Early Explorers Social Studies (official)

Christopher Columbus (first voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Aug 3, 1492

Columbus sets sail with crew and three ships (the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria).

Christopher Columbus (first voyage) [2] - sailed for Spain

Oct 12, 1492

Ships make landfall on San Salvador (Columbus believes it to be the East Indies and sails around to the islands in the Caribbean looking for the riches he expected).

Christopher Columbus (first voyage) [3] - sailed for Spain

Jan 1, 1493

He leaves some men in a makeshift settlement on Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and sets off for Spain.

Christopher Columbus (second voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Sep 1, 1493

Columbus returns to the Americas and finds the settlement destroyed. He leaves part of the crews, his brother Bartolomeo and Diego Columbus, and the enslaved natives to rebuild. Then he heads west on a search for gold which proves fruitless

John Cabot (first voyage) [1] - sailed for England

May 1, 1497

Cabot sails out of Bristol (England) on the ship "Matthew" with a crew of 18 men.

John Cabot (first voyage) [2] - sailed for England

Jun 24, 1497

They make landfall in North America (most likely in southern Labrador, the island of Newfoundland, or Cape Breton Island). Cabot takes the land for King Henry VII

John Cabot (first voyage) [3] - sailed for England

Aug 1, 1497

Returns to Bristol with favourable reports, Cabot believing he had reached Asia's northeast coast (much like Columbus).

John Cabot (second voyage) [1] - sailed for England

May 1, 1498

Sets off from Bristol with around five ships and 200 men. This time he continues westward from the first landfall in North America until he reaches Cipangu (Japan).

Christopher Columbus (third voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

May 1, 1498

Columbus sails across the Atlantic again and visits Trinidad and South American mainland. He sails to the Hispaniola settlement where a revolt against the tyrannical Columbus brothers was staged. The natives (Taino) population are wiped out, and Columbus is sent home in chains.

John Cabot (second voyage) [2] - sailed for England

Jul 1, 1498

One ship is damaged and seeks anchorage in Ireland. Believed to have been caught in a storm.

John Cabot (second voyage) [3] - sailed for England

1499

Cabot is presumed to be dead.

Amerigo Vespucci (first voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Period: May 1, 1499 to Jun 1, 1500

Vespucci sent as navigator on an expedition under the commands of Alonso de Ojeda (He sails around the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast from Florida to Chesapeake Bay). He is believed to have discovered the mouth of the Amazon river and Cape St. Augustine, he encountered Trinidad, the mouth of the Orinoco river, and Haiti.

Vasco Núñez de Balboa (first voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Period: 1500 to 1510

Balboa joined an expedition that explored the coast of what is now Columbia, then returning to Hispaniola and attempting to make a living off farming. In 1510, he stowed away on a ship bringing supplies to a colony in San Sebastian, also located on Columbia's coast, after falling into debt. Finding the colony mostly desolate, Balboa suggested they move it to the western part of the Gulf of Urabá. Darién (the colony's new name) was the first stable settlement of Spain in South America.

Pedro Álvares Cabral (first voyage) [1] - sailed for Portugal

Period: Mar 9, 1500 to Jun 23, 1501

King Manuel I of Portugal sent Cabral on an expedition to India, with Cabral leaving on March 9th, 1500. Following Vasco da Gama's route, sighting and claiming Brazil for Portugal on the 22nd of April, 1500. After 10 days in Brazil, he continued on his route to India, fighting with Muslim traders over their spice route and encountering shipwrecks along the way. He traded spices in India in the early January of 1501, and finally returned to Portugal on the 23rd of June of that year.

Amerigo Vespucci (second voyage) [1] - sailed for Portugal

Period: May 13, 1501 to Jul 22, 1502

This time under Portugal's sponsorship, Vespucci sets off from Lisbon (Portugal) and halts at the Cape Verde Islands before moving southwestwards and reaching Brazil's coast. Vespucci claims to have continued to the south. Although disputed, he may have sighted Guanabara Bay and discovered Río de la Plata, making him the first European to. If he continued further South he could have journeyed along the coast of Patagonia (current southern Argentina). He returned to Lisbon on July 22, 1502.

Christopher Columbus (fourth voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

1502

Free from most charges but stripped of his nobility, Columbus convinces the Spanish royalty to pay for one last trip which ends in Panama - mere miles from the Pacific Ocean. He returns to Spain with empty hands and lacking 2 of his 4 ships.

Juan Ponce de León (first voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Period: 1502 to 1509

In 1502, Ponce de León was serving as a captain under Nicolás de Ovando in the West Indies, when he was gifted the position of governor of the eastern provinces of Hispaniola after suppressing a rebellion from the Native Americans. From 1508 to 1509, he explored and founded a settlement (the oldest of the colony, Caparra) on Puerto Rico, after hearing reports of gold there.

Hernán Cortés (first voyage) [1] - Sailed for Spain

1511

Cortés joins Diego Velázquez on an expedition to Cuba in 1511, becoming the mayor of Santiago.

