Jean de Béthencourt

A Norman explorer who, in 1402, led an expedition to the Canary Islands, landing first on the north side of Lanzarote. From there, he conqured Fuerteventura and Hierro. Béthencourt received the title King of the Canary Islands but recognized King Henry III of Castile, who had provided aid during the conquest, as his overlord.

To this day, Betancour and other forms of his surname are quite frequent among Canarians and people of Canarian descent. See for example the Colombian president Belisario Betancur.

The city of Betancuria is named after Béthencourt.