Magellan returned from a trip. Ferdinand Magellan and the first ever circumnavigation of the world. The results of the expedition of Magellan
The first circumnavigation of the world under the leadership of Ferdinand Magellan began on September 20, 1519 and ended on September 6, 1522. The idea of the expedition was in many ways a repetition of the idea of Columbus: to reach Asia, following to the west. The colonization of America had not yet brought significant profits, unlike the colonies of the Portuguese in India, and the Spaniards themselves wanted to sail to the Spice Islands and reap the benefits. By then it had become clear that America was not Asia, but Asia was supposed to lie relatively close to the New World.
In March 1518, Ferdinand Magellan and Rui Faleiro, a Portuguese astronomer, appeared in Seville at the Council of the Indies and declared that the Moluccas, the most important source of Portuguese wealth, should belong to Spain, since they are located in the western, Spanish hemisphere (according to the treaty of 1494), but to get to these "Spice Islands" it is necessary by the western way, so as not to arouse the suspicions of the Portuguese, through the South Sea, open and annexed by Balboa to the Spanish possessions. And Magellan convincingly argued that between the Atlantic Ocean and the South Sea there should be a strait south of Brazil.
After a long bargain with the royal advisers, who negotiated for themselves a substantial share of the expected income and concessions from the Portuguese, an agreement was concluded: Charles 1 undertook to equip five ships and supply the expedition with supplies for two years. Before sailing, Faleiro abandoned the enterprise, and Magellan became the sole head of the expedition.
Magellan personally supervised the loading and packing of food, goods and equipment. Rusks, wine, olive oil, vinegar, salted fish, dried pork, beans and beans, flour, cheese, honey, almonds, anchovies, raisins, prunes, sugar, quince jam, capers, mustard, beef were taken on board as provisions. and fig. In case of clashes, there were about 70 guns, 50 arquebuses, 60 crossbows, 100 sets of armor and other weapons. For trade, they took matter, metal products, women's jewelry, mirrors, bells and mercury (it was used as a medicine).
Magellan raised the admiral's flag on the Trinidad. The Spaniards were appointed captains of the remaining ships: Juan Cartagena - "San Antonio"; Gaspar Quesada - "Concepcion"; Luis Mendoza - Victoria and Juan Serrano - Santiago. The staff of this flotilla was estimated at 293 people, there were 26 more freelance crew members on board, among them the young Italian Antonio Pigafetga, the historian of the expedition. An international team went on the first round-the-world voyage: in addition to the Portuguese and Spaniards, it included representatives of more than 10 nationalities from different countries of Western Europe.
On September 20, 1519, a flotilla led by Magellan left the port of Sanlucar de Barrameda (the mouth of the Guadalquivir River).
The first navigator to circumnavigate the world is known as Magellan. He became the organizer of the expedition, which overcame the most difficult path and died without completing the journey. The strait he discovered was named in his honor, and 2 star clusters in space: Magellanic Clouds Large and Small. F. Magellan became the first European to cross 3 oceans.
Ferdenand Magalhaes (Magellan) was born more than 500 years ago - in 1480, so history has not preserved accurate information about his biography. The date and place of birth has twofold information: he was born in the village of Sabrosa (porto city) Portugal, October 17 (November 20).
Streets of Sabroza village
Known facts of the traveler's life are conditionally divided into several periods:
Intention
The idea of sailing originated with Magellan while studying the royal secret archives of Portugal. They found a map created by the German geographer Martin Baychem. The map shows the strait between the Atlantic Ocean and the unexplored South Sea, which was in the possession of Spain (discovered by Nunez de Balboa from the side of the Isthmus of Panama).
A project was developed for a trip to the rich Moluccas, but not by the eastern Portuguese, but by the western route. It assumed that the path would be shorter than the western one. After much bargaining for mutual benefits, the King of Spain agreed to conduct the search. The situation that developed in Europe at the end of the 15th century led to the approval of the project of Charles V. 
- Europeans highly valued spices (nutmeg, cloves and black pepper) brought from the Moluccas, their value was commensurate with the price of gold. Spices were brought and sold by the Arabs at a high price.
- In 1493, the Pope of Rome approved the Tordesillas Agreement: 2 rival countries Spain and Portugal had the legal right to possess territories open to:
- to the east - beyond Portugal;
- to the west - beyond Spain.
- In the 15th century the right to own the rich Indonesian Spice Islands was with Portugal. In 1498 the Portuguese found a safer sea route.
- The Spaniards claimed the right to use distant lands, for this they needed to prove that geographically the Moluccas are located in the western (Spanish) hemisphere. It was in the interests of Spain to find a shorter route for the delivery of gold-bearing goods.
Preparing for the expedition
The round-the-world voyage of F. Magellan's expedition began with preparations for departure. He was engaged in this fundamental stage himself and trusted only his close colleague - Ruy Faleyr, who, like him, had good astronomical knowledge. Before sailing, Faleiro refused to participate in the campaign, because the compiled horoscope promised him death on the voyage.
The captain-general supervised the installation of cannons on ships and the implementation of loading:
- military property;
- food- mostly light-weight crackers, meat and fish in a salted and dried state, cereals, sugar, dried berries and fruits, spices, wines;
- goods for trade- mirrors, bells, women's jewelry, fabrics, mercury (for medical purposes).
The composition and equipment of the expedition
5 different types of ships participated in the round-the-world expedition.
Trinidad | Vessel name | Captain | Vessel displacement, t | Crew by state, pers. |
| Trinidad | Fernand de Magellan | 110 | 55 |
| San Antonio | Juan de Cartagena | 120 | 60 |
| concepción | Gaspar de Quesada | 90 | 45 |
| Victoria | Luis de Mendoza | 85 | 42 |
| Santiago | Juan Serran | 75 | 32 |
234 international sailors and 26 freelance employees from various European countries set off on a voyage. In addition to them, about 50 African and Asian slaves were placed. The exact number of people who were on the campaign is unknown, the recruitment of sailors was carried out on the way.
The team included several translators and the historian Antonio Pigafetta. During the entire journey, he diligently wrote down everything that happened. Upon arrival at home, all manuscripts were handed over to King Charles V. 70 cannons were installed on all 5 ships.
In the arsenal of military equipment there were:
- 60 crossbows;
- 50 arquebuses;
- 100 armor sets;
- other weapons - sabers, swords.
Magellan invented a signaling system that allowed the ships of the flotilla not to lose sight of each other. The captains gathered on the Trinidad, they reported on the events and received instructions from the commander for further travel.
Atlantic Ocean
The journey began on September 20, 1519 from the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The expedition across the Atlantic became long and difficult. At first, a difficult path was chosen near the coast of Africa because of the fear of encounters with the Portuguese fleet. Then, fearing to miss the coveted strait, Magellan kept close to the shores of South America. 
The expedition with difficulty made its way to the southern latitudes, natural conditions did not allow to develop a high speed. On February 13, 1520, they fell into a terrible thunderstorm with huge electrical discharges in the form of branched sparkling brushes that touched the masts of ships. In the future, the campaign was accompanied by numerous cold storms, intensifying in the southern latitudes.
First conflict among officers
The round-the-world voyage of the expedition of F. Magellan for the Spanish captains took place in the conditions of a secret route. Even at the beginning of the expedition, they began to demand clarifications from the admiral. To which it was said: they simply must keep his flag by day, and his lantern by night. Naturally, the Portuguese did not like such an arrogant answer at all, and the captains agreed to “teach Magellan a lesson” at an opportunity.
Captain Juan Cartagena represented the royal authority on the campaign. Over time, on daily reports, he began to show his disrespectful attitude towards the admiral, calling him a captain, and not a captain-general, as it should be in subordination. Despite the remarks of Magellan, this went on for several days.
Then the general proclaimed him arrested, and handed over the command of the ship to Alvar Mishkita. Cartagena continued to sail in custody on the Victoria.
La pay - no strait
On December 26, 1519, the fleet reached La Plata Bay. It was assumed that the coveted strait is in it. Earlier, in 1515, the area was surveyed by Juan Solisa. He was convinced that he had found a strait into the Eastern Ocean, but did not explore it. He did not imagine that he had found the wide mouths of the Uruguay and Parana rivers.