Vasco Núñez de Balboa (second voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Period: 1511 to Sep 1, 1513

Balboa was acting as a temporary governor of Darién by 1511 and forcefully acquired information from the natives. In September 1513, Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama in search of a wealthy empire that the local natives had talked of. Later that month, he climbed a mountain and became the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean.

Francisco Pizarro (first voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

1513

Pizarro was the captain of the 1513 voyage where Vasco Núñez de Balboa became the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean.

Juan Ponce de León (second voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Period: Mar 1, 1513 to 1514

Leading a private expedition in the March of 1513, he became the first European to reach Florida, landing on its coast a month after. Sailing southwards until he ended up on Florida's west coast, he then returned to Spain after stopping by Puerto Rico. He was given the title of military governor of Bimini and Florida in 1514, and given permission to colonise those areas.

Vasco Núñez de Balboa (third voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Period: 1517 to 1518

The appointed governor of Darién that took over Balboa's spot, rewarded the position of governor of Panama and Coiba to him instead. Pedro Arias Dávila, the governor of Darién, allowed Balboa to explore and conquer the Pacific Ocean and the lands surrounding it. This became his last expedition, however, when Dávila had Balboa executed in fear of him threatening his position of governor.

Hernán Cortés (second voyage) [3] - Sailed for Spain

Period: 1519 to Aug 13, 1521

Cortés returned to Tenochtitlan, finding a rebellion struck by the murders of the Aztec chiefs by Alvarado. The Aztec forces forced them out of the city, but Montezuma was killed and much of the loot the Spanish had acquired was lost. In the Battle of Otumba on the 7th of July, 1520, Cortés defeated the Aztecs and on August 13, 1521, he finally gained control of Tenochtitlan - causing the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Hernán Cortés (second voyage) [1] - Sailed for Spain

Feb 1, 1519

Cortés was supposed to sail for Mexico in 1518, but Velázquez cancelled the trip. He set sail anyways, with 500 men and 11 ships, arriving on February 1519. The locals in Tabasco (Mexico) gave him gifts, one of which became his interpreter, Marina, and he learned knowledge of the land he desired to conquer. He then landed in Veracruz (Mexico) and was elected Chief Justice.

Hernán Cortés (second voyage) [2] - Sailed for Spain

Nov 8, 1519

Allied with the locals of Tabasco, Cortés fought Tlaxacan and Cholula warriors, then turned to conquer the Aztec empire. He entered Tenochtitlan, the capital city and home to the ruler Montezuma II on November 11, 1519. Montezuma welcomed them, mistaking them as prophesied envoys from the god Quetzalcoatl. Cortés took him hostage and his soldiers raided the city. Learning that Pánfilo Narváez was arriving to arrest him, he fled and left Pedro de Alvarado along with 80 men to hold the city.

Pánfilo de Narváez (first voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Mar 1, 1520

On orders from Diego Velásquez to arrest and replace Hernán Cortés for treason, Narváez set off in March of 1520 from Cuba to Mexico. After being defeated, he was taken prisoner and released the following year, then returning to Cuba.

Juan Ponce de León (third voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

1521

Ponce de León set off for Florida once again, settling somewhere around Charlotte Harbor. He died in Cuba, after being struck by an arrow during an attack from the Native Americans in Florida.

Giovanni da Verrazzano (first voyage) [1] - sailed for France

Period: 1522 to Jan 17, 1524

Verrazzano met and convinced King Francis I somewhere between 1522 to 1523 to let him explore the West on behalf of France, and had 4 ships (Delfina, Normanda, Santa Maria, and Vittoria) prepared. Of the four, only Delfina managed to get to the New World, with the Santa Maria and Vittoria lost at sea, and the Delfina and Normanda battling Spanish ships.

Francisco Pizarro (second voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Period: 1524 to 1525

Pizarro and Diego de Almagro cooperate with a priest to embark on a first expedition along the west coast of South America. This expedition failed, but Pizarro and Almagro would go again with the priest in 1526.

Giovanni da Verrazzano (first voyage) [2] - sailed for France

Period: Jan 17, 1524 to 1524

On January 17, 1524, the Delfina left for the voyage, and after 50 days at sea, land was sighted. Verrazzano sailed south and reached Florida's northern tip, then turning to the north and on April 17, 1524, he entered the Bay of New York and reached Manhattan. A storm pushed the Delfina and came to a stop at modern-day Newport, Rhode Island. After interacting with the locals for two weeks, Verrazzano finally returning to France in July 1524.

Francisco Pizarro (third voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Period: 1526 to 1528

Repeating the journey, Pizarro ended up in Peru this time. Hearing of great riches and a ruler who owned them, Pizarro returned to Spain once again, this time to get King Charles of Spain's permission to claim the land for Spain.

Pánfilo de Narváez (second voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Period: Jun 17, 1527 to Feb 1, 1528

Narváez received permission from Charles V to colonise lands westward from Florida, and on the 17th of June, 1527, he set off from Spain. 140 of the 600 men deserted their posts in Santa Domingo, and 2 of 5 ships sank in a storm near Cuba. Narváez left Cuba in late February 1528, then sailed to and claimed the land around Florida's Tampa Bay for Spain.

