The later fifteenth century was an age of maritime discovery. In 1488, the Portuguese Bartholemew Diaz had rounded the Cape of Good Hope (southern Africa); and in 1492, Christopher Columbus, in the service of the King of Spain, had discovered the Caribbean islands of the New World. Not wishing to miss out on any new land (and wealth), Henry VII supported John Cabot in a bid to sail across the Atlantic. Although driven back by poor weather in 1496, Cabot (with his son Sebastian) sailed from Bristol to Cape Breton, Newfoundland, in 1497. In 1498, John Cabot and his fleet of five ships set out on a further voyage but were never heard of again. The following year, Sebastian Cabot, led a search expedition and extensively explored the North American coast from Labrador to the Grand Banks off Carolina.
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