Prince Henry Part III

Prince Henry Sinclair with Admiral Antonio Zeno as his fleet commander set sail from the Shetland islands in 1398. Antonio had been in his employ for the last seven years ever since he arrived at the request of his late brother Nicolo. Nicolo was ship wrecked and saved by Prince Sinclair. The Zeno's have been in his service ever since, for the last eight years.

During this time they were preparing to explore the lands to the west, which was primarily based on Prince Sinclair getting his affairs in order.

Frequent conflicts with England, fighting pirates in the Shetlands and re enforcing Norway as the sovereign power in the islands, that means collecting taxes from a group of people that were fiercely independent, of the viking stock and for generations hadn't paid taxes at all.

The cannon was a new concept at this time and had with in the last few years been used in naval conflict. The first engagement that the cannon was used shipboard was at the battle of Chioggia for the freedom of Venice. Antonio's older brother Carlo the”Lion” of Venice was credited as the “ Savior of Venice” because after a long siege of Venice he had arrived with his fleet from a routine patrol in the eastern Mediterranean and was able to attack the Genonese with his newly refined cannons.

They had reforged the cannon for ship board use. Antonio was at that time a Galley Captain in the Navy of Venice, and had personal experience with the cannon in naval conflict. He transferred this knowledge to the Templar Navy of Prince Henry Sinclair. For the prior seven years before leaving on the Trans-Atlantic voyage to the New World, Antonio used the cannon to fight piracy in the Shetland Islands, and Norway's enemy the Hanseatic League in the Baltic.

A fisherman who was lost at sea for twenty years, returned with a very interesting story of lands to the west but history doesn't give the legend credit so I won't go into the story at this point only to say the fisherman was going to accompany the fleet as a “guide” but died three days before the fleet was to leave in the early spring of 1398.

In  late March the fleet departed the Shetland Islands from the Island of Fer to the Faroes Islands which lay half way between Scotland and Iceland in the Norwegian Sea. They rested for seven days and fished and took on water to replenish their supplies.

From the Zeno Narratives: "Departing thence, we arrived on the 1^st of April at the island of Ilofe;( Iceland) and as the wind was full in our favor, pushed on. But not long thereafter, when on the ocean, there arose so great a storm that for eight days we were in toil, and driven we do not know where, and a considerable number of vessels were lost to each other. At length when the storm abated, we gathered together the scattered vessels, and sailing with a prosperous wind, we sighted land on the west."

"Steering straight for it, we reached a safe and quiet harbor, in which we encountered a very large group of armed people, who came running, prepared to defend the island. Sinclair now caused his men to make peace to them, and they sent ten men to us could speak ten languages, but we could understand none of them, except one who was from Iceland.

Being brought before our Prince and asked what was the name of the island, and what people inhabited it, and who was the governor, he answered that the island was called Icari, and all the Kings there were called Icari, after the first King, who was the son of Daedalus, King of Scotland.

Daedalus conquered that island, left his son there for King, and gave them those laws that they retain to the present time. After that, when going to sail farther, he was drowned in a great tempest; and in memory of his death that the sea was called to this day the Icarian sea, and the Kings of the island were called Icari. They were content with the state which God had given them, and would neither alter their laws nor admit any strangers.

They therefore requested our prince not to attempt to interfere with their laws, which they had received from that King of worthy memory, and observed up to the present time. That the attempt would lead to his own destruction, for they were all prepared to die rather than relax in any way the use of those laws. Nevertheless, that we might not think that they all together refused intercourse with other men, they ended by saying that they would willingly receive one of our people, and give him an honorable position among them, if only for the sake of learning our language and gaining information as to our customs , in the same way as they had already received those ten other persons from ten different countries, who had come into their island.

To all this our Prince made no reply, beyond inquiring where there was a good harbor, and making signs that he intended to depart.

Accordingly, sailing round about the island, he put in with all his fleet in full sail, into a harbor which he found on the eastern side. The sailors went ashore to take in wood and water, which they did as quickly as they could, for fear that they might be attacked by the islanders and not without reason, for the inhabitants made signals to their neighbors by fire and smoke, and taking their arms, the others coming to their aid, they all came running down to the seaside upon our men with bows and arrows, so that many were slain and several wounded. Although we made signs of peace to them, it was of no use, for their rage increased more and more, as though they were fighting for their own very existence.