La board from space For about a month, the flotilla explored the low shores of the bay. The ship "Santiago" was sent to reconnoiter up the Parana River, but he soon returned with the news that this was the bed of a large full-flowing river, and not a strait.
Rebellion again
The flotilla moved further south, pursued by cold weather and strong storms, the southern winter was approaching. On March 31, 1520, they wintered in the bay of San Julian. All the ships entered the bay, and the general's ship settled at its entrance. On the evening of April 1, events began to unfold, which Magellan learned about only in the morning of the next day.
The rebels liberated Cartagena, arrested Mishkita, Captain Quesada killed the feeder - the protege of Magellan H. Eloriaga. They had 3 ships in their power: "Concepción", "Victoria", "San Antonia".
The captains put forward a demand to fulfill the king's instructions - to turn the direction and go east to the Moluccas. Having pointed the guns at the flagship and the Santiago, they demanded the general to come to their negotiations. In response, through a messenger, only the captain of the Victoria was given an invitation.
While Luis Mendoza was reading the letter, he was mortally wounded by Magellan's envoy Gonzalo Espinosa. The brother-in-law of General Duarte Barbosa was appointed commander of the ship. On the remaining two mutinous ships, the sailors themselves neutralized the officers and surrendered.
The rebels were condemned by the tribunal set up to try them. The court ordered the execution of 40 participants, but they were pardoned.
The captains of the rebel ships suffered severe punishments:
- cut off the head of Captain Quesada;
- the corpse of Mendoza was quartered;
- Captain Cartagena and his fellow priest were put ashore with some provisions.
Wintering
The circumnavigation of the expedition of F. Magellan was stopped for the winter on March 31, 1520 in the Gulf of San Julian. Winter started unexpectedly and lasted about 5 months. During the winter, daily food allowances were cut, which caused dissatisfaction among the sailors.
Hunger and cold led to the fact that 30 people died during the winter. In addition, a long journey, winds and storms contributed to the dilapidation of the ships of the flotilla.
For wintering, in May, the ship "Santiago" made reconnaissance of the further route. They identified the Gulf of Santa Cruz. During a storm, the ship's navigation system broke down, and it crashed against the rocks. The entire team, with the exception of one member, survived, but they reached their base only after 3 weeks, frozen and exhausted. The loss of the ship caused significant damage to the flotilla.
During the raid, travelers interacted with the Indians. In winter, the Indians, protecting their legs from cooling, wrapped them in dry grass, so the size of the legs seemed especially large. Magellan called this land Patagonia (big feet).
Before the expedition, the king issued an order for the mandatory delivery of representatives of new peoples. Because of what there was a skirmish with local residents. By deceit, the sailors lured two Indians. In the battle, both sides suffered losses, both Indians died on the way.
Wintering was completed on 24 August. But, due to ship breakdowns, as well as due to critical weather conditions, the flotilla was forced to set up a raid again in 2 days until October 18.
Strait of Magellan
Continuing south, on October 21, the wanderers noticed a narrow passage. The ships San Antonio and Concepcien were sent for reconnaissance. They returned with word that the strait might have been discovered. The caravan of ships began its journey along a narrow strait between rocky shores. Tidal waves reached a height of more than 10 m and rolled over the decks.
At one of the islands, named Dawson, the path forked. It was decided: "San Antonio" and "Concepcion" will go to reconnoiter the southeast direction. And the southwestern one is explored by a boat. The rest will wait for news.
The circumnavigation of F. Magellan's expedition discovered a safer strait, in contrast to the dangerous Drake Strait. In honor of the discoverer, the strait was named the Strait of Magellan. The boat returned in 3 days, happily announcing free water. The Concepcion soon returned. The dangerous journey through the strait, called the Strait of All Saints, lasted 38 days, its distance is 372 km.
On the ship "San Antonio" there was a mutiny led by helmsman Esteban Gomes. The rebels arrested Captain Mishkita and sailed to Spain. Returning to Seville, Gomes denounced Magellan, accusing him of treason to the king.
Pacific Ocean
The sailors did not know about the duration of their expedition, their contemporaries believed that Asia was located close to America. A flotilla of 3 ships entered the ocean on November 28 and went north, trying to get out of the cold waters faster. For 15 days they sailed along the rocky shores of South America, then turned away from the mainland.
In the Pacific Ocean, ships traveled a distance of about 17,000 km. For all the time of sailing on the ocean, not a single storm occurred, so it was called the Pacific. Having survived difficult trials in the Atlantic, the expedition was not ready for a long and difficult ocean crossing, which lasted about 4 months. 
The path of the expedition went so that they did not meet a single inhabited island. The provisions ran out, everything that was possible went into food: rusk dust with worms, sawdust, leather goods were prepared, rats were caught, and rotten water was drunk. Sailors died of hunger and scurvy. Finally, on the 100th day, we saw the top of the mountain.
Thieves' Islands and Homonhom Island
The circumnavigation of the expedition of F. Magellan approached the Mariana archipelago - the inhabited island of Guam - on March 6, 1521. The islanders surrounded the ships in boats, offering fresh food in exchange for Spanish goods. Distracting wanderers, the local people stole from the ships everything that could be carried away, they even tried to take away the boat.
Angry sailors got off the ships and burned the settlement, killing 7 local residents. Taking local provisions and their boat, the fleet sailed on. The islanders tried to retaliate by throwing stones at the ships, but did not cause any damage. The whole chain of the archipelago was called Landrones (Thieves).
The flotilla reached the Philippine Islands, named after Saint Lazarus. On March 17, sailors descended on the deserted island of Homonhom, organized an infirmary. Having recovered and gained strength, the crews of the ships again set off on a campaign. On one of the islands, Magellan's slave heard his native speech - it became clear that they had made a round-the-world trip.
Battle of Mactan. Death of Magellan
April 7, 1521 sailors approached the port of the island of Cebu. The wealth of the village made it possible to freely exchange local products, gold for Spanish goods. The ruler of Cebu, Raja Humabon, was struck by the military power of the sailors and immediately agreed to become a subject of Charles V. At first, he was baptized himself (became Carlos), followed by his family and almost all the inhabitants of the island. 
Magellan made an attempt to bring to power the newly-minted Carlos all the surrounding islands. But not all the islands wanted to become subjects of Spain, the ruler of the island of Mactan Lapu-Lapu was one of them. Magellan, using the example of the capture of the island, wanted to show the power of Spain. But the conquest of the island was not properly prepared.
In the early morning of April 27, 1521, 60 sailors on boats went to battle for the island. But, from the very beginning, everything did not go according to plan: because of the coastal reefs, the boats could not approach the shores to help the landing force of 50 sailors with fire. The Maktans hid behind wooden shields. Due to the distance, the sailors could not penetrate the shields with either arrows or bullets. Then Magellan ordered to burn the settlement.
This turn of events greatly angered the islanders, and they rushed to attack the aliens, using arrows, a copy, stones. Realizing that they were losing, the Spaniards began to retreat. When Magellan retreated, he was first wounded in the face with a spear, then in the arm. After being wounded in the leg, he collapsed and the islanders finished him off with spears. 9 sailors were killed in the battle. 
The consequences of this battle were deplorable - all previous conquests were ruined, the prestige of Spain was greatly damaged. Captains Juan Serran and Duarte Barbosa, asked Lapu-Lapu to give the body of the general. But he categorically refused.
Moluccas
Former ally Humabon took advantage of the situation. Upon learning that the foreigners were leaving, he arranged a farewell feast, calling the entire officer staff of the flotilla, but suspecting a dirty trick, some remained.
During lunch, he staged a massacre - everyone died. The ships quickly left the island. It took several months to get to the Moluccas. There the news reached them: the king of Portugal proclaimed Magellan a traitor, his fleet was ordered to be arrested.
Juan Carvalho was appointed head of the expedition (later he was re-elected for sabotaging the instructions of the king). After analyzing the technical condition of the ships, the chief and captains G. Espinosa and J. Elcano made decisions on their further use. 
- The completely dilapidated ship "Concepción" is to be burned. The team moved to Trinidad and Victoria.
