Chapter 2 - Cabot and His Times
The people of Europe who were interested in exploring the unknown world ere impeded in their efforts for an extended period of time. The Hundred Years War between England and France 1338-1453; The War of the Roses in England between the houses of York and Lancaster 1455-1485; the unsettled political conditions in Spain and Portugal and elsewhere in Europe, dampened the enthusiasm of the few who would explore beyond the known horizon. By the 1480s, the situation began to change and voyages of exploration were being attempted.
The Paston Letters 1422-1509 are the earliest collection of English letters and were written by and to members of the Paston family of Paston, Norfolk, England. They indicate, among other things, that the establishment of that time was concerned more with the various wars than were the people in general, who were mainly undisturbed in their lives by the various conflicts. This, of course, gave merchant adventure the opportunity to embark on voyages of exploration under the guise of fishing or trading and at a later date request a permit (Letters Patent) from the Crown. When John Cabot appeared on the scene they saw in him the means of making their future voyages legal.
To accurately pinpoint the date of birth or the birthplace of John Cabot using today’s information is not impossible. Most historians have suggested that the most likely site of his birth is Genoa in present day Italy. Local tradition says he was born at Gaeta in the kingdom of Naples. The city is situated approximately 70 miles south of Rome on the Gulf of Gaeta in the Tynhenton Sea. There was a Caboto family living at Gaeta until 1443 after which they were not listed as residents, although they may have been related to John Cabot. However, there were people with the Caboto surname living in the region of Genoa around the same time. If John Cabot was born around 1449 or 1450, as most historians believe, he was probably not born at Gaeta. He died in 1498 or 1499 after or during his last voyage to North America.
Cabot became a citizen of Venice sometime between November 9, 1471 and July 28, 1473 during the time Nicolo Tron was magistrate there. This would preclude Venice as his place of birth although he was called a Venetian by some writers who may have taken Cabot to be a Venetian because his wife Mattea was born there. His father whose name was Egidius or Guilio Cabot had been a merchant and this may account for Cabot's success in his different business ventures, having learned the fine points of negotiation from this father. John had a brother Piero. He had three sons, Lewis, Sebastian and Sancio, all of whom were listed in the Letters Patent granted by Henry VII of England in 1496. Sebastian who was born around 1484, probably at Venice, is the only son well known in history.
During his time in Venice, John Cabot was employed as a merchant or merchant's agent. Around the year 1483 he was travelling widely on business going east to Mecca where he had dealings in the spice trade. It may have been here that he learned the source of the spices and conceived the idea of going west to reach the east, thus gaining control of this lucrative enterprise. This great idea, of course, did not bear fruit because it was the Portuguese who gained control by opening a sea route around the Cape of Good Hope to the east. this monopoly was to last for one hundred years and excluded the spice caravans, the Arabs and the Venetian traders from this profitable business.
John Cabot was an elusive character because of the lack of documentation on his movements. There was a John Cabot Montecalunya resident in Valencia, a city on the east coast of Spain, who was involved in planning a harbour project there in 1492. He was most probably the same John Cabot, as he was a Venetian citizen and from the only Cabot family known in Venice at the time.
In the spring of 1493, news was received in Spain that Christopher Columbus had reached the mainland of Asia. He was summoned to court by the King and Queen of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella, at Barcelona. He was well received as he rode along the land route from Lisbon to Palos, through Seville, Valencia and finally the court. Starting at the Canary Islands, he had sailed to Asia in thirty-four days, a much shorter voyage than the scientific community of the time had calculated, and of course they were eventually proven correct. He had in fact reached the islands we now call the West Indies.
What was the reaction of John Cabot who was in Valencia at the time that Columbus journeyed through the area in the spring of 1493? As a mariner and a maker of maps and globes, did Cabot believe that Columbus had reached Asia? Did he believe that the natives brought back to Spain by the explorer were from the land of spices? Did Cabot who had been to Alexandria and to Mecca and had talked to Arab traders about the far east and who had read Marco Polo's book about his great journey believe that Columbus had reached China? To say the least, he must have had doubts and in fact may have been convinced that Columbus was mistaken in believing that he had discovered Cathay.
Around this time John Cabot made overtures to the monarchs of Spain and Portugal to lead an expedition into the North West Atlantic Ocean in search of the far east. Having talked to merchants from Bristol who had discovered rich fishing grounds and an extensive land mass in the area after 1450, he was certain in his own mind that he could find China. He did not receive support for his project, partly because Spain was occupied with Columbus' discovery and war politics in the region. Portugal was interested in trade around the Cape of Africa to the far east and area politics also interfered.
