60 Cabot, John (c 1451–c 1498) and Sebastian (c 1483–1557) After reuniting with his countrymen and returning to Spain in 1537, Cabeza de Vaca was appointed governor of the Río de la Plata region Undertaking further remarkable overland odysseys in South America, he ran afoul of the authorities, was imprisoned for two years, and was sent back to Spain, where he was found guilty but pardoned by the king His odyssey inspired an award-winning film (Cabeza de Vaca, 1991), further testimony to the enduring interest inspired by his extraordinary odyssey as described in his Relación See also voyages of discovery Further reading: Hallenbeck, Cleve Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: The Journey and Route of the First Europeans to Cross the Continent of North America Glendale, CA: Arthur H Clark, 1940; Covey, Cyclone, translator and annotator Cabeza de Vaca’s Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1993 Michael J Schroeder Cabot, John (c 1451–c 1498) and Sebastian (c 1483–1557) European explorers Key figures among the European explorers during the age of discovery whose exploits gave important knowledge of the Americas to their European patrons, John Cabot (c 1451–98) and his son, Sebastian Cabot (c John and Sebastian Cabot are credited with the discovery of North America, although their exact landing spot is not known 1483–1557), have long been a source of controversy and speculation regarding various aspects of their lives and achievements Probably born in Genoa around 1451, John Cabot moved to Venice in his youth, where he became a naturalized citizen Believing, like Christopher Columbus, that he could reach the Far East by sailing west, he journeyed to England in the 1480s, residing mainly in Bristol until March 1496, when King Henry VII granted him the authority to launch an expedition of discovery in his name Sailing from Bristol on May 20, 1497, with one ship and a crew of 18, he reached the North American coast on June 24 It is not known whether his son, Sebastian, accompanied him The precise location of his landing is a matter of some dispute but is generally believed to be Cape Breton Island Cabot is conventionally credited with “discovering” North America on behalf of his English patrons, even though the fish-rich seas off the coast of northern North America had been visited for most of the previous century by commercial fishermen of various European nationalities Regardless of which European first sighted the North American mainland during this era, Cabot’s claims of discovery became the basis for English claims to North America Rewarded for his discovery with an annual pension of 20 pounds, Cabot launched a second voyage in 1498 He was never heard from again and is presumed to have died in or near North America His son, Sebastian, also received a patent from the king of England to continue the explorations begun by his father Searching for the fabled Northwest Passage through the Americas to the Far East, he is generally believed to have explored the northern shores of North America, perhaps sailing as far as Hudson Bay, in 1508–09 In 1512, he switched patrons, entering the Spanish service under Holy Roman Emperor Charles V In 1518, he was named chief pilot, and in 1526, following the return of the ship of Ferdinand Magellan, he sailed to the Río de la Plata region of southern South America, probably searching for gold and other treasure In 1530, after the expedition had largely failed, he returned to Spain In 1548, he switched patrons again, returning to England and in 1553 becoming governor of a joint-stock company, later known as the Muscovy Company, much of whose capital was expended in the failed effort to discover the Northwest Passage One of the company’s expeditions did reach the White Sea, culminating in a commercial treaty with Russia and substantial weakening of the Hanseatic League Sebastian Cabot claimed for himself many of the discoveries and