Jean de Béthencourt was a French explorer who in 1402 led an expedition to the Canary Islands, landing first on the north side of Lanzarote. From there he conquered for Castile the islands of Fuerteventura (1405) and El Hierro, ousting their local chieftains. Béthencourt received the title King of the Canary Islands but he recognized King Henry III of Castile, who had provided aid during the conquest, as his overlord.
A later depiction of Jean de Béthencourt.
One of the ships departing for the 1402 Norman expedition (from "Le Canarien").
The Canary Islands, also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the Atlantic Ocean. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres west of Morocco and the Western Sahara. They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain. The islands have a population of 2.2 million people and are the most populous special territory of the European Union.
Barranco de Pecenescal – Fuerteventura
View of Fataga, Gran Canaria
The Chinijo Archipelago, seen from Lanzarote
San Cristóbal de La Laguna in 1880 (Tenerife)