Gaspar Corte-Real

Gaspar Corte-Real
Statue of Gaspar Corte-Real in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Born	Gaspar c. 1450 Kingdom of Portugal
Died	1501? Unknown
Nationality	Portuguese
Citizenship	Kingdom of Portugal
Occupation(s)	Navigator and explorer
Known for	Exploring the North American coast.
Parent	João Vaz Corte-Real (father)

Gaspar Corte-Real (c. 1450 – c. 1501?) was a Portuguese explorer.

Early life

He was the youngest of three sons of João Vaz Corte-Real, also a Portuguese explorer, and had accompanied his father on his expeditions to North America. His brothers were also explorers.

Career

In 1500, King Manuel I of Portugal sent Gaspar to discover lands and search for a Northwest Passage to Asia.

He reached Greenland, believing it to be east Asia, but chose not to land. He set out on a second voyage to Greenland in 1501, with his brother Miguel Corte-Real and three caravels. Encountering frozen sea, they changed course to the south and reached land, believed to be Labrador and Newfoundland. There they captured 57 native men, who would later be sold as slaves. Gaspar then sent his brother and two ships back to Portugal before continuing southwards.

Death

Nothing more was ever heard of Gaspar Corte-Real after 1501. His brother Miguel attempted to find him in 1502, but he too never returned.

Tribute

The statue of Gaspar Corte-Real (pictured) is located in front of the Confederation Building in St. John's, Newfoundland. It was donated by the Portuguese Fisheries Organisation in 1965 in recognition of the hospitality of Newfoundlanders towards Portuguese Grand Banks fishermen.

External links

• 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.
• "Cortereal, Gaspar" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.