Page 2: 1492-1598

To the Introduction & Index

1492: Christopher Columbus

Captain of three Spanish ships, landed at an island later to be named Grand Turk, an island of the Bahamas.

1497-1533: John Cabot (Giovanni Cabototo)

The first European to set foot upon North America (after the Norsemen of the 11th Century) was John Cabot. Cabot managed to be honored with an interview by King Henry VII in 1495, whereupon the King issued permission (Mar. 6, 1496) for Cabot and his sons to sail to Asia under the British flag.
    Cabot's first voyage began in a small vessel, The Matthew, on May 2, 1497. Cabot's crew consisted of eighteen men. On June 14, after weeks of varied winds, land was sighted. They had reached the coast of Cape Breton Island. John Cabot stepped ashore and claimed the land in the name of King Henry VII. Although no natives were seen, the crew found snares set for animals in the near forest. Cabot observed the land to be fertile and judged that he had reached the coast of Asia. Cabot named the place, Cape Discovery, and the large island St John's Island, as that day was the feast of St John the Baptist. (The island is now Scatari Island). Cabot spent little time on exploration and returned to Bristol Harbor on June 6, 1497. King Henry paid him ten pounds and commissioned him in the rank of Admiral
    On Feb. 3, 1498, Cabot was issued new letters of patent for a second voyage of exploration with six vessels. Cabot set sail in late May via way of Iceland. He reached the coast of Greenland in June, naming it Labrador's Land.
    Cabot's crew became increasingly apprehensive of the broken ice they were sailing through and they mutinied on June 11 at 67-30 Latitude. Cabot pacified the crew by turning the fleet Southward. He proceeded on to encounter more ice, finally arriving at the coast of Labrador at the present place of Table Hill (57-40 N. Lat.) Following the Coast further South and assuming they were in Asia, Cabot reached Cape Race, where he had explored during his first voyage. Cabot continued around the shores of Labrador, Nova Scotia, and New England to reach the bay of New York. A quote from Cabot's log: "- sayled in this tracte so farre towarde the weste, that the Ilande of Cuba bee on my lefte hande, in manere in the same degree of longitude."
    Cabot continued South along the Atlantic coast to reach New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland and 38 degrees N. Latitude. Provisions running low and not having found traces of eastern civilization, Cabot began the return voyage and arrived back in England in late Autumn of 1498. Cabot thought that the lands he explored were the coast of China, beliefs that were in keeping with those of the Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus..
    In general, Cabot's voyage was considered to be a failure by King Henry. Yet Cabot had laid claim to much of the territory where British colonies would be established during later years, when Britain would steadfastly and forever claim the whole of North America, based upon first discovery by John Cabot.

1519-1521: Spain Conquered Mexico (Hernando Cortez)

From this time Spanish Conquistadors, consisting of mounted soldiers and Jesuit priests would explore and conquer much of the territory from Mexico northward, including what are now Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and California.

1525: St. Augustine

Spain established a Fort at St. Augustine, Florida.

1534-43: Discovery and Occupation of the St. Lawrence

Starting with voyages in 1534 by Jacques Cartier, a succession of French explorers charted the St Lawrence strait and eventually the river. Cartier captured two Indians who became a source of information about the river, telling him of a wealthy kingdom of Saguenay. Cartier returned to France on July 16.

1541: Second Voyage by Jacques Cartier

The purpose of this voyage was to conquer the (Indian) Kingdom of Saguenay and claim the territory for France. Five French vessels were involved. Cartier went on up the St Lawrence to Cap Rouge (above Quebec) where he spent the winter. He was joined by the French noble Jean de Roberval who with several vessels had made the journey. Cartier was ordered back to France taking three of the vessels. In June of 1543 Roberval set out with 8 boats and 40 men up the St. Lawrence rapids to conquer Saguenay. The mission was aborted when Saguenay could not be found. During this time the French established some camps along the St. Lawrence and began fur trading.

1597: Hopewell

    The British ship Hopewell of London was driven away from the Magdalenes by four French ships who united against her. She repaired to the port of Ste. Marie in Newfoundland where she found two more French ships The Rocheller (from a Protestant Port) and the Belle Isle (of a Catholic port) at the mouth of the Loire river. From the log of the Hopewell: "We first sent our boat aboord the Rocheller to certifie him that we were his friends and to request him not hinder our fight with our enemy. This message sent, we made all haste we could unto the ship Belle Isle, which first began us with three great shot, one whereof hit our maintopsaile, but both the other missed us. And we also sent one unto them; then upon being approached nere unto them ten or twelve of us went in a shalop to enter them. And when we boarded them in our boat, they betook themselves to close fights, playing chiefly upon us with shot and pikes out at two ports, between which we entered very dangerously, escaping meere dangers by both shot and pike. Some of our were wounded but no great harme was done."
    The Hopewell returned to England with the captured Belle Isle. In the following year a (failed) attempt was made to establish a British colony on Sable Island.
    The friction had begun between France and Britain over control of the St. Lawrence.

1598: The French Colonize Sable Island

    In the summer of 1598 the Marquis de la Roche landed on Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia, with "60 sturdy beggars taken from the prisons of Normandy." The colony, headed by Captain Querbonyer, suffered a revolt two years later accompanied by a series of murders. The remnants of 11 persons were taken off the island by a fishing vessel in 1603. On this failure of la Roche's colony, no sign was left of French claim to the St Lawrence region. To retain some authority and to continue to receive furs in trade, France granted a monopoly to a fur trader named Pierre Chauvin, who would send out vessels each year to the St. Lawrence. In addition, Chauvin would people the area with 50 colonist each year.

    Home

    Articles

    Travel
    Information

    Transportation

    Lodging

    Tours

    Sports &
    Recreation

    Nature

    History

    Books &
    Communications

    Government