João Vaz Corte-Real

João Vaz Corte-Real (c. 1420 – 1496) was a Portuguese sailor, claimed by some accounts to have been an explorer of a land called Terra Nova do Bacalhau (New Land of the Codfish), speculated to possibly have been a part of North America. These accounts assert that Corte-Real was awarded the donatário–captaincies of São Jorge and Angra for his accomplishments, but contemporary documents contradict this claim.