Portuguese Newfoundland
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Portuguese Newfoundland Terra Nova Portuguesa (Portuguese) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1470s–1502 | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
 "Terra Corte Regalis", circa 1519 | |||||||||||
| Status | Territory of the Portuguese Empire | ||||||||||
| Capital | Unknown | ||||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||||
| King | |||||||||||
• 1470s–1477 (first) | Afonso V | ||||||||||
• 1495–1502
(last) | Manuel I | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Early modern period | ||||||||||
| 1470s | |||||||||||
| Late 15th century and Early 16th century | |||||||||||
• Abandonment of the territory | 1502 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | |||||||||||
Portuguese Newfoundland (Portuguese: Terra Nova Portuguesa) refers to the brief period of Portuguese claim over Newfoundland, now part of Canada.
History
[edit]In 1499, King Manuel I of Portugal issued a license to João Fernandes Lavrador and Pêro de Barcelos to search for lands that fell into their sphere of influence. The expedition was to be funded by Fernandes himself, with the promise of a captaincy and other honors modeled on earlier grants in Madeira. While there are no definitive records of a specific voyage tied to this license, historical evidence suggests that João Fernandes Lavrador conducted multiple expeditions.[1]
In the spring of 1500, Gaspar Corte-Real departed from Lisbon with one ship. During this expedition, he reached a land which he named Terra Verde (Green Land). This area is widely believed to correspond to Newfoundland, north of Cape Breton.[1][2] He embarked on a second voyage in April or May 1501, this time commanding three ships. After failing to reach Greenland due to frozen seas, his fleet turned southward, eventually exploring Labrador, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia. At some point, Gaspar and his ship separated from the rest of the fleet and sailed farther south. He was never seen or heard from again. The other two caravels returned to Portugal, reporting their discoveries.[1][2]
Following his brother's disappearance, Miguel Corte-Real led an expedition in 1502 to search for Gaspar.[1][2] Miguel's voyage retraced the routes explored earlier. Like his brother, Miguel's expedition vanished, leaving no survivors or definitive records of his fate.[1][2]
Abandonment of the territory, 1502
[edit]After the disappearance of the Corte-Real brothers, Portugal did not carry out another expedition to Newfoundland. The following year, in 1503, Vasco Anes Corte-Real requested permission to set out in search of his missing brothers, but the king, fearing another disappearance, did not authorize the expedition. However, that year two ships set out for the northwest Atlantic, but their searches were in vain.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Diffie, Bailey W; Winius, George D (1977). Foundations of the Portuguese empire. University of Minnesota Press. pp. 464–465. ISBN 978-0-8166-0782-2. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Vigneras, L.-A. (1979) [1966]. "Corte-Real, Gaspar". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.