Being thus compelled to depart, we sailed along in a great circuit, about the island, being always followed on the hilltops and along the seacoasts by a great number by a great number of armed men. At length doubling the north cape of the island, we came upon many shoals, amongst which we were for ten days in continual danger of loosing our whole fleet, but fortunately all that time the weather was very fine. All the way until we came to the east cape we saw the inhabitants still on the hill tops and by the sea coasts, howling and shooting at us from a distance to show their animosity towards us.

We therefore resolved to put into some safe harbor, and see if we might once again speak to the Icelander; but we failed in our object; for the people more like beasts then men. Stood constantly prepared to beat us back if we should attempt to come on land. Wherefore, Sinclair, seeing he could do nothing, and if we were to preserve in this attempt, the fleet would fall short of provisions, took this departure with fair winds and sailed six days to the westwards; but the winds afterward shifting to the southwest, and the sea becoming rough, we sailed four days with the winds aft, and finally sighted land.

As the seas ran high we did not know what country it was, we were afraid at first to approach it, but by God's blessing the winds lulled, and there they came on a great calm. Some of the crew pulled ashore and soon returned with great joy with news that they found an excellent country and a still better harbor. We brought our barks and our boats to land, and on entering a excellent harbor. We saw in the distance a great hill that pored forth smoke, which gave us hope that we might find some inhabitants in the island. Neither would Sinclair rest, though it was a great way off, without sending  100 soldiers to explore the country, bring us an account of what sort of people the inhabitants were.

Meanwhile, we took in a store of wood and water, and caught a considerable quantity of fish and sea fowl. We also found such an abundance of bird eggs that our men, who were half famished, ate of them to repletion.

While we were at anchor there, the month of June came in, and the air in the island was mild and pleasant beyond description; but as we saw nobody, but as we saw nobody, we began to suspect that this pleasant place was uninhabited. To the harbor we gave the name of Trin, and the headland that stretched out into the sea we called Cape Trin.

After eight days the 100 soldiers returned, and brought word that they had been through the island and up to the hill, and the smoke was a natural thing proceeding from a great fire in the bottom of the hill, and there was a spring from which issued a certain substance like pitch, which ran into the sea, and thereabouts dewlt a great many people half wild, and living in caves. They were of small stature and very timid. They reported also that there was a large river, and a very good and safe harbor.

When Sinclair heard this, and noticed the wholesome and pure atmosphere, and fertile soil, good rivers, and many other convinces, he conceived the idea of founding a settlement. But his people, fatigued, began to murmur, and say they wished to return to their homes for the winter was not far off, and if they allowed it to once set in, they would not get away before the following summer. He therefore retained only boats propelled by oars, and such of his people as were willing to stay, and sent the rest away in ships, appointing me against my will, to be their Captain.

Having no choice, therefore, I departed and sailed 20 days to eastwards, without sight of any land; Then, turning my course to the southeast, in 5 days I sighted on land, and found myself on the island of Neome, and knowing the country, I perceived I was past Iceland; and as the inhabitants were subject to Sinclair, I took in fresh stores and sailed 3 days to Frislanda, where the people, who thought they had lost their Prince, in consequence of his long absence on the voyage we had made, received us with hearty welcome....

Concerning those things you desire to know of me, as to the people and there habits, the animals, and the countries adjourning, I have written about it all in a separate book, which please God I shall bring with me. In it I have described the country, the monstrous fishes, the customs and laws of Frislanda, of Iceland, of Shetland, the Kingdom of Norway, Estotiland and Drogio; and lastly I have written....the life and exploits of Sinclair, a Prince as worthy of immortal memory as any that lived, for his remarkable goodness.”

And this is what the Zeno narratives say about the Trans-Atlantic voyage. The Narrative was copied verbatim so the punctuation and run on sentences are driving my word perfect into overtime. This was written in the first person of Antonio, Nicolo died some years earlier.