- The Trinidad (Captain Gonçalo Espinosa) was recovered and set off on a return eastward course towards Panama, which is in Spanish possession. But, the ship is forced to return to Molucca because of the band of oncoming hurricanes. The ship was arrested by the Portuguese, the sailors were sent to hard labor.
- On November 8, the Victoria (captain Juan Elcano), having loaded a large amount of spices into the holds, set sail west across the Indian Ocean past the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.
Cape Verde
The circumnavigation of the world was nearing its end, but hardships continued to haunt the expedition. Stocks of provisions came to an end, part of the crew members began to demand to surrender to the Portuguese authorities in Mozambique. But, the main backbone - the adherents of F. Magellan - decided to sail further.
On May 20, the ship, having bypassed the Cape of Good Hope, continued its difficult journey to the northwest in the Atlantic Ocean. In the campaign across the Indian Ocean, the team lost about 25 sailors. On July 9, 1522, the battered ship approached the Portuguese islands of Cape Verde. It was impossible not to stand on the island - food and drinking water ran out. 
It was decided to buy products on the island of St. James. The first voyage with 2 boats was successful - the Portuguese believed in a fictional story about an accident with a foremast at the equator (it was lost at the Cape of Good Hope), and the general sailed to Spain with other ships. The second voyage ended with the arrest of 13 sailors. The ship with the remaining crew hastily set off on further voyage.
Completion of the expedition
On September 6, 1522, the dilapidated ship "Victoria" moored on the Spanish coast. The voyage lasted 1081 days. There were 18 people left in the crew. After 5 months, Spain redeemed all the arrested sailors on the island of St. James. In 1525, 4 more sailors returned from the Trinidad ship.
The proceeds from the brought spices more than covered the expenses of the expedition. In addition, Spain became the discoverer of the Mariana and Philippine archipelagos. Charles V laid claim to the Moluccas. Portugal had to redeem them for a huge fortune - 350 thousand ducats.
The results of the expedition that discovered Magellan
During the first circumnavigation of the world, materials were obtained that changed ideas about the planet:
The Spanish expedition was the first to cross the Pacific and later the Indian Oceans.
Open:
The navigator did not intend to circumnavigate the world. His intention was to open a new western route to the Moluccas. This desire made him organize an expedition and make a difficult transition across 3 oceans. He did not personally complete the great campaign, it was the remnants of his fleet that did. But the first known journey in the world is known under the name of F. Magellan.
Article formatting: Vladimir the Great
Video about the journey of Magellan
Magellan's circumnavigation documentary:
Intention
The idea of the expedition was in many ways a repetition of the idea of Columbus: to reach Asia, following to the west. The colonization of America had not yet brought significant profits, unlike the colonies of the Portuguese in India, and the Spaniards themselves wanted to sail to the Spice Islands and reap the benefits. By that time, it was clear that America was not Asia, but it was assumed that Asia lay relatively close to the New World. In 1513, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, passing the Isthmus of Panama, saw the Pacific Ocean, which he called the South Sea. Since then, several expeditions have searched for the strait into the new sea. Around those years, the Portuguese captains João Lishboa and Ishteban Froish reached about 35°S. and opened the mouth of the La Plata River. They could not seriously explore it and took the huge flooded estuary of La Plata for the strait.
Magellan, apparently, had detailed information about the search for the strait by the Portuguese and, in particular, about La Plata, which he considered the strait to the South Sea. This confidence played an important role in his planning of the expedition, but he was ready to look for other routes to India if this one turned out to be false.
Even in Portugal, an important role in the preparation of the expedition was played by Magellan's companion astronomer Rui Falera. He created a method for calculating longitude and made calculations from which it followed that the Moluccas were easier to reach by going west, and that these islands lay in the hemisphere "belonging" to Spain under the Treaty of Tordesillas. All his calculations, as well as the method of calculating longitude, subsequently turned out to be incorrect. For some time, Falera was listed in the documents on the organization of the voyage before Magellan, but in the future he was increasingly pushed into the background, and Magellan was appointed commander of the expedition. Faler made a horoscope, from which it followed that he should not go on an expedition, and remained on the shore.
Preparation
European merchants, who were unable to participate in the profitable trade with the East Indies due to the Portuguese monopoly, played an important role in equipping the expedition. Juan de Aranda, who, under the treaty with Magellan, was entitled to an eighth of the profits, is pushed back from the feeder, declaring that this agreement "is not in the interests of the nation."
Under an agreement with the king dated March 22, 1518, Magellan and Falera received one-fifth of the net income from navigation, the rights of governorship on open lands, a twentieth of the profits received from new lands, and the right to two islands if more than six islands are discovered.
The Portuguese tried to oppose the organization of the expedition, but did not dare to directly kill. They tried to denigrate Magellan in the eyes of the Spaniards and force them to abandon the voyage. At the same time, the fact that the expedition would be commanded by a Portuguese caused discontent among many Spaniards. In October 1518, there was a clash between the members of the expedition and a crowd of Sevillians. When Magellan raised his standard on the ships, the Spaniards mistook it for Portuguese and demanded that it be removed. Fortunately for Magellan, the conflict was extinguished without much sacrifice. To muffle the contradictions, Magellan was instructed to limit the number of Portuguese on the expedition to five participants, however, due to a lack of sailors, it turned out to be about 40 Portuguese.
The composition and equipment of the expedition
Five ships were prepared for the expedition with a supply of food for two years. Magellan personally supervised the loading and packing of food, goods and equipment. Rusks, wine, olive oil, vinegar, salted fish, dried pork, beans and beans, flour, cheese, honey, almonds, anchovies, raisins, prunes, sugar, quince jam, capers, mustard, beef were taken on board as provisions and fig. In case of clashes, there were about 70 cannons, 50 arquebuses, 60 crossbows, 100 sets of armor and other weapons. For trade, they took matter, metal products, women's jewelry, mirrors, bells and (it was used as a medicine). The expedition cost over 8 million maravedis.
| Ship | Tonnage | Captain |
| Trinidad | 110 (266) | Fernand de Magellan |
| San Antonio | 120 (290) | Juan de Cartagena |
| concepción | 90 (218) | Gaspar de Cassada |
| Victoria | 85 (206) | Luis de Mendoza |
| Santiago | 75 (182) | Juan Serran |
According to the staffing table, more than 230 sailors were supposed to be on the ships, but besides them, there were many supernumerary participants in the expedition, among whom was the Rhodes knight Antonio Pigafetta, who compiled a detailed description of the journey. As well as servants and slaves up to Negroes and Asians, among which it is worth mentioning the slave Magellan Enrique, who was born in Sumatra and taken by Magellan as a translator. It is he who will become the first person to return to his homeland, circumnavigating the globe. Despite the ban, several female slaves (probably Indians) turned out to be illegal on the expedition. The recruitment of sailors also continued in the Canary Islands. All this makes it difficult to calculate the exact number of participants. Various authors estimate the number of participants from 265 to at least 280.
Magellan personally commanded Trinidad. Santiago was commanded by Juan Serran, brother of Francisco Serran, who was rescued by Magellan in Malacca. Three other ships were commanded by representatives of the Spanish nobility, with whom Magellan immediately began conflicts. The Spaniards did not like that the expedition was commanded by the Portuguese. In addition, Magellan hid the proposed route of navigation, and this caused discontent among the captains. The opposition was quite serious. Captain Mendoza was even given a special demand from the king to stop bickering and submit to Magellan. But already in the Canary Islands, Magellan received information that the Spanish captains agreed among themselves to remove him from his post if they consider that he interferes with them.
Atlantic Ocean
The captain of San Antonio Cartagena, who was the representative of the crown in navigation, during one of the reports defiantly violated the chain of command and began to call Magellan not “captain-general” (admiral), but simply “captain”. Cartagena was the second person in the expedition, almost equal in status to the commander. For several days he continued to do so despite Magellan's remarks. Tom had to endure this until the captains of all the ships were called to Trinidad to decide the fate of the criminal sailor. Forgetting, Cartagena again violated discipline, but this time he was not on his ship. Magellan personally grabbed him by the collar and declared him under arrest. Cartagena was allowed not to be on the flagship, but on the ships of captains who sympathized with him. Magellan's relative Alvar Mishkita became the commander of San Antonio.
