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Ferdinand Magellan

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geographers and explorers

            Ferdinand Magellan
       Portuguese maritime explorer
   Born Spring 1480
        Sabrosa, Portugal
   Died April 27, 1521
        Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines

   Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese: Fernão de Magalhães, IPA pronunciation:
   /fɨɾ'nɐ̃ũ dɨ mɐɣɐ'ʎɐ̃ĩʃ/; Spanish: Fernando or Hernando de Magallanes;
   Spring 1480– April 27, 1521) was a Portuguese maritime explorer who, at
   the service of Spain, led the first successful attempt to sail around
   the entire Earth. He did not complete his final, westward voyage; he
   was killed during the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines. He did,
   however, die farther west than the Spice Islands of Indonesia, which he
   had visited from the west on earlier voyages, making him one of the
   first individuals to cross all the meridians of the globe. He became
   the first person to lead an expedition sailing westward from Europe to
   Asia and to cross the Pacific Ocean.

   Of the 237 or 270 crew members who set out with Magellan to
   circumnavigate the globe, only 17 managed to return to Spain and
   thereby complete the circumnavigation. They were led by Spaniard Juan
   Sebastián el Cano, who took over command of the expedition after
   Magellan's death.

First voyages

   Magellan went on his first voyage on the sea at the age of 25 in 1505,
   when he was sent to India to install Francisco de Almeida as the
   Portuguese viceroy. The voyage gave Magellan his first experience of
   battle when a local king, who had paid tribute to Vasco da Gama three
   years earlier, refused to pay tribute to Almeida. Almeida's party
   attacked and conquered the capital of Kilwa in present-day Tanzania.

   In 1506, Magellan traveled to the East Indies and joined expeditions to
   the Spice Islands. In February 1509, he took part in the naval Battle
   of Diu, which marked the decline of Ottoman influence in the area. In
   1510, he was made a captain. Within a year, however, he had lost his
   commission after sailing a ship eastward without permission. He was
   forced to return to Portugal in 1512.

   In 1513, Magellan was sent to Morocco, where he fought in the Battle of
   Azamor. In the midst of the battle, he received a severe knee wound.
   After taking leave without permission, he fell out of favour with
   Almeida, and was also accused of trading illegally with the Moors.
   Several of the accusations were subsequently dropped, but Magellan fell
   into disfavor at the court of the new king, Manuel I. He refused to
   increase Magellan's pension and told him that there would be no further
   offers of employment after May 15, 1514. Magellan therefore decided to
   offer his services to the court of Spain.

The Spanish Search of the Spice Islands

   The aim of Columbus' voyage to the West was to reach the coasts of the
   Spice Islands and to establish commercial relations between Spain and
   the several Asian Kingdoms. The voyage was also sent to establish
   contact with the kingdom of Priest John.

   But the Spanish soon realized after Columbus' voyages, that the lands
   of America were not a part of Asia, but a new continent. Once Vasco da
   Gama and the Portuguese arrived at India in 1498, it became urgent for
   Spain to find a new commercial route to Asia. The Treaty of Tordesillas
   reserved for Portugal the routes that went around Africa. So the
   Spanish Crown decided to send out exploration voyages in order to find
   a way to Asia by traveling westwards. Vasco Núñez de Balboa discovered
   the Pacific Ocean in 1512, and Juan Díaz de Solís died in Río de la
   Plata some years later trying to find a passage in South America.

   When Magellan arrived at the Court of Spain, he presented King Charles
   V with a plan which would bring the ships of the Crown of Castile a
   full access to the lands of the Spice Islands. The Spanish king gave
   his assent, so the preparations for the expedition started.

Journey

   The arrow points to the city of Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the delta of
   the Guadalquivir River, in Andalusia
   Enlarge
   The arrow points to the city of Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the delta of
   the Guadalquivir River, in Andalusia

   On August 10, 1519, five ships [Trinidad (major ship), San Antonio,
   Concepcion, Victoria, and Santiago] under Magellan's command left
   Seville and traveled from the Guadalquivir River to Sanlúcar de
   Barrameda at the mouth of the rivers, where they remained more than
   five weeks. Spanish authorities were wary of the Portuguese admiral and
   almost prevented Magellan from sailing, and switched his crew of mostly
   Portuguese men with men of Spain, but on September 20, Magellan set
   sail from Sanlúcar de Barrameda with about 270 men.

