Qanexy

Islands, FRENCH EXPEDITIONS 9

(2) Frencn Exprprtions

The first permanent settlement was made by a
an
French expedition, the private venture of a NormHe
pobleman, Messire Jean de Bethencourt of Caux.
sailed from La Rochelle in 1402, and landed on the
island of Lanzarote in July of the same year. He
shortly afterwards made an expedition into Fuerteven-
tura without much suce After building a fort,
which he called Rubicon, in Lanzarote, he went to
Spain andasked forassistance from the King of Cas-
tille, offering to hold his new dominion as a vassal of
that kingdom. Theoffer was accepted, and the Spanish
dominion in the Canaries is founded on this event.
Before his return his companion Gadifer had sailed
round the whole group and made several landings,t
beingespecially well received in Gomera. Bethencour
on his return completed the conquest of Erbanie or
Fuerteventura, anderected a fort to defend it against
attacks from “the King of Fez,” who claimed the
islands as his own. This fact, together with the men-
tion of “Saracen Kings” in Fuerteventura and Lanza-
rote, makes it probable that the Moslem rulers ot
Morocco, whether of Arab or Berber descent, had been
accustomed to visit the two eastern islands before
Bethencourt’s expedition. Shortly afterwards he
visited Grand Canary, but was driven off. Dissensions
with Gadifer, whoclaimed a sharein the islands which
Bethencourt was not inclined to allow him, added to
the difficulties, and Bethencourt found it necessary to
visit Spain again to obtain further help. Gadifer left
ut the same time; obtainingnosatisfaction in Spain, he
returned to France, and no more is heard of him. It is
evident, however, that whatever success had been
obtained wasto a considerable extent due to his energy.
‘Afterhis return Bethencourt completed the conquest
of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. The Kings, who are
alluded to as both Saracen andheathen, submitted, and
became Christians. Bethencourt next proceeded to
Normandy,and collected a numberofsettlers, whom he