On November 29, the flotilla reached the coast of Brazil, and on December 26, 1519, La Plata, where the prospective strait was searched. Santiago was sent west, but soon returned with the message that this was not a strait, but the mouth of a giant river. The squadron began to slowly move south, exploring the coast. On this route, Europeans saw penguins for the first time.
The advance to the south was slow, the ships were hampered by storms, winter was approaching, but there was still no strait. March 31, 1520, reaching 49 ° S. latitude. the flotilla winters in a bay named San Julián.
rebellion
Family of Magellanic penguins in Patagonia
Getting up for the winter, the captain ordered to cut the food rations, which caused a murmur among the sailors, already exhausted by the long difficult voyage. A group of officers dissatisfied with Magellan tried to take advantage of this.
Magellan learns about the rebellion only in the morning. At his disposal are two ships Trinidad and Santiago, which had almost no combat value. In the hands of the conspirators are three large ships San Antonio, Concepción and Victoria. But the rebels did not want further bloodshed, fearing that they would have to answer for this upon arrival in Spain. A boat was sent to Magellan with a letter saying that their goal was just to get Magellan to correctly carry out the orders of the king. They agree to consider Magellan as a captain, but he must consult with them on all his decisions and not act without their consent. For further negotiations, they invite Magellan to come to them for negotiations. Magellan responds by inviting them to his ship. Those refuse.
Having lulled the vigilance of the enemy, Magellan seizes the boat carrying the letters and puts the rowers in the hold. The rebels were most afraid of an attack on San Antonio, but Magellan decided to attack Victoria, where there were many Portuguese. The boat, which contains the alguacil Gonzalo Gomez de Espinosa and five reliable people, is sent to Victoria. Having boarded the ship, Espinoza hands over to Captain Mendoza a new invitation from Magellan to come to the negotiations. The captain begins to read it with a smirk, but does not have time to finish reading it. Espinoza stabs him in the neck with a knife, one of the arriving sailors finishes off the rebel. While the Victoria team was in complete confusion, another, this time heavily armed, group of Magellan's supporters, led by Duerte Barbosa, jumped on board, quietly approaching on another boat. Victoria's crew surrenders without resistance. Three ships of Magellan: Trinidad, Victoria and Santiago - stand at the exit from the bay, blocking the way for the rebels to escape.
After the ship was taken from them, the rebels did not dare to enter into an open clash and, after waiting for the night, tried to slip past Magellan's ships into the open ocean. It failed. San Antonio was shelled and boarded. There was no resistance, no casualties. Following him, Concepción also surrendered.
A tribunal was set up to try the rebels. 40 participants in the rebellion were sentenced to death, but immediately pardoned, since the expedition could not lose such a number of sailors. Only the one who committed the murder of Quesado was executed. The representative of the king of Cartagena and one of the priests who actively participated in the rebellion, Magellan did not dare to execute, and they were left on the shore after the flotilla left. Nothing more is known about them.
In a few decades, Francis Drake will enter the same bay, who will also have to circumnavigate the world. A conspiracy will be uncovered on his flotilla and a trial will be held in the bay. He will offer the rebel a choice: execution, or he will be left on the shore, like Magellan Cartagena. The defendant will choose execution.
strait
In May, Magellan sent Santiago, led by João Serran, south to reconnoiter the area. Santa Cruz Bay was found 60 miles to the south. A few days later, in a storm, the ship lost control and crashed. The sailors, except for one person, escaped and ended up on the shore without food and supplies. They tried to return to the wintering grounds, but due to fatigue and exhaustion, they joined the main detachment only after a few weeks. The loss of a ship specially designed for reconnaissance, as well as the supplies on it, caused great damage to the expedition.
Magellan made João Serran captain of Concepción. As a result, all four ships ended up in the hands of Magellan's supporters. San Antonio was commanded by Mishkit, Victoria Barbosa.
Strait of Magellan
During the winter, the sailors came into contact with the locals. They were tall. To protect themselves from the cold, they wrapped their feet in a lot of hay, so they were called Patagonians (big-footed, born with paws). The country itself was named after them Patagonia. By order of the king, it was necessary to bring to Spain representatives of the peoples who met the expedition. Since the sailors were afraid of a fight with tall and strong Indians, they resorted to a trick: they gave them many gifts in their hands, and when they could no longer hold anything in their hands, they offered them ankle shackles as a gift, the purpose of which the Indians did not understand. Since their hands were busy, the Patagonians agreed to have shackles attached to their feet, using this the sailors fettered them. So managed to capture two Indians, but this led to a clash with the locals with casualties on both sides. None of the captives survived to return to Europe.
On August 24, 1520, the flotilla left the bay of San Julian. During the winter she lost 30 people. Two days later, the expedition was forced to stop in Santa Cruz Bay due to bad weather and damage. The flotilla set out on the road only on October 18. Before leaving, Magellan announced that he would search for the strait up to 75 ° S, if the strait was not found, then the flotilla would go to the Moluccas around the Cape of Good Hope.
October 21 at 52°S the ships ended up at a narrow strait leading deep into the mainland. San Antonio and Concepción are sent for reconnaissance. Soon a storm hits, lasting two days. The sailors feared that the ships sent for reconnaissance were lost. And they really almost died, but when they were carried to the shore, a narrow passage opened in front of them, into which they entered. They found themselves in a wide bay, followed by more straits and bays. The water remained salty all the time, and the lot very often did not reach the bottom. Both ships returned with good news about a possible strait.
The flotilla entered the strait and for many days walked through a real labyrinth of rocks and narrow passages. The strait was subsequently named Magellanic. The southern land, on which lights were often seen at night, was called Tierra del Fuego. At the "Sardine River" a council was convened. San Antonio pilot Esteban Gomes spoke out in favor of returning home due to the small amount of provisions and the complete uncertainty ahead. Other officers did not support him. Magellan remembered well the fate of Bartolomeo Dias, who discovered the Cape of Good Hope, but yielded to the team and returned home. Dias was removed from the leadership of future expeditions and never got to India. Magellan announced that the ships would go ahead.
At Dawson Island, the strait divides into two channels, and Magellan again separates the flotilla. San Antonio and Concepción sail southeast, the other two ships stay to rest, and a boat departs southwest. Three days later the boat returns and the sailors report that they have seen the open sea. Conspecion soon returns, but there is no news from San Antonio. The missing ship is being searched for several days, but to no avail. Later it turned out that the helmsman of San Antonio, Esteban Gomes, mutinied, chained Captain Mishchita and went home to Spain. In March, he returned to Seville, where he accused Magellan of treason. An investigation began, the whole team was sent to prison. Supervision was established over Magellan's wife. Subsequently, the rebels were released, and Mishkita remained in prison until the return of the expedition.
November 28, 1520 Magellan's ships set sail. The journey through the strait took 38 days. For many years, Magellan will remain the only captain who passed the strait and did not lose a single ship.
Pacific Ocean
Leaving the strait, Magellan walked north for 15 days, reaching 38 ° S, where he turned to the northwest, and on December 21, 1520, reaching 30 ° S, turned to the northwest.
Strait of Magellan. Sketch of the Pigafetta map. North is down.
The flotilla passed through the Pacific Ocean for at least 17 thousand km. Such a huge size of the new ocean was unexpected for sailors. When planning the expedition, they proceeded from the assumption that Asia is relatively close to America. In addition, at that time it was believed that the main part of the Earth was occupied by land, and only a relatively small part by the sea. During the crossing of the Pacific Ocean, it became clear that this was not the case. The ocean seemed endless. There are many inhabited islands in the South Pacific where fresh supplies could be obtained, but the flotilla's route passed away from them. Unprepared for such a transition, the expedition experienced great hardships.
“For three months and twenty days, - the chronicler of the expedition Antonio Pigafetta noted in his travel notes, - we were completely deprived of fresh food. We ate rusks, but they were no longer rusks, but rusk dust mixed with worms that ate the best rusks. She smelled strongly of rat urine. We drank yellow water that had rotted for days. We also ate the cowhide that covered the grey, so that the shrouds would not fray; from the action of the sun, rain and wind, it became incredibly hard. We soaked it in sea water for four or five days, after which we put it on hot coals for several minutes and ate it. We often ate sawdust. Rats were sold for half a ducat apiece, but even at that price it was impossible to get them.
