the explorer Sebastian Cabot, accompanied him on this trip. Cabot claimed the land for England.
John Cabot's real name was Giovanni Caboto. He was born in Genoa, Italy. His father was a merchant. In 1497, he made his first voyage for the king of England. His ship was called the "The Mathew." He went on the ship with a crew of 18 men and it only weighed 50 tons! He had a second voyage and on the way back his ship sunk and they think that happened in 1499.England claimed ownership of the North America because of John Cabot.
Sebastian Cabot John Cabot's ship, the Mathew, sailed from Bristol with a crew of eighteen in 1497. After a month at sea, he landed and took the area in the name of King Henry VII. The king had agreed to his voyage and helped to pay for it. Cabot had landed on one of the northern capes of Newfoundland. His sailors were able to catch huge numbers of cod simply by dipping baskets into the water. Cabot was rewarded with the sum of £10 by the king, for discovering a new island off the coast of China! The king would have been far more generous if Cabot had brought home spices.
Source:
In 1484, John Cabot moved back to England with his wife and eleven sons. This was a great career move for John. He developed his own website and became quite famous for his charts and maps depicting a new route to the Far East. At this time he ... introduced his half-brother Richard (whom the family always called "Ringo") to his best friends, John, Paul, and George. They, too, tried their hands at exploration, but discovered that it was actually a lot of work. They soon gave up this dream and spent the rest of their lives as a troupe of traveling minstrels.
In 1498, John Cabot was given permission by Henry VII to take ships on a new expedition to continue west from the point he had reached on his first voyage. The aim was to discover Japan. Cabot made a visit to Spain and Portugal to try to recruit men who had sailed with Columbus, but without much success. He set out from Bristol with 300 men in May 1498. The five ships carried supplies for a year's travelling. Cabot and his crews were never heard of again.
Source:
Although he was probably born in Genoa, Italy, the man who is known to history as John Cabot was authorized by King Henry VII of England to "search for unknown lands in the west." It was the age of exploration, when the European powers of Spain, Portugal, England, Holland, and France sought to expand their trade with Asia and discover untapped sources of wealth in "new worlds." Adventurous navigators like Cabot and his Italian contemporary, Christopher Columbus, received support from powerful monarchs because of the international competition for riches that lay beyond the horizon.
Source:
SEARCH
MORE ABOUT
  John Cabot