   King Manuel ordered a naval detachment to pursue Ferdinand Magellan,
   but Magellan avoided the Portuguese. After stopping at the Canary
   Islands, Ferdinand Magellan arrived at the Cape Verde Islands, where
   they set course for Cape St. Augustine in Brazil. On November 27, they
   crossed the equator; on December 6, the crew sighted Brazil.

   Since Brazil was Portuguese territory, Magellan avoided it, and on
   December 13 anchored near present-day Rio de Janeiro. There the crew
   was resupplied, but bad conditions caused them to delay. Afterwards,
   they continued to sail south along South America's east coast, looking
   for the strait that Magellan believed would lead to the Spice Islands.
   The fleet reached Río de la Plata on January 10, 1520.

   On March 30, the crew established a settlement that they called Puerto
   San Julian. A mutiny involving two of the five ship captains broke out.
   It was unsuccessful because the crew remained loyal. Sebastian del Cano
   was one of those who were forgiven. Gaspar Quesada, the captain of
   Concepcion, was executed; Juan de Cartagena and a priest named Padre
   Sanchez dela Reina were marooned on the coast.
   The Straits of Magellan cut through the southern tip of South America
   connecting the Atlantic and Pacific
   Enlarge
   The Straits of Magellan cut through the southern tip of South America
   connecting the Atlantic and Pacific

   The journey resumed. Santiago, sent down the coast on a scouting
   expedition, was wrecked in a sudden storm. All of its crewmembers
   survived and made it safely to shore. Two of them returned, overland,
   to inform Magellan of what had happened, and bring rescue to their
   comrades. After this experience, Magellan decided to wait for a few
   weeks more before again resuming the voyage.

   At 52°S latitude on August 24, 1520, the fleet reached Cape Virgenes
   and concluded they had found the passage, because the waters were brine
   and deep inland. Four ships began an arduous passage through the
   373-mile long passage that Magellan called the Estreito (Canal) de
   Todos los Santos, ("All Saints' Channel"), because the fleet traveled
   through it on November 1– All Saints' Day. The strait is now named the
   Strait of Magellan. Magellan first assigned Concepcion and San Antonio
   to explore the strait, but the latter, commanded by Gomez, deserted and
   returned to Spain on November 20, 1520. On November 28, the three
   remaining ships entered the South Pacific. Magellan named the waters
   the Mar Pacifico (Pacific Ocean) because of its apparent stillness.

Death

   Heading northwest, the crew reached the equator on February 13, 1521.
   On March 6, they reached the Marianas and Guam. Magellan called the
   island of Guam the "Island of Sails" because they saw a lot of
   sailboats. They renamed it to "Ladrones Island" because a lot of small
   boats of Trinidad were stolen here. On March 16, Magellan reached the
   island of Homonhon in the Philippines, with 150 crewmen left. Magellan
   was able to communicate with the native peoples because his Malay
   interpreter could understand their language. They traded gifts with
   Rajah Kolambu of Limasawa, who guided them to Cebu, on April 7. Rajah
   Humabon of Cebu was friendly to them, and even agreed to accept
   Christianity.

   Afterward, Magellan made friends with Datu Zula, and agreed to join
   forces with him in a battle against Lapu-Lapu. The initial peace with
   the Philippine natives proved misleading. Magellan was killed in the
   Battle of Mactan against indigenous forces led by Lapu-Lapu on April
   27, 1521. Antonio Pigafetta, a wealthy tourist who paid to be on the
   Magellan voyage, provided the only extant eyewitness account of the
   events culminating in Magellan's death, as follows:
   Monument in Lapu-Lapu City that marks the site where Magellan was
   reportedly killed
   Enlarge
   Monument in Lapu-Lapu City that marks the site where Magellan was
   reportedly killed