In addition, scurvy was rampant on the ships. Died, according to various sources, from eleven to twenty-nine people. Fortunately for the sailors, there was not a single storm during the entire voyage and they named the new ocean the Pacific.
During the voyage, the expedition reached 10 °C. and turned out to be noticeably north of the Moluccas, which she aspired to. Perhaps Magellan wanted to make sure that the South Sea discovered by Balboa was part of this ocean, or perhaps he was afraid of meeting with the Portuguese, which would have ended in failure for his battered expedition. On January 24, 1521, sailors saw an uninhabited island (from the Tuamotu archipelago). There was no way to land on it. After 10 days, another island was discovered (in the Line archipelago). They also failed to land, but the expedition caught sharks for food.
On March 6, 1521, the flotilla sighted the island of Guam from the Marianas group. It was inhabited. Boats surrounded the flotilla, trading began. It soon became clear that the locals steal from the ships everything that comes to hand. When they stole the boat, the Europeans could not stand it. They landed on the island and burned the village of the islanders, killing 7 people in the process. After that, they took the boat and took fresh food. The islands were named Thieves (Landrones). As the flotilla left, the locals chased the ships in boats, throwing stones at them, but without much success.
A few days later, the Spaniards were the first Europeans to reach the Philippine Islands, which Magellan named the archipelago of Saint Lazarus. Fearing new clashes, he is looking for an uninhabited island. On March 17, the Spaniards landed on Homonhom Island. The Pacific crossing is over.
Death of Magellan
An infirmary was set up on the island of Homonhom, where all the sick were transferred. Fresh food quickly cured the sailors, and the flotilla set off on a further journey among the islands. On one of them, Magellan's slave Enrique, who was born in Sumatra, met people who spoke his language. The circle is closed. For the first time a man circumnavigated the earth.
A brisk trade began. For iron products, the islanders easily gave gold and products. Impressed by the strength of the Spaniards and their weapons, the ruler of the island, Raja Humabon, agrees to surrender himself under the protection of the Spanish king and is soon baptized under the name Carlos. Following him, his family is baptized, many representatives of the nobility and ordinary islanders. Patronizing the new Carlos Humabon, Magellan tried to bring as many local rulers under his rule.
Death of Magellan
Monument to Lapu-Lapu on the island of Cebu
Here is what the historiographer of the expedition, Antonio Pigafetta, wrote about the death of the admiral:
... The islanders followed us on our heels, fishing spears that had already been used once out of the water, and thus threw the same spear five or six times. Recognizing our admiral, they began to aim mainly at him; twice they had already succeeded in knocking the helmet off his head; he remained with a handful of men at his post, as befits a brave knight, not trying to continue the retreat, and so we fought for more than an hour, until one of the natives managed to wound the admiral in the face with a cane spear. Enraged, he immediately pierced the chest of the attacker with his spear, but it got stuck in the body of the slain; then the admiral tried to draw his sword, but he could no longer do it, since the enemies badly wounded him in his right hand with a dart, and it stopped working. Noticing this, the natives rushed at him in a crowd, and one of them wounded him in the left leg with a saber, so that he fell on his back. At the same moment, all the islanders pounced on him and began to stab him with spears and other weapons that they had. So they killed our mirror, our light, our consolation and our faithful leader.
Completion of the expedition
Nine Europeans died in the defeat, but the damage to reputation was enormous. In addition, the loss of an experienced leader immediately made itself felt. Juan Serran and Duarte Barbosa, who led the expedition, entered into negotiations with Lapu-Lapu offering him a ransom for Magellan's body, but he replied that the body would not be given out under any circumstances. The failure of the negotiations finally undermined the prestige of the Spaniards, and soon their ally Humabon lured them to dinner and massacred several dozen people, including almost the entire command staff. The ships had to leave quickly. Near the target, the flotilla spent several months reaching the Moluccas.
Spices were purchased there, and the expedition was to set off on the return route. On the islands, the Spaniards learned that the Portuguese king had declared Magellan a deserter, so his ships were subject to capture. The courts were dilapidated. "Concepción" was previously abandoned by the team and burned. Only two ships remained. "Trinidad" was repaired and went east to the Spanish possessions in Panama, and "Victoria "- to the west around Africa. "Trinidad" fell into a strip of headwinds, was forced to return to the Moluccas and was captured by the Portuguese. Most of his crew died in hard labor in India. "Victoria" under the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano continued the route. The crew was supplemented by a certain number of Malay islanders (almost all of them died on the road). The ship soon became short of provisions (Pigafetta noted in his notes: “Apart from rice and water, we have no food left; due to lack of salt, all meat products spoiled"), and part of the crew began to demand that the captain head for Mozambique, which belongs to the Portuguese crown, and surrender into the hands of the Portuguese. However, most of the sailors and Captain Elcano himself decided to try to sail to Spain at all costs. The Victoria hardly rounded the Cape of Good Hope and then went northwest along the African coast for two months without stopping.
On July 9, 1522, a worn-out ship with an exhausted crew approached the Cape Verde Islands, a Portuguese possession. It was impossible not to make a stop here due to the extreme lack of drinking water and provisions. Here Pigafetta writes:
“On Wednesday, July 9, we reached the St. James Islands and immediately sent a boat ashore for provisions, inventing a story for the Portuguese that we had lost our foremast under the equator (in fact, we lost it off the Cape of Good Hope) , and during this time that we were restoring it, our captain-general left with two other ships for Spain. Having positioned them in this way towards us, and also giving them our goods, we managed to get from them two boats loaded with rice ... When our boat again approached the shore for rice, thirteen crew members were detained along with the boat. Fearing that some caravels would not detain us as well, we hurriedly moved on.
It is interesting that Magellan himself did not at all intend to make a round-the-world expedition - he only wanted to find a western route to the Moluccas and return back, in general, for any commercial flight (and Magellan's flight was such), a round-the-world trip is pointless. And only the threat of an attack by the Portuguese forced one of the ships to continue to follow west, and if "Trinidad" completed his route safely, and "Victoria" would have been captivated, there would have been no round-the-world trip.
Thus, the Spaniards opened the western route to Asia and spice islands. This first-ever circumnavigation of the world proved the correctness of the hypothesis about the sphericity of the Earth and the inseparability of the oceans washing the land.
lost day
In addition, as it turned out, the expedition members "lost a day" . In those days, there was still no concept of the difference between local and universal time, since the most distant trading expeditions took place in both directions along almost the same route, crossing the meridians first in one direction, then in the opposite direction. In the same case, recorded for the first time in history, the expedition returned to its starting point, so to speak, "without returning", but moving only forward, to the west.
On ships with a Christian crew, as expected, to maintain the order of the watch, counting the movement, keeping records, but, first of all, to observe Catholic church holidays, time was calculated. There were no chronometers in those days, sailors used hourglasses (from this, in the Navy, there was a counting of time using bottles). The beginning of the account of daily time was at noon. Naturally, every clear day, sailors determined the moment of noon when the Sun was at its highest point, that is, it crossed the local meridian (using a compass or along the length of the shadow). From this, the days of the calendar were also counted, including Sundays, Easter and all other church holidays. But every time the sailors determined the time local noon corresponding to the meridian on which the ship was at that moment. The ships sailed to the west, following the movement of the Sun across the sky, catching up with it. Therefore, if they had a modern chronometer or a simple watch, tuned to the local noon of the port of Sanlucar de Barrameda, sailors would notice that their day is slightly longer than the usual 24 hours and their local noon is more and more behind their native Spanish, gradually moving to Spanish evening, night, morning and day again. But, since they did not have a chronometer, their swimming was extremely unhurried and more important and terrible incidents happened to them, then no one simply thought about this “little thing” over time. These brave Spanish sailors celebrated church holidays with all care, like zealous Catholics, but, as it turned out, according to to his own calendar . As a result, when the sailors returned to their native Europe, it turned out that their ship's calendar lagged behind the calendar of their homeland and the Church by a whole day. This happened on the Cape Zelenogo Islands. Here is how Antonio Pigafetta described it:
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That is, they incorrectly celebrated Sundays, Holy Pascha and other holidays.
