The Northmen Columbus and Cabot 985-1503

Edward Gaylord Bourne’s The Northmen Columbus and Cabot 985-1503 explores the early European ventures to the Americas beginning with the Norse explorations around the year 985 continuing with Christopher Columbus’s pivotal voyages and ending with John Cabot's expeditions. Bourne investigates historical records Norse sagas and maritime accounts analyzing each group's contributions to European knowledge of the Western Hemisphere. The book considers the motivations experiences and impacts of these explorers with a particular emphasis on Columbus’s voyages which transformed global navigation and trade. Bourne details the known voyages of the Norse to Greenland and the Canadian coast offering insight into these lesser-known expeditions that predated Columbus by centuries. He then shifts to Columbus's Atlantic crossings and his encounters with the New World contextualizing these journeys within the sociopolitical and economic climate of 15th-century Europe. Cabot’s explorations are covered briefly but effectively marking his role in establishing England’s later claims in North America.