          When morning came, forty-nine of us leaped into the water up to
          our thighs, and walked through water for more than two cross-bow
          flights before we could reach the shore. The boats could not
          approach nearer because of certain rocks in the water. The other
          eleven men remained behind to guard the boats. When we reached
          land, [the natives] had formed in three divisions to the number
          of more than one thousand five hundred persons. When they saw
          us, they charged down upon us with exceeding loud cries... The
          musketeers and crossbow-men shot from a distance for about a
          half-hour, but uselessly... Recognizing the captain, so many
          turned upon him that they knocked his helmet off his head
          twice... A native hurled a bamboo spear into the captain's face,
          but the latter immediately killed him with his lance, which he
          left in the native's body. Then, trying to lay hand on sword, he
          could draw it out but halfway, because he had been wounded in
          the arm with a bamboo spear. When the natives saw that, they all
          hurled themselves upon him. One of them wounded him on the left
          leg with a large cutlass, which resembles a scimitar, only being
          larger. That caused the captain to fall face downward, when
          immediately they rushed upon him with iron and bamboo spears and
          with their cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light,
          our comfort, and our true guide. When they wounded him, he
          turned back many times to see whether we were all in the boats.
          Thereupon, beholding him dead, we, wounded, retreated, as best
          we could, to the boats, which were already pulling off.

Circumnavigation and return

   One of Magellan's ships circumnavigated the globe, finishing 16 months
   after the explorer's death.
   Enlarge
   One of Magellan's ships circumnavigated the globe, finishing 16 months
   after the explorer's death.

   Magellan had provided in his will that his Malay interpreter was to be
   freed upon his death. His interpreter, who was baptized as Enrique (
   Henry the Black) in Malacca in 1511, had been captured by Sumatran
   slavers from his home islands. Thus Enrique became the first man to
   circumnavigate the globe (in multiple voyages). Enrique was indentured
   by Magellan during his earlier voyages to Malacca, and was at his side
   during the battles in Africa, during Magellan's disgrace at the King's
   court in Portugal, and during Magellan's successful raising of a fleet.
   However, after Mactan, the remaining ship's masters refused to free
   Enrique. Enrique escaped his indenture on May 1, with the aid of Rajah
   Humabon of Cebu, amid the deaths of almost 30 crewmen. However, Antonio
   Pigafetta had been making notes about the language, and was apparently
   able to continue communications during the rest of the voyage.
   Magellan's voyage to the Spice Islands led to Limasawa, Cebu, Mactan,
   Palawan, Brunei, Celebes and finally to the Spice Islands
   Enlarge
   Magellan's voyage to the Spice Islands led to Limasawa, Cebu, Mactan,
   Palawan, Brunei, Celebes and finally to the Spice Islands

   The casualties suffered in the Philippines left the expedition with too
   few men to sail the three remaining ships. Accordingly, on May 2, 1521,
   they abandoned Concepción, burning the ship to make sure it could not
   be used against them. The fleet, now reduced to Trinidad and Victoria,
   fled westward to Palawan. They left that island on June 21, 1521, and
   were guided to Brunei, Borneo by Moro pilots, who could navigate the
   shallow seas. They anchored off the Brunei breakwater for 35 days,
   where the Venetian Pigafetta mentions the splendor of Rajah Siripada's
   court (gold, two pearls the size of hens' eggs, etc.). In addition,
   Brunei boasted tame elephants and armament of 62 cannon, more than 5
   times the armament of Magellan's ships. Brunei disdained the cloves
   which were to prove more valuable than gold, upon the return to Spain.
   Pigafetta mentions some of the technology of the court, such as
   porcelain (which was not yet widely available in Europe), and
   spectacles (eyeglasses were only just becoming available in Europe).

   After reaching the Maluku Islands (the Spice Islands) November 6, 1521,
   115 crew were left. They managed to trade with the Sultan of Tidore, a
   rival of the Sultan of Ternate, who was the ally of the Portuguese.

   The two remaining ships, laden with valuable spices, attempted to
   return to Spain by sailing west. As they left the Moluccas, however,
   Trinidad was found to be taking on water. The crew tried to discover
   and repair the leak, but failed. They concluded that Trinidad would
   need to spend considerable time being overhauled. The small Victoria
   was not large enough to accommodate all the surviving crewmembers. As a
   result, Victoria with some of the crew sailed west for Spain. Several
   weeks later, Trinidad left the Moluccas to attempt to return to Spain
   via the Pacific route. This attempt failed; the ship was captured by
   the Portuguese, and was eventually wrecked in a storm while at anchor
   under Portuguese control.

