John Cabot
Italian navigator who led the first English-sponsored voyage to North America.
John Cabot (c. 1450 – c. 1499), born Giovanni Caboto in Italy, was a navigator and explorer. Sailing for King Henry VII of England in 1497, he reached the coast of North America—the first European to do so since the Norse visited Vinland in the 11th century. To mark the 500th anniversary of his voyage, Canada and Britain designated Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland, as his likely landing site, though other spots have been suggested.
Cabot’s name appears in various forms: Giovanni Caboto in Italian, Zuan Caboto in Venetian, Jean Cabot in French, and John Cabot in English. This reflects a common European practice of adapting names to local languages, often followed by the individuals themselves. In Venice, he signed as “Zuan Chabotto,” using the Venetian form of John, and continued this in England among Italians. His Italian banker in London called him “Giovanni” in the only surviving contemporary document with that version. His surname comes from the Latin *caput* (head), linked to a type of fish, possibly a hereditary nickname.
Cabot was born in Italy to Giulio Caboto and his wife, and had a brother named Piero. Gaeta and Castiglione Chiavarese have both been proposed as his birthplace. Evidence for Gaeta includes records of a Caboto family there until the mid-15th century, disappearing after 1443. Pedro de Ayala, the Spanish envoy in London, described Cabot in 1498 as “another Genoese like Columbus.” Cabot’s son Sebastian said his father came from Genoa. Cabot became a Venetian citizen in 1476, requiring at least fifteen years’ residency, so he must have lived in Venice from 1461.
Cabot may have been born slightly before 1450. In 1471, he joined the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, a prestigious confraternity, suggesting he was already respected. After gaining citizenship in 1476, he could engage in maritime trade, likely entering the eastern Mediterranean trade soon after. A 1483 document mentions him selling a slave in Crete, acquired in the Sultan of Egypt’s territories (modern Israel, Syria, Lebanon). This doesn’t prove his later claim of visiting Mecca, made in 1497 to the Milanese ambassador. Such trade may have given him deeper knowledge of Eastern goods like spices and silks.
Venetian records from the late 1480s mention “Zuan Cabotto,” showing he married Mattea by 1484 and had sons Ludovico, Sebastian, and Sancto. He was involved in house b
- born
- c. 1450, Italy (Gaeta or Castiglione Chiavarese proposed)
- died
- c. 1499
- field
- Navigation, exploration
- nationality
- Italian (Venetian citizen)
- known_for
- 1497 voyage to North America under English commission
Lore & Background
John Cabot, known as Giovanni Caboto in Italian and Zuan Cabotto in Venetian, was born in Italy, the son of Giulio Caboto. Gaeta and Castiglione Chiavarese have both been proposed as his birthplace. He became a citizen of the Republic of Venice in 1476, requiring at least fifteen years' residency, indicating he lived in Venice from at least 1461. In 1471 he was accepted into the prestigious Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista. By 1484 he was married to Mattea and had sons Ludovico, Sebastian, and Sancto. He left Venice as an insolvent debtor by November 1488, moving to Valencia, Spain, where he proposed harbor improvements that were rejected. In 1494 he worked on a stone bridge project in Seville that was abandoned. He then sought support in Seville and Lisbon for an Atlantic expedition before moving to London, probably reaching England in mid-1495.
Reader's Guide
John Cabot's 1497 voyage under the commission of Henry VII of England marks the first known European exploration of coastal North America since the Norse. His expedition opened the possibility of English claims in the New World and established a precedent for later English colonization. The 500th anniversary of his voyage led both the Canadian and British governments to declare Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland, as representing his first landing site, though alternative locations have been proposed. Cabot's search for a northern passage to Asia reflected the broader European ambition to find new trade routes. His legacy is tied to the early English exploration of North America, though details of his life remain uncertain, including his exact birthplace and the fate of his later expeditions.
Did You Know?
- Cabot signed his name as 'Zuan Chabotto' in Venice, using a form of John typical to that city.
- He was described by the Spanish envoy in London in 1498 as 'another Genoese like Columbus'.
- Cabot received financial backing from the Bardi family banking firm of Florence in March 1496.
- His royal patent from Henry VII in 1496 required all expeditions to depart from Bristol.
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