Thus, it was discovered that when traveling along the parallels, that is, in the plane of the Earth's daily rotation around its axis, time, as it were, changes its duration. If you move to the west, behind the Sun, catching up with it, the day (day) seems to lengthen. If we move to the east, towards the Sun, lagging behind it, the day, on the contrary, is shortened. To overcome this paradox, the system of time zones and the concept of the international date line were later developed. The effect of jet lag is now experienced by anyone who undertakes long-distance, but fast, travel in a latitudinal direction by planes or high-speed trains.
Notes
- , With. 125
- , With. 125-126
- Like the sun ... The life of Ferdinand Magellan and the first circumnavigation (Lange P.V.)
- , With. 186
- SURRENDER
- , With. 188
- , With. 192
- Like the sun ... The life of Ferdinand Magellan and the first circumnavigation (Lange P.V.)
- , With. 126-127
- , With. 190
- , With. 192-193
- Like the sun ... The life of Ferdinand Magellan and the first circumnavigation (Lange P.V.)
- , With. 196-197
- , With. 199-200
- , With. 128
- , With. 201-202
- , With. 202
Primus circumdedisti me (you were the first to bypass me)- reads the Latin inscription on the emblem of Juan Sebastian Elcano crowned with a globe. Indeed, Elcano was the first person to commit circumnavigation.
Basque navigator Juan Sebastian Elcano was born in 1480 in Getaria, a small fishing village near Donostia. In 1519, he, as a helmsman, took part in the round-the-world expedition of Ferdinand Magellan. The details of this dramatic expedition have come down to us thanks to the diary kept by its participant, the Italian Antonio Pigafetta. Sailors were pursued by riots, diseases, severe hurricanes, one after another taking away human lives. Death did not spare Magellan himself, who in 1521 died in the Philippines during a skirmish with the natives. It was then that Elcano took command of the expedition - more precisely, the only ship with a crew half dead from exhaustion and disease.
Their return was like a miracle. Elcano managed to navigate the worm-eaten ship across the entire Indian Ocean, round Africa and, against all odds, return home. Of the 270 people who went on a round-the-world expedition three years ago, only 18 survived. Among the lucky ones was Antonio Pigafetta, who nevertheless completed his diary.
In 1525, on the orders of the Spanish king, a new expedition to the Moluccas took place. Oddly enough, it was not Elcano who led it, but Admiral Garcia Jofre de Loaysa. Elcano, who suffered such an injustice with pain, was appointed his deputy. From the very beginning, the voyage was very difficult, and the black streak of failures did not leave the navigators. And once a strong storm swept the ships, finally crossed out the hope for a successful completion of the mission.
Ironically, Elcano, as the last time, led the expedition after the death of its commander, Admiral Loaysa, but did not survive him much. Luck turned its back on Elcano. He died on 6 August 1526 at the age of 46. He was buried according to the custom of the sea, giving the body to the ocean abyss. This happened between longitude 157 degrees west and latitude 9 degrees north.
In the homeland of Elcano in Getaria, near the old church, there is a slab on which the inscription is carved: "... the glorious Captain Juan Sebastian de Elcano, a native and resident of the noble and faithful city of Getaria, the first to circumnavigate the globe on the ship Victoria. Pray for the repose of the soul of the one who first made the journey around the world."
You can learn more about Elcano's biography and travels from the essay by Valery Pestushko, the original text of which was published in the Journal of Virtual Travel Around the World.
Juan Sebastian Elcano
In the Museum of San Telmo in the city of San Sebastian, Salaverria's painting "The Return of the Victoria" is located. Eighteen emaciated people in white shrouds, with lighted candles in their hands, staggering down the ladder from the ship to the embankment of Seville. These are sailors from the only ship that returned to Spain from Magellan's entire flotilla, with their captain, Juan Sebastian Elcano, in front.
Much in the biography of Elcano has not yet been clarified. Oddly enough, the man who circumnavigated the globe for the first time did not attract the attention of artists and historians of his time. There is not even a reliable portrait of him, and of the documents written by him, only letters to the king, petitions and a will have survived. In 1510, Elcano, the owner and captain of a ship, took part in the siege of Tripoli. But the Spanish Treasury refused to pay Elcano the amount due for settlements with the crew. Elcano had to borrow this money from Savoyard merchants. When they began to demand payment of the debt, Elcano was forced to sell them his ship, which at that time was considered a serious crime. Knowing that the court would not take into account any excuses, Elcano fled to Seville, where it was easy to get lost, and then take refuge on any ship: in those days, the captains were least interested in the biographies of their people. In addition, there were many Elcano fellow countrymen in Seville, and one of them, Ibarolla, was well acquainted with Magellan. He helped Elcano to enlist in Magellan's flotilla. Having passed the exams and received beans as a sign of a good grade (those who did not pass received peas from the examination board), Elcano became the helmsman on the third largest ship in the flotilla, the Concepcione.
On September 20, 1519, Magellan's flotilla left the mouth of the Guadalquivir and headed for the coast of Brazil. In April 1520, when the ships settled down for the winter in the frosty and deserted bay of San Julian, the captains, dissatisfied with Magellan, mutinied. Elcano was drawn into it, not daring to disobey his commander - the captain of the "Concepción" Quesada.
Magellan vigorously and brutally suppressed the rebellion: Quesada and another of the leaders of the conspiracy were cut off their heads, the corpses were quartered and the mutilated remains were stumbled on poles. Captain Cartagena and one priest, also the instigator of the rebellion, Magellan ordered to be landed on the deserted shore of the bay, where they subsequently died. The remaining forty rebels, including Elcano, Magellan spared.
1. The first ever circumnavigation of the world
On November 28, 1520, the remaining three ships left the strait and in March 1521, after an unprecedentedly difficult passage through the Pacific Ocean, they approached the islands, which later became known as the Marianas. In the same month, Magellan discovered the Philippine Islands, and on April 27, 1521, he died in a skirmish with local residents on the island of Matan. Elcano, stricken with scurvy, did not participate in this skirmish. After the death of Magellan, Duarte Barbosa and Juan Serrano were elected captains of the flotilla. At the head of a small detachment, they went ashore to the Raja of Cebu and were treacherously killed. Fate again - for the umpteenth time - spared Elcano. Karvalyo became the head of the flotilla. But there were only 115 men left on the three ships; many of them are sick. Therefore, the "Concepción" was burned in the strait between the islands of Cebu and Bohol; and his team moved to the other two ships - "Victoria" and "Trinidad". Both ships wandered between the islands for a long time, until, finally, on November 8, 1521, they anchored off the island of Tidore, one of the "Spice Islands" - the Moluccas. Then, in general, it was decided to continue sailing on one ship - the Victoria, of which Elcano had become the captain shortly before, and leave the Trinidad on the Moluccas. And Elcano managed to navigate his worm-eaten ship with a starving crew through the Indian Ocean and along the coast of Africa. A third of the team died, about a third was detained by the Portuguese, but still, on September 8, 1522, the Victoria entered the mouth of the Guadalquivir.
It was an unprecedented, unheard-of passage in the history of navigation. Contemporaries wrote that Elcano surpassed King Solomon, the Argonauts and the cunning Odysseus. The first ever circumnavigation of the world has been completed! The king granted the navigator an annual pension of 500 gold ducats and knighted Elcano. The coat of arms assigned to Elcano (since then del Cano) commemorated his voyage. The coat of arms depicted two cinnamon sticks framed with nutmeg and cloves, a golden padlock surmounted by a helmet. Above the helmet is a globe with a Latin inscription: "You were the first to circle me." And finally, by special decree, the king announced forgiveness to Elcano for selling the ship to a foreigner. But if it was quite simple to reward and forgive the brave captain, then it turned out to be more difficult to resolve all the controversial issues related to the fate of the Moluccas. The Spanish-Portuguese congress sat for a long time, but was never able to "divide" the islands located on the other side of the "earthly apple" between the two powerful powers. And the Spanish government decided not to delay sending a second expedition to the Moluccas.