   The Victoria set sail via the Indian Ocean route home on December 21,
   1521. By May 6, 1522, the Victoria, commanded by Juan Sebastián Elcano,
   rounded the Cape of Good Hope, with only rice for rations. Twenty
   crewmen died of starvation before Elcano put in to the Cape Verde
   Islands, a Portuguese holding, where he abandoned 13 more crewmen on
   July 9 in fear of losing his cargo of 26 tons of spices ( cloves and
   cinnamon). On September 6, 1522, Juan Sebastián Elcano and the
   remaining crew of Magellan's voyage and the last ship of the fleet,
   Victoria, arrived in Spain, almost exactly three years after leaving.
   The expedition actually eked out a small profit, but the crew was not
   paid their full wages. Maximilianus Transylvanus interviewed the
   surviving members of the expedition when they presented themselves to
   the Spanish court at Valladolid in the fall of 1522, and wrote the
   first account of the voyage, which was published in 1523. The account
   written by Pigafetta did not appear until 1525, and was not wholly
   published until the late eighteenth century.

   Four crewmen of the original fifty-five on the Trinidad finally
   returned to Spain in 1525. Fifty-one of them had died in war or from a
   disease.

Discoveries

   Magellan's expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe and the
   first to navigate the strait in South America connecting the Atlantic
   and Pacific oceans. Magellan's crew observed several animals that were
   entirely new to European science. These included the "camel without
   humps", which could have been the llama, guanaco, vicuña, or alpaca. A
   black "goose" which had to be skinned instead of plucked was the
   penguin.

   Two of the closest galaxies, the Magellanic Clouds, were discovered by
   crew members in the Southern Hemisphere. The full extent of the Earth
   was also realized, since their voyage was 14,460  leagues (69,800  km
   or 43,400  mi).

   Finally, the need for an International date line was established. Upon
   their return they observed a mismatch of one day between their
   calendars and those who did not travel, even though they faithfully
   maintained their ship's log. However, they did not have clocks accurate
   enough to observe the variation in the length of the day during the
   journey. This phenomenon caused great excitement at the time, to the
   extent that a special delegation was sent to the Pope to explain this
   oddity to him.

Trivia

   CAPTION: 18 men returned to Seville aboard Victoria in 1522

                       Name                          Rating
   Juan Sebastian Elcano, from Getaria          Master
   Francisco Albo, from Rodas (in Tuy, Galicia) Pilot
   Miguel de Rodas (in Tuy, Galicia)            Pilot
   Juan de Acurio, from Bermeo                  Pilot
   Antonio Lombardo (Pigafetta), from Vicenza   Supernumerary
   Martín de Judicibus, from Genoa              Chief Steward
   Hernándo de Bustamante, from Alcántara       Mariner
   Nicholas the Greek, from Naples              Mariner
   Miguel Sánchez, from Rodas (in Tuy, Galicia) Mariner
   Antonio Hernández Colmenero, from Huelva     Mariner
   Francisco Rodrigues, Portuguese from Seville Mariner
   Juan Rodríguez, from Huelva                  Mariner
   Diego Carmena, from Bayona (Galicia)         Mariner
   Hans of Aachen                               Gunner
   Juan de Arratia, from Bilbao                 Able Seaman
   Vasco Gómez Gallego, from Bayona (Galicia)   Able Seaman
   Juan de Santandrés, from Cueto               Apprentice Seaman
   Juan de Zubileta, from Barakaldo             Page
     * Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to reach Tierra del Fuego
       on South America's southern tip.
     * Magellan did not intend to circumnavigate the world, only to find a
       secure way through which the Spanish ships could navigate to the
       Spice Islands. It was Elcano, who, after Magellan's death, decided
       to push westwards, completing so the first travel around the entire
       Earth.
     * He was also the first European to land in the Philippines and meet
       its native people.
     * He had professional scientists on the trip to help determine the
       species of some of the animals he found on his voyage.
     * About 232 Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, English and German
       sailors died on the expedition around the world with Magellan.
     * The King and Queen of Spain supported the exploration voyage.

General

     * Laurence Bergreen, Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's
       Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe, HarperCollins Publishers,
       2003, hardcover 480 pages, ISBN 0-06-621173-5

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