Did Sebastian Cabot discover North America three years before his father's famous 1497 voyage?

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Sebastian Cabot, a navigator who served both English and Spanish crowns, left a legacy shrouded in mystery. While history credits his father, John, with the 1497 discovery of Newfoundland, Sebastian later claimed he reached the continent in 1494. Was this a genuine historical milestone or a calculated political fabrication?

Sebastian Cabot was a navigator and cartographer whose life remains a subject of intense historical debate. Born to the Venetian explorer John Cabot, Sebastian grew up in England and was included in the 1496 royal letters patent from King Henry VII, which authorized his father to search for unknown lands. By 1497, John Cabot had successfully reached the coast of a 'New Found Land,' an event that laid the groundwork for future British claims to Canada. Sebastian’s own early career included an expedition from Bristol in 1504, for which he received an annuity from the English king for his services in finding new lands.

The controversy surrounding Sebastian’s claims stems from a map he published in Antwerp in 1544. On this document, he included a Latin text asserting that he and his father discovered North America on June 24, 1494—three years before the widely accepted 1497 voyage. If true, this would imply the Cabots sailed independently before securing English patronage. However, no contemporaneous documentation exists to support a 1494 expedition, leading many historians to view the date as a potential manipulation.

Historians suggest that Sebastian may have intentionally altered the date to serve the political interests of his later sponsors, such as the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. By claiming an earlier discovery, Sebastian could have been attempting to align the discovery with Spanish or Portuguese interests rather than English ones, reflecting the fierce competition between European powers for control of the New World. Whether a pioneer or a propagandist, Sebastian Cabot remains a figure whose own accounts of his origins and achievements were as fluid as the seas he navigated.

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