Giovanni da Verrazzano (second voyage) [1] - sailed for France

1528

Verrazzano went on a final voyage with his brother, Girolamo, in the March of 1528. They sailed along the coast of Florida and ended up in the Caribbean. When a seemingly empty island was spotted south of Jamaica, Verrazzano left to explore it when cannibalistic natives proceeded to kill and eat them, as Girolamo and the crew left on the main ship watched helplessly.

Pánfilo de Narváez (second voyage) [2] - sailed for Spain

Period: May 1, 1528 to Nov 1, 1528

Continuing on land, they eventually had to build additional ships in the May of 1528, due to the absence of the expedition's ships that had failed to rescue them. In late September, 245 men sailed on these vessels in the hopes of reaching Mexico, but as the journey continued on, the ships were lost and so was Narváez in early November 1528, when his ship was blown out to sea. From the beginning 600, only 4 men survived the ordeal.

Francisco Pizarro (fourth voyage) [1] - sailed for Spain

Period: 1531 to 1533

King Charles agrees to his request and Pizarro leaves Panama along with 3 of his half-brothers (Gonzalo, Hernando and Juan Pizarro) in 1531. Pizarro enters the city of Cajamarca (Peru) in November of 1532 and takes the newly crowned Inca leader Atahualpa hostage. After being paid a large sum as his ransom, Pizarro kills the ruler anyways in 1533. He then conquered another Inca city, Cuzco, and founded the now capital of Peru - Lima.

Jacques Cartier (first voyage) [1] - Sailed for France

Apr 20, 1534

Cartier may have travelled to the Americas before his major voyages. He was commissioned by King Francis I to explore North America or gold, spices, and a passage to Asia. On April 20th, Cartier left France and arrived in North America in a few weeks. He travelled along Newfoundland's coast and discovered Prince Edward Island, then exploring the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Having kidnapped 2 American natives, he sailed back to France.

Jacques Cartier (second voyage) [1] - Sailed for France

Period: 1535 to 1536

King Francis sent him back the following year of his first major voyage to explore the area further. With the 2 Natives as guides, he sailed through the St. Lawrence again, establishing a base near an Iroquois village that welcomed them. He tried to sail to Montreal but navigation was blocked by rapids. He learned that further west lay precious ores and spices, but the harsh winter and earned enmity of the Iroquois lead to them escaping to France with only information and some Iroquois chiefs.

Jacques Cartier (third voyage) [1] - Sailed for France

1541

Roberval, a nobleman, and Cartier were commissioned to establish a colony, with Cartier arriving in Quebec on August 23, 1541, without Roberval. He could not get beyond the rapids near Montreal but found ores. He then sailed back to France without waiting for Roberval, whom he encountered when he stopped in Newfoundland. Ordered to return to the colony, he continued to France and was followed by Roberval after a winter. The minerals found were valueless, and France lost interest in the islands.

Francis Drake (first voyage) [1] - sailed for England

1572

Drake comes to Queen Elizabeth I's attention through his two previous successful expeditions and is granted a privateer's commission. In 1572, he uses the commission to plunder Spanish ports in the Caribbean, captures the port of Nombre de Dios and crosses the Isthmus of Panama where he sees the Pacific Ocean. He returns to England and is lauded as a leading privateer due to his large collection of Spanish treasure.

Francis Drake (second voyage) [1] - sailed for England

1577

Queen Elizabeth I commissions Drake to go on an expedition around South America using the Straits of Magellan. Arriving on the coast of Argentina, Drake has one of his co-leaders beheaded for an alleged mutiny plot.

Francis Drake (second voyage) [3] - sailed for England

Period: Jul 1, 1577 to Sep 1, 1580

Drake anchored near what would be modern-day San Francisco after plundering Spanish ports along South America's west coast, claiming and naming the land New Albion for Queen Elizabeth I. On his way back across the Pacific, he stopped at the Molucca Islands and bought spices in July 1597, sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and finally returned to England's Plymouth Harbour in September 1580. Queen Elizabeth knighted the then popular hero on the Golden Hind a few months later.

Francis Drake (second voyage) [2] - sailed for England

Oct 1, 1578

2 of 5 ships are lost to a storm, and the other co-leader turns one back to England, and the fourth disappears. Drake's ship, later renamed the Golden Hind from the Pelican, is the only out of 5 ships to reach the Pacific Ocean in October 1578.

Francis Drake (defeat of Spanish Armada) [1] - sailed for England

Period: 1585 to 1588

Queen Elizabeth gave Drake command of 25 ships which he then used to ravage Spanish ports in Florida's coast during a time of hostility between England and Spain. While returning, he picked up a failed English colony on Roanoke Island and plundered the port of Cádiz (Spain), successfully destroying many of the ships in the Armada. In 1588, the English won the fight against them.

Francis Drake (third voyage) [1] - sailed for England

Period: 1589 to 1596

Queen Elizabeth commissions Drake for a voyage after a failed expedition to Portugal in 1598. The 1596 expedition against Spanish possessions in the West Indies does not go well, with the Spanish fending the English off. Drake dies of fever and dysentery shortly thereafter.