PERIOD OF DISCOVERY FROM NORSEMEN TO COLUMBUS, 458-1492 458 Buddhist said to have visited Fu Sang, supposed to have been America. Noddoda, a Norse sea rover discovered Iceland and named it Snowland. 875 Norsemen made their first settlement in Iceland. 876 A Western Land reported sighted by Gsumbroin. 983 Land discovered by Eric the Red, and named Greenland. 986 Eric makes his second voyage from Iceland to Greenland. Driven south by storms, Bjarni, in an attempt to sail from Iceland for Greenland, makes land at Cape Cod or Nantucket, off the Massachusetts coast, also at New Foundland, thence returning home to Greenland. 1000 Leif, son of Eric the Red, voyages in search of land reported seen by Bjarni. 1001 Leif, voyages, touching the Labrador coast, stops near Boston, Massachusetts, and sailing farther south remains for the winter. Loading his vessel with timber, returns to Greenland, in the following spring. He called the land Vinland from its great quantity of grapes found. 1002 Thorwald, Leif's brother, visits Vinland, and winters near Mount Hope Bay, Rhode Island. 1003 Thorwald sent a party of his men to explore the coast, conceded by historians perhaps as far as Cape May, to the south. 1004 Thorwald, explores the New England coast eastward, and is said to have been killed in a fight or skirmish with the natives or Indians, near Boston, Massachusetts. 1005 Thorwald's companions after his death returned to Greenland. 1007 Thorfinn, Karlsefui, sailed with ships and emigrants, including women, from Greenland to establish a colony in Vinland, (America). Landing in Rhode Island, he remained in Vinland for about three years, where he had a son, Snorre. 1121 An Iceland manuscript mentions a bishop in Vinland. 1125 The Norsemen continue their occasional visits to Vinland. 1135 Icelandic manuscripts show other voyages to Vinland about this time. 1147 Norsemen again mentioned as visiting Vinland. 1170 The Prince of North Wales, (Madoc), tradition has it, sailed westward, and reports the discovery of a "pleasant country,' ," and according to tradition it is further asserted that he returned with many ships to this western country but is never heard of again. Eskimos appear in Greenland. 1349 1367-73 Map of the Atlantic by Pizigani, appeared. 1394 With a number of ships Niccolo Zeno, a Venetian navigator, is accredited as having visited Greeland and presumably Vinland. 1400 About this time all communication with Greenland ceases. 1404 The Canary Islands settled by Jean de Bethencourt, 1419 Two captains of Prince Henry of Portugal were driven by a storm to an uninhabited island which they named Port Santo or Holy Port, now the Madeira Islands. map of Greenland, gives the earliest delineation of any 1435 Columbus born about this time. (The date of his birth is uncertain.) 1477 Iceland visited by Columbus. Travels of Marco Polo, first printed. 1484 Columbus departs to visit Portugal seeking the aid of John II but is deterred near the port of Palos de Maynico in Andalusia, said to have been visited by Columbus about this time. 1485-86 Columbus visits Ferdinand and Isabella at Cordova, in Spain. 1487-91 : Columbus views referred to a junto of ecclesiastics who declared them impractical. Journeys to lay his projects before Charles VIII of France. Columbus sails from Spain for France to lay his projects before Charles VIII of France. 1492 April 17, Understanding reached and arrangements made between Ferdinand and Isabella with Columbus. August 3, Columbus sails from Palos, in Andalusia, on his first voyage with three vessels supplied by the Spanish sovereigns, the "Santa Maria, "with Columbus in command, the "Pinta," under Martin Alonso Pinzon, and the "Nina,'' under Vincente Yenez Pinzon, (brother of Martin). The combined crews consisted of one hundred and four men. (September 6, Columbus leaves the Canary Islands. October 7, Columbus changes his course from due west to southwest, influenced it is said by Pinzon; the original course had it been maintained would have taken Columbus to the mainland, striking the coast of Florida. October 12, Land was discovered by a sailor on the “Nina," Ridrigo de Triana by name, at 2 A. M., on Friday. Columbus lands on one of the Bahama, (Guanahani), and takes possession in the name of Ferdinand and Isabella, of Castile, and in their honor names it San Salvador. October 28, Columbus