2. Goodbye A Coruña
La Coruna was considered the safest port in Spain, which "could accommodate all the fleets of the world." The importance of the city increased even more when the Chamber of Indies was temporarily transferred here from Seville. This chamber developed plans for a new expedition to the Moluccas in order to finally establish Spanish domination on these islands. Elcano arrived in A Coruña full of bright hopes - he already saw himself as an admiral of the armada - and began to equip the flotilla. However, Charles I did not appoint Elcano as commander, but a certain Jofre de Loais, a participant in many naval battles, but completely unfamiliar with navigation. Elcano's pride was deeply wounded. In addition, the “highest refusal” came from the royal office to Elcano’s petition for the payment of an annual pension granted to him of 500 gold ducats: the king ordered that this amount be paid only after returning from the expedition. So Elcano experienced the traditional ingratitude of the Spanish crown to the famous navigators.
Before sailing, Elcano visited his native Getaria, where he, an illustrious sailor, easily managed to recruit many volunteers to his ships: with a man who has bypassed the "earthly apple", you will not be lost even in the jaws of the devil, the port brethren argued. In the early summer of 1525, Elcano brought his four ships to A Coruña and was appointed helmsman and deputy commander of the flotilla. In total, the flotilla consisted of seven ships and 450 crew members. There were no Portuguese on this expedition. The last night before the sailing of the flotilla in A Coruña was very lively and solemn. At midnight on Mount Hercules, on the site of the ruins of a Roman lighthouse, a huge fire was lit. The city said goodbye to the sailors. The cries of the townspeople, who treated the sailors with wine from leather bottles, the sobs of women and the hymns of pilgrims mixed with the sounds of the cheerful dance "La Muneira". The sailors of the flotilla remembered this night for a long time. They went to another hemisphere, and now they faced a life full of dangers and hardships. For the last time, Elcano walked under the narrow archway of Puerto de San Miguel and descended the sixteen pink steps to the beach. These steps, already completely worn out, have survived to this day.
Fernand Magellan (Fernand de Magalhaes) - (born November 20, 1480 - death April 27, 1521)
What did Magellan Ferdinand discover?
The outstanding Portuguese navigator Magellan Fernand, his expedition made the first ever circumnavigation of the world, which involved the search for a western route to the Moluccas. This proved the existence of a single world ocean and provided practical proof of the spherical shape of the Earth. Magellan discovered the entire coast of South America south of La Plata, circled the continent from the south, discovered the strait, which was named after him, and the Patagonian Cordillera; first crossed the Pacific Ocean.
Biography of Ferdinand Magellan
Among the people who made global upheavals in the minds of people and the development of mankind, travelers could also play a significant role. The most striking figure of them is the Portuguese Fernand de Magalhaes, who became known to the whole world under the Spanishized name of Fernand Magellan.
Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1470 in the locality of Sabrosa, in the remote northeastern province of Portugal, Traz os Leontes. His family belonged to a noble but impoverished knightly family and was respected at court. It was not in vain that King João II of Fernand's father, Pedro Ruy de Magalhães, appointed senior alcalde * of the strategically important harbor of Aveiro.
(* Alcalde is a judicial or municipal official who had executive power. His main task was to maintain public order).
Education
Connections at court made it possible for the alcalde in 1492 to attach his eldest son as a page to Queen Eleanor. So, Fernand received the right to be brought up in the royal residence. There, in addition to the knightly arts - horseback riding, fencing, falconry - he was able to master astronomy, navigation and cartography. At the Portuguese court, since the time of Prince Henry the Navigator, these items have been mandatory for the study of young courtiers. It was they who had to go on long-distance sea expeditions with the aim of conquering and discovering new lands. No wonder their lessons were observed by King Manuel himself, who replaced Juan on the throne.
The ambitious Fernand became seriously interested in navigation. In an effort to stay away from palace intrigues, in 1504 he asked the king to let him go to India under the leadership of the Viceroy of India, Francisco de Almeida, and, having received consent, left Lisbon in the spring of 1505.
Career of Magalhaes the Navigator
Almeida's expedition was purely military in nature and had the goal of subduing the recalcitrant Muslim rulers from Sofala to Hormuz and from Cochin to Bab el-Mandeb. Muslim fortifications had to be wiped off the face of the earth and Portuguese fortresses had to be built in their place.
Magalhaes took part in sea and land battles at Kilva, Sofal, Mombasa, Kannanur, Calicut, as well as in the sacking of these cities, and over time turned into a valiant warrior, experienced and accustomed to any cruelties and misadventures of his harsh era. He quickly gained a reputation as a brave captain, skilled in combat and navigation. At the same time, even then, concern for brothers in arms became one of the main features of the future pioneer of circumnavigations.
1509 - During the battles near Malacca, Magalhaes was able to become famous, almost single-handedly coming to the aid of a handful of his compatriots who were attacked by the Malays. He acted in the same nobility during his return from Malacca to India. At the head of only 5 people, Fernand hurried to the aid of the Portuguese caravel and helped to win.
At the very beginning of 1510, the career of Magalhaes the navigator almost came to an end: during the unsuccessful assault on Calicut, he was seriously wounded, and for the second time. The first wound, received during a campaign against Morocco, made him lame for the rest of his life. Dejected, Fernand decided to return to his homeland.
Magellan's route
In the spring, a small flotilla of three ships left Cochin for Portugal. On board one of the ships was Magalhaes. But this time he never made it home. A hundred miles from the Indian coast, two ships ran into the pitfalls of the dangerous Padua shoal and sank. The officers and distinguished passengers decided to return to India on the remaining ship, leaving their rootless companions without water and food on a narrow sandy shoal, for whom there was no place on the ship. Fernand refused to sail with them: nobility and high rank were a kind of guarantee that help could still be sent for those who remained. In the end, that is what happened. Two weeks later, the shipwrecked were rescued, and upon arrival in India, they everywhere talked about the extraordinary firmness of their patron, who managed, under difficult conditions, to arouse hope in people and strengthen stamina.
Fernand remained in India for some time. According to the documents, he boldly expressed his opinion in cases where other captains were silent. This, probably, could be the main reason for his disagreement with the new Viceroy Afonso de Albuquerque.
Portugal
Summer 1512 - Magalhaes returned to Portugal. This is evidenced by an entry in the pay slip of the royal court, according to which he was assigned a monthly royal pension of 1000 Portuguese reais. After 4 weeks, it was almost doubled, which may indicate that the merits of the valiant captain were recognized by the court.
During the war with the Moors of Azamora (modern Azemmour in Morocco), Fernand was appointed major, that is, he received a rather prestigious and profitable position. At his complete disposal were the prisoners and all the captured trophies. Fasting provided unlimited opportunities for personal enrichment, therefore Magalhaes had no shortage of ill-wishers.
After some time, he was unreasonably accused of organizing an attack by the Moors on a herd and allowing 400 heads of cattle to be stolen, receiving a lot of money for this. After some time, the charge was dropped, but the offended Fernand resigned.
Left without sufficient means of subsistence, the warrior known for his valor hoped for the mercy of the king. He asked Manuel to increase his pension by only 200 Portuguese reais. But the king did not like people with a strong character and, according to the chronicler Barrush, "... always had an aversion to him," and therefore refused. Indignant, Magalhaes secretly left his homeland in 1517 and moved to Spain.
Spain
Since that time, the history of an unprecedented sea voyage around the Earth begins, the sphericity of which was then only assumed. And the merit of its organization and implementation belongs entirely to Fernand Magalhaes, who from now on has become Ferdinand Magellan.
Later, King Manuel caught on and, with tenacity worthy of a better use, began to prevent Magellan from carrying out his plans. But the mistake could no longer be corrected, and Portugal, for the second time after history, lost the chance to benefit from the discoveries of its great sons, underestimating their potential.
"Moluccan Armada" - ships of Magellan
It is known that even in Portugal he carefully studied nautical charts, made acquaintances with sailors and dealt a lot with the problems of determining geographic longitude. All this helped him a lot in realizing his idea.
According to the papal bull Inter cetera of 1493, all new territories discovered to the east of the demarcation line established in 1494 belonged to Portugal, and to the west - to Spain. But the method of calculating geographic longitude, adopted at that time, did not allow for a clear demarcation of the Western Hemisphere. Therefore, Magellan, as well as his friend and assistant, the astrologer and cosmographer Ruy Faleiro, believed that the Moluccas should not belong to Portugal, but to Spain.
