João Vaz Corte-Real
João Vaz Corte-Real (death in 1496) was a Explorateur Portuguese of the 15th century, governor of Angra on the island of Terceira, in the the Azores. He was father of three children: Miguel and Gaspar, both explorers, and Vasco Asses.
According to the historian Gaspar Fructuoso, he undertakes two voyages of exploration towards the North-West of the Atlantic Ocean, in order to find a road Western towards the Asia. At the time of the second voyage in 1474, accompanied by Miguel and Gaspar, he discovers the island of Bacalhau or Terra Nova C Bacalhau (literally, Newfoundland of the cods ). This island, which identified forever with certainty, could be Newfoundland, which would make of Corte-Real the precursor of Christophe Colomb of more than twenty years. However, none the Portuguese historians of the 16th century gives a report on this discovery of a new continent, and the historian Henry Harrisse doubts the credibility of Fructuoso.
Perhaps in reward of this discovery, the king of Portugal makes him gift of grounds on the island of Terceira and names it Capitão-Donatário de Angra C Heroísmo ; more probably, it is about a reward for rendered services.
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