The ships carried ample provisions and small samplings of cloth, lace points and other "trifles," suggesting an expectation of fostering trade with Indigenous peoples. In February 1498, Cabot was given permission to make a new voyage to North America in May of that year, he departed from Bristol, England, with five ships and a crew of 300 men. His son, Sebastian (1474–1577), followed in his footsteps, exploring various parts of the world for England and Spain.It is believed Cabot died sometime in 1499 or 1500, but his fate remains a mystery. There is no further record of Cabot and his crews, though there is now some evidence he may have returned and died in England. The five ships carried supplies for a year's travelling. Cabot set out from Bristol with 300 men in May 1498. In 1498, Cabot was given permission by Henry VII to take ships on a new expedition to continue west from Newfoundland. Cabot was rewarded with the sum of £10 by the king, for discovering a new island off the coast of China! The king would’ve been far more generous if Cabot had brought home spices. His sailors were able to catch huge numbers of cod simply by dipping baskets into the water. Cabot had reached one of the northern capes of Newfoundland. After a month at sea, he landed and took the area in the name of King Henry VII. John Cabot's ship, the Matthew, sailed from Bristol with a crew of 18 in 1497. If Asia had been where Cabot thought it was, it would have made England the greatest trading centre in the world for goods from the east. Everybody believed that Cathay and Cipangu (China and Japan) were rich in gold, gems, spices and silks. King Henry VII would also take his share. If Cabot’s predictions about the new route were right, he wouldn’t be the only one to profit. Why did King Henry VII agree to help to pay for Cabot's expedition? At the time, everyone believed that this land was the Indies, or Spice Islands. Before he set off, Cabot heard that Columbus had sailed west across the Atlantic and reached land.
After failing to persuade the royal courts of Europe, he arrived with his family in 1484, to try to persuade merchants in London and Bristol to pay for his planned voyage.
Like Christopher Columbus, Cabot found it very difficult to convince backers to pay for the ships he needed to test out his ideas about the world. He hoped to reach them by sailing west, across the Atlantic. He had read of fabulous Chinese cities in the writings of Marco Polo and wanted to see them for himself. Why did Cabot come to England?īorn in Genoa around 1450, Cabot's Italian name was Giovanni Caboto. Cabot is credited for claiming North America for England and kick-starting a century of English transatlantic exploration. After a month, he discovered a 'new found land', today known as Newfoundland in Canada. In 1497 he sailed west from Bristol hoping to find a shorter route to Asia, a land believed to be rich in gold, spices and other luxuries. John Cabot (about 1450–98) was an experienced Italian seafarer who came to live in England during the reign of Henry VII. Italian explorer, John Cabot, is famed for discovering Newfoundland and was instrumental in the development of the transatlantic trade between England and the Americas.Īlthough not born in England, John Cabot led English ships on voyages of discovery in Tudor times.