After Christopher Columbus returned from the West Indies in 1493, John Cabot decided to travel to England to seek support of his idea of sailing westward into the North West Atlantic. He had heard stories of the Bristol men fishing far to the west with a land mass near the fishing grounds and decided to endeavour to see this land and find a passage around it to the east. Sometime in 1495 he arrived in England ready to persuade the Bristol merchants to back him in his enterprise. Since they knew of land 2000 miles to the west, the plum Cabot dangled before them was the capture of the spice trade to Europe. Spice was then transported from the far east to the near east and then to Europe and in the case of England through Southhampton. The finding of a new route to the east would give Bristol and the merchants a monopoly on the spice trade and they endorsed his plan with great enthusiasm.
Cabot, with the assistance of the Bristol merchants went to London for talks with Henry VII on the proposed voyage. By January 21, 1496, Cabot was having discussions with the King and on March 5 of that year, Henry VII grantedto Cabot and his sons, letters patent to seek new lands to the west.
THE PETITION OF JOHN CABOT AND HIS SONS,
THE FIRST LETTERS PATENT GRANTED TO JOHN CABOT AND HIS SONS, 5 MARCH 1496
MARCH 1496
Memorandum that on the fifth day of March, in the eleventh year of King Henry
the Seventh, the following bill was considered by the Lord Chancellor of England
at Westminster:
To the kyng our sovereigne lord:
Please it your highness of your moste noble and haboundant grace graunt unto
John Cabotto, Citezen of Venice, Lewes, Sebastyan and Soncia, hissonnys, your
gracious letters patentes under your grete seale in due forme to be made
according to the tenour heareafter ensuying. And they shall during their lyves
pray to God for the prosperous continuance of your moste noble and royall astate
long to enduer.
For John Cabot and his Sons
The King, to all to whom, etc. Greeting: Be it known and made manifest that we have given and granted as by these presents we give and grant, for us and our heirs, to our well-beloved John Cabot, citizen of Venice, and to Lewis, Sebastian and Sancio, sons of the said John, and to the heirs and deputies of
them, and of any one of them, full and free authority, faculty and power to sail to all parts, regions and coasts of the eastern, western and northern sea, under our banners, flags and ensigns, with five ships or vessels of whatsoever burden and quality they may be, and with so many and with such mariners and men as they
may wish to take with them in the said ships, at their own proper costs and charges, to find, discover and investigate whatsoever islands, countries, regions or provinces of heathens and infidels, in whatsoever part of the world placed, which before this time were unknown to all Christians. We have also granted to them and to any of them, and to the heirs and deputies of them and any on e of the, and have given licence to set up our aforesaid banners and ensigns in any town, city castle, island or mainland whatsoever, newly found by
them. And that the before-mentioned John and his sons or their heirs and deputies may conquer, occupy and possess whatsoever such towns, castles, cities and islands by them thus discovered that they may be able to conquer, occupy and possess, as our vassals and governors lieutenants and deputies therein,
acquiring for us the dominion, title and jurisdictionof the same towns, castles, cities, islands and mainlands so discovered; in such a way nevertheless that of all the fruits, profits, emoluments, commodities gains and revenues accruing from this voyage, the said John and sons and their heirs and deputies shall be
bounden and under obligation for every their voyage, as often as they shall arrive at our port of Bristol, at which they are bound and holden only to arrive, all necessary charges and expenses incurred by them having been deducted, to pay to us, either in goods or money, the fifth part of the whole capital gained, we giving and granting to them and to their heirs and deputies, that they shall be free and exempt from all payment of customs on all and singular the goods and merchandise that they may bring back with them from those
places thus newly discovered.
And further we have given and granted to them and to their heirs and deputies, that all mainlands, islands, towns, cities, castles and other places whatsoever discovered by them, however numerous they may happen to be, may not be frequented or visited by any other subjects of ours whatsoever without the licence of the aforesaid John and his sons and of their deputies, on pain of the loss as well of the ships or vessels daring to sail to these places discovered, as of all goods whatsoever. Willing and strictly commanding all singular our
subjects as well by land as by sea thatthey shall render good assistance to the aforesaid John and his sons and deputies, and that they shall give them all their favour and help as well in fitting out the ships or vessels as in buying stores and provisions with their money and in providing the other things which they must take with them on the said voyage. In witness whereof, etc.
Witness ourself at Westminster on the fifth day of March.
By the King himself, etc.