John Cabot and the English Claim to North America

The Voyage That Started It All

John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), a Venetian navigator sailing under English letters patent from Henry VII, made landfall in North America on June 24, 1497—likely Newfoundland (Cape Bonavista) or Cape Breton Island.

Significance

• First documented European landing since Norse (c. 1000 CE).
• Claim for England: Cabot planted the English flag, establishing the legal basis for future English/British claims.
• Named "New Found Land" – basis for "Newfoundland."

Reinforcement

Subsequent voyages cemented the claim:

• 1498: Cabot's second voyage (lost at sea).
• 1501–02: Portuguese João Fernandes Lavrador & Pêro de Barcelos (Labrador named).
• 1576–78: Martin Frobisher – Arctic searches, "Meta Incognita" claim.
• 1583: Sir Humphrey Gilbert – formal possession of Newfoundland for Elizabeth I.
• 1607: Jamestown – first permanent English settlement.

Cabot's 1497 voyage is the foundational moment for English (later British) territorial claims in North America.