Giovanni Cobotto, a Venetian sailor who accomplished many great feats throughout his life, was an experienced seaman with only one thing on his mind: to explore. Born in around 1450, Giovanni Cabotto was obsessed with trying to find a way to Asia that required less time than Columbus’ route. He wanted to obtain silk, spices, and gold and then sell them off in Europe to gain a considerable profit.
But what he wanted most was to find a trade route. A trade route that was shorter and more efficiet than Columbus’. He decided to go to Bristol, England, a place perfect for finding sponsers and starting an expedition. In April and May 1496, King Henry VII gave Cabotto a grant to host an expedition to try and find a trade route to Asia. However, there is also a theory that Cabotto recieved a substantial amount of money from a rich family from Florence called the Bardi family. He left England in 1496 on his first attempt to find the trade route.
However, the stormy weather accompanied with the fact that he was short on supplies forced Cabot back to England. On May 1497, Cabotto decided to attempt another expedition and on June 24, 1497 he landed on North America’s east coast. It is not known exactly where he landed, but most historians believe that he either first arrived on Newfoundland, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, or even Maine. In July 1497, Cabotto decided to return to England and he arrived back at Bristol, England on August 6, 1497. However, during the short time that Cabotto was in North America, he accomplished many things including discovering an enormous cod industry, Newfoundland and Labrador, and most importantly, made Christopher Columbus’ route faster and more efficient.
King Henry VII was impressed with the progress that Cabotto made and so he again let him go on another voyage. Unfortunately, Cabotto never returned and most agree that he died at sea.
