Miguel Corte-Real (;  – 1502?) was a Portuguese explorer who charted about 600 miles of the coast of Labrador. Miguel invested significant sums of money into these two expeditions, and in return, Gaspar promised him a share of any new lands he claimed.

In May 1502, Miguel set out from Lisbon with three ships on an expedition to search for his brother. The expedition apparently reached the location where Gaspar's party had landed, at which point the three ships broke off in different directions to search. Later, the ship carrying Miguel failed to appear at a designated rendezvous on August 20. The other two ships made the return voyage to Portugal, while Miguel and his ship were never seen again.

In 1503, the last surviving brother, Vasco Añes Corte-Real, planned another rescue expedition for his two brothers. King Manuel I furnished two ships, but would not permit Vasco himself to sail with them. The expedition returned in the fall without having found any trace of either brother. has definitively debunked the Corte-Real origin myth.

See also

  • Age of Discovery
  • List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea
  • Northwest Passage

References

Further reading

  • E. B. Delabarre, Dighton rock (New York, 1928).
  • D. Hunter, The Place of Stone: Dighton Rock and the Erasure of America's indigenous past
  • F. F. Lopes, The brothers Corte Real, tr. F. de Andrade (Lisboa, 1957).
  • G. S. Marques, Pedra de Dighton (New York, 1930).