discovers Cuba. December 6, Columbus discovered Hispaniola, (now Haiti), and builds a fort, La Navidad. PERIOD OF COLONIZATION, 1492-1607 1493 January 4, Columbus abandoned the "Santa Maria," and sails for Spain in the "Nina." March 15, Columbus reaches Palos. April, Columbus is received with distinguished honor by the Spanish Court at Barcelona. May 3-4, Pope Alexander VI. issues his Bull of demarcation between Spain and Portugal. Columbus issues a letter to Ferdinand and Isabella, describing his voyage. First set forth printed in Latin. September 25, Columbus sails on his second voyage of discovery from Cadiz. December, Columbus's fleet on his second trip of discovery, consisted of seventeen vessels and 1,500 men, together with animals and material for colonization. He discovered the Caribbee Islands, Dominica, Nov. 3. Guadaloupe, Nov. 4, Antigua, Nov. 10. December finding his previous settlement destroyed and the colony dispersed. Founds Isabella, in Hispaniola, the first Christian city in the New World. May 3, Columbus discovers Jamaica. 1494 June 13, Columbus discovers Evangelista, (now the Isle of Pines). War with the natives of Hispaniola. 1495-6 Columbus visits various islands and explores their coasts. 1496 June 11, Columbus returns to Spain to meet preferred charges and reaches Cadiz. June 24, John Cabot with his sons, under patent from Henry VII of England, discovers Labrador on the North East Coast. 1497 /June 24, The North American Continent is discovered by John Cabot. 1498 July 31, Columbus discovers Trinidad, Margarita and Contigua. August 1, Columbus lands on terra firma without knowledge of its being a new continent, and names it Isla Santa. 1499 May 30, Columbus sails with six ships on his third voyage. June, Alonzo de Ojeda discovers coast along the northern shores of the continent and names the country Venezuela. Americus Vespucci accompanies him on this voyage. 1500 January 20, Brazil discovered by Vincent Yanez Pinzon. Jan. 26, Pinzon discovers the Amazon River, Brazil, South America. May 3, The Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvarez de Cabral lands in Brazil.- Labrador discovered by Gasper Cortereal, in the service of Portugal, and sails along the shores of North America, but his only exploit was carrying natives to Portugal as slaves. July, Spain appointed Francisco de Boladilla, Governor of Hispaniola. December 17, Columbus arrested on his voyage to Spain by Boladilla, at Hispaniola, but is received with honor at the Court and charges dismissed without inquiry. Las Casas's publishes the first map to show America. 1501 May, Americus Vespucci sails on his second voyage. 1502-3 The South American coast explored by Americus Vespucci. 1502 May 9, Columbus starts on his fourth voyage of discovery with four vessels and about one hundred and fifty men, from Cadiz. June 13, Martinique, in the West Indies, discovered by Columbus. July, Columbus discovers various islands on the coast of Honduras, and explores the Isthmus coast. 1504 September 12, Columbus takes final leave of the New World, and voyages for Spain. November 26, Isabella, Queen of Spain, dies. 1506 May 20, Christopher Columbus dies at Valladolid, Spain. The southern coast of Yucatan, visited by Juan Diaz de Solis, and Vincenti Yanez. 1507 Martin Waldseemueller's map of the New World appeared, in which he proposed the name of America to the region discovered by Columbus and Cabot. 1509 Ponce de Leon made Governor of Porto Rico. Afterwards appointed Governor of the country. First English publication mentioning America appeared. 1510 Vasco de Nunez Balboa starts on his first exploration. Francisco Pizarro reaches Darien. San Sebastian, the first colony in South America founded by Alonzo de Ojeda. This was the first attempt to take possession of the mainland in America. 1511 Don Diego Velasquez subjugates Cuba and founds Havana. 1513 March 27, Juan Ponce de Leon, sailing from Porto Rico, in search of the fountain of youth, discovers Florida. April 2, Juan Ponce de Leon lands near St. Augustine, Florida, plants a cross, and takes possession in the name of the Spanish monarch. Spaniards at Darien hear of the Empire of the Incas. September 25, The Isthmus of Darien crossed by Vasco de Nunez Balboa, and the Pacific Ocean discovered and taken possession of in the name of the King of Spain, calling it the South Sea." |