Estotiland and the Land of Corte Reales

 More Pre-Columbian and Para-Columbian European Contact?

Alleged copy of the Zeno Brothers' map, drawn in 1793

Located on the Zeno map (above) drawn sometime in the late 1390s or early 1400 it appeared on later maps such as the Ortelius map in 1570 (shown below) and on other charts as late as 1660. It was believed to be located somewhere around Labrador, Quebec, and Newfoundland as they appear on modern charts. According to the Zeno brothers of Venice who claimed they voyaged there circa 1390, Estotiland was discovered by European fishermen sometime earlier in the century. They found a land named “Estotiland” whose inhabitants traded with “Engroenelandt” which sounds suspiciously like “Greenland”. The brothers said “The king of this country possessed books written in Latin, which he did not understand. The language that he spoke and his subjects shared no similarity to that of the Vikings.” The Zeno Brothers claim they traveled there with another man they called “Zichnmi” who has been identified by some as Henry Sinclair. The year usually given for Sinclair’s voyage to North America is 1396.

Section of the 1570 Ortelius Map showing Estotiland and Terra Corte Realis

  Regarding its etymology, “estotiland” was a fishermen’s term used to describe stockfish grounds, also known as baccalaos. In modern Spanish “estocafis” is a commercial term for stockfish. The word could also have something to do with harpooning whales. Note on the Ortelius map at the entrance to what is obviously the Gulf of St. Lawrence a reference to “baccalaos”. 

  Considering the location of Estotiland in the far north and its supposed discovery by fishermen, remember the words of Christopher Columbus when he traveled to a similar place in 1477. A place 73 degrees north where the sea was not frozen, where he said "Englishmen from Bristol go there to trade." When John Cabot sailed to what is presumed to be Newfoundland in 1497, evidence suggests he took Bristol merchants with him as guides. Perhaps their colleagues or fathers were trading and harvesting in those waters twenty years prior, and some even earlier than that. 

 Also interesting on the Ortelius map between Estotiland and what is obviously the Gulf of St. Lawrence is a large bay with several rivers emptying into it. One in particular is labeled “R. de Tormenta”. I could find no corresponding river on any map. However, judging by the shape and location, I believe the bay is a primitive depiction of Ungava bay, which makes the River of Torment possibly Hudson Strait. Many places on that part of Ortelius map have names that are obviously Spanish or possibly Portuguese names that have been changed or lost, as there is little or no modern reference to them.

   The Spanish or Portuguese names made more sense when I deciphered the inscription below the River of Torment  “TERRA COR TEREALIS”. After some consideration I understood its meaning.  It should read “Terra Corte Realis” or the land of the Corte-Reals. The Corte-Reals were a family of Portuguese explorers who made several voyages of discovery in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Gaspar Corte-Real, with his father Joao Vaz and brother Miguel are believed to be some of the first Europeans to explore Newfoundland and other parts of what is now Eastern Canada. The land was named for Joao Fernandes Lavrador, another Portuguese explorer who sailed there in 1498. The area is still known as Labrador. Upon arrival, the Corte-Reals found a land of pine trees, large rivers, and berries. Upon the return voyage, one of the three ships, upon which was Gaspar, disappeared. Miguel Corte-Real attempted to return and find his brother the next year but also disappeared. Neither of the men were ever seen again. 

On the Ortelius Map, the River of Torment flows into “Baia de Medaus”. Though the meaning is unclear, that could translate to Bay of Berries. Perhaps Corte-Real saw the same vegetation Leif Erickson mistook for grapes when he named a landing place in the same area Vinland. Near the bay are more likely Portuguese names such as Caravielo (ship?), S. Maria and S. Marco (St. Mary and St. Mark), and S. Ioan (San Joan or St. John). These names merge into the more familiar French place names to the south but farther south still two islands stand out, Dobretan and Arredondo.  While the meaning of Dobretan is unclear (it could mean “kind” or “benevolent”), Arredondo is Portuguese for “rounded”. Baia de los Condes, possibly meaning Cape of the Counts (as in the European title for nobility, though which two Counts the cape is named for is unknown), is farther west and beyond that is C. de Iesus or the Cape of Jesus. These give way to more French names but even farther south near “Apalchen” (a corruption of Appalachia?) are C. de Arenas (Cape of Sand?), C. Doblado (Double Cape?), and C. de S. Ioan (Cape of St. John). Though it is hard to compare landmarks in this part of the Ortelius Map to a modern map, a bay named "C. de Lagos Islas" (Cape of the Lake Islands?) could be Penobscot Bay in Maine, making everything between C. de Arenas and C. de S. Ioan the coasts of modern day Maine and Massachusetts.

Is it possible that in addition to the voyage of the Zeno Brothers and or Henry Sinclar, the Ortelius Map also records the discoveries of the Corte-Reals which later were lost?

Estotiland endured on maps until at least 1650, when it was placed on a more accurate map of eastern North America drawn by French Cartographer Nicolas Sanson. Though he placed it further south than Ortelius, nearer the original location on the Zeno Map, perhaps closer to its true location if there ever was such a place. 

1650 Sanson Map