History Fact Finder | Exploration and Settlement - Were The Spaniards The First Europeans To Reach North America After The Vikings?

Were the Spaniards the first Europeans to reach North America after the Vikings?

No, it appears that Italian-born explorer John Cabot (1450?–1498?) and Portuguese explorer Gaspar de Corte Real (c.1455-1501?) arrived in North America ahead of the Spanish. On a 1496 voyage sponsored by English king Henry VII (1457–1509), Cabot likely discovered Newfoundland (Canada), which he believed was China. Europeans were looking for the Northwest Passage, a sea route to China, not realizing that two continents lay between Europe and China. In 1500 Corte Real, on a voyage sponsored by Portuguese king Manuel I (1469–1521), also located a northern land. Scholars are not certain whether he sighted Newfoundland or Greenland. Cabot and Corte Real each embarked on a second expedition, but neither returned. Their fates are unknown.

Further Information: Faber, Harold. The Discoverers of America....

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