1518, March - they presented their project to the Council of the Indies. After lengthy negotiations, it was accepted, and the Spanish King Carlos I (aka Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) undertook to equip 5 ships and allocate supplies for 2 years. In the event of the discovery of new lands, companions were given the right to become their rulers. They also received 20% of the income. In this case, the rights were to be inherited.
Shortly before this significant event, serious changes took place in the life of Fernand. Arriving in Seville, he joined the colony of Portuguese emigrants. One of them, the commandant of the Alcazar of Seville, Diogo Barbosa, introduced the valiant captain into his family. His son Duarte became a close friend of Fernand, and his daughter Beatrice became his wife.
Magellan really did not want to leave his young, passionately loving wife and recently born son, but duty, ambition and the desire to provide for his family persistently called him to the sea. Could not stop him and the unfavorable astrological forecast made by Faleyru. But it was precisely because of this that Ruy refused to participate in the voyage, and Magellan became its sole leader and organizer.
Magellan's voyage around the world
In Seville, 5 ships were prepared - the flagship Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepción, Victoria and Santiago. On September 20, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan said goodbye to the pregnant Beatrice and the newborn Rodrigo on the pier and ordered to raise the anchor. They were not destined to see each other again.
The lists of a small flotilla included 265 people: commanders and helmsmen, boatswains, gunners, ordinary sailors, priests, carpenters, caulkers, coopers, soldiers and people who did not have specific duties. All this motley multinational crew (in addition to the Spaniards and the Portuguese there were also Italians, Germans, French, Flemings, Sicilians, British, Moors and Malays) had to be kept in obedience. And discontent began almost from the first weeks of sailing. Agents of the Portuguese king infiltrated the ships, and through the diligence of the Portuguese consul in Seville, Alvaris, the holds were partially filled with rotten flour, moldy crackers and rotten corned beef.
On September 26, sailors reached the Canary Islands, on October 3 headed for Brazil, and on December 13 they entered the bay of Rio de Janeiro. From here, travelers headed south along the South American coast in search of a passage to the "South Sea", while moving only during the day, so as not to miss it in the dark. 1520, March 31 - the ships entered the bay of San Julian off the coast of Patagonia for the winter.
rebellion
Ferdinand Magellan - suppression of the rebellion
Soon Magellan had to give the order to reduce the diet. But part of the crew opposed such a decision and began to demand a return to Spain, but received a decisive refusal. Then, during the celebration of Easter, the leaders of the rebels, taking advantage of the fact that the bulk of the crews went ashore, were able to capture three ships.
Magellan decided to use force and cunning. He sent several loyal people to the Victoria with a letter to the rebellious treasurer Luis de Mendoza. He was stabbed while reading the letter, and the crew offered no resistance. The next day, two rebellious captains, Gaspar de Quesada and Juan de Cartagena, tried to withdraw their ships from the bay, but the Trinidad, Santiago and Victoria recaptured from the rebels blocked their path. The San Antonio surrendered without resistance. Quesada, who commanded them, was immediately arrested, and after some time Cartagena was also captured.
By order of Ferdinand Magellan, the dead body of Mendoza was quartered, Quesada was cut off his head, and Cartagena and the traitor priest Pedro Sanchez de la Reina were left on the shore. But the rebellious sailors did not suffer. They were given life, mainly because they were needed for ship work.
Strait of Magellan
Soon the squadron, which lost the Santiago during reconnaissance, moved further south. But the betrayals didn't stop there. On November 1, when the squadron was already moving through the desired strait, later called Magellanic, helmsman Ishteban Gomish, taking advantage of the fact that his ship was out of sight from the rest of the ships, captured the San Antonio and fled to Spain. Magellan never found out about the betrayal, just as he did not know what a fatal role Gomis played in the fate of his family. Arriving in Spain, the deserter accused his captain-general of treason against the king. As a result, Beatrice and her children were placed under house arrest and interrogation. She was deprived of state benefits and left in severe need. Neither she nor her sons lived to see the return of the expedition. And Gomes for "outstanding services rendered to the flotilla of Magellan" was awarded a knighthood by the king.
Discovery of the Marianas
On November 28, the ships of Ferdinand Magellan entered the ocean, on which no European had yet sailed. The weather, fortunately, remained good, and the navigator named the Pacific Ocean. Crossing it, he walked at least 17 thousand km and discovered many small islands, but inaccurate calculations did not allow them to be identified with any specific points on the map. Only the discovery in early March 1521 of two inhabited islands, Guam and Rota, the southernmost of the Mariana Islands, is considered indisputable. Magellan called them Robbers. The islanders stole a boat from the sailors, and the captain-general, having landed with a detachment on the shore, burned several native huts.
This voyage lasted almost 4 months. Despite the absence of hurricanes characteristic of this area, people had a very hard time. They were forced to eat sugar dust mixed with worms, drink rotten water, eat cowhide, sawdust and ship rats. These creatures seemed to them almost a delicacy and were sold for half a ducat apiece.
The crew was tortured by scurvy, many people died. But Magellan continued to confidently lead the squadron forward and somehow, on a proposal to return, he said: “We will go forward, even if we had to eat all the cowhide.”
Discovery of the Philippine Islands
1521, March 15 - the expedition ended up near the island of Samar (Philippines), and a week later, moving still to the west, arrived at the island of Limasava, where the slave of Magellan, the Malay Enrique, heard his native speech. This meant that the travelers were somewhere near the Spice Islands, that is, they had almost completed their task.
And yet the navigator sought to reach the cherished islands. But he decided to stay for a while in order to convert the Filipinos to Christianity.
1521, April 7 - the flotilla anchored off the island of Cebu, where a large port and the residence of the rajah was located. The sincerely religious Magellan insisted that the islanders accept Christianity without counting on any material benefits, but, unwittingly, he convinced the natives that they could count on a benevolent attitude from the powerful Spanish king only if they renounced the old faith. and worship the cross.
On April 14, the ruler of Cebu Humabon decided to be baptized. The cunning raja, now called Carlos, enlisted the support of Magellan against his pagan enemies and, thus, in one day subjugated everyone who challenged his power. In addition, Humabon secured a promise that when Magellan returned to the Philippines at the head of a large fleet, he would make him the sole ruler of all the islands as a reward for being the first to convert to Christianity. Moreover, the rulers of the nearby islands were also brought to obedience. But the leader of one of these islands, Mactana, named Silapulapu, did not want to submit to Carlos Humabon. Then the navigator decided to use force.
Death of Magellan
Death of Magellan
1521, April 27 - 60 armed men in armor, with several small guns, boarded boats and headed for Mactan. They were accompanied by several hundred Humabon warriors. But luck turned away from the Spaniards. The captain-general underestimated the enemy, not in time remembering the history of the conquest of Mexico, when a handful of Spaniards were able to take over the whole country. In the battle with the warriors of Mactan, his battle-hardened companions were defeated, and the captain-general himself laid down his head. During the retreat to the boats, the natives overtook him in the water. Wounded in the arm and leg, the already lame Magellan fell. What happened next is eloquently described by the chronicler of the expedition, Antonio Pigafett:
“The captain fell face down, and immediately they threw iron and bamboo spears at him and began to strike with cleavers until they destroyed our mirror, our light, our joy and our true leader. He kept turning back to see if we all had time to dive into the boats ... "
The further fate of the sailors
Subsequent events testified to the correctness of Pigafetta, who called Magellan "the true leader." Apparently, only he could keep this greedy pack in check, ready at any time for betrayal.
His successors failed to hold on to the positions they had won. The first thing they did was to deliver the bartered goods to the ships with feverish haste. Then one of the new leaders thoughtlessly insulted the Malay Enrique, and he persuaded Humabon to betrayal. The Raja lured some of the Spaniards into a trap and ordered them to be killed, and demanded a ransom for the surviving captain of the Concepción, Juan Serrau. Seeing him as a rival, Juan Carvalo, temporarily appointed commander of the flotilla, abandoned his comrade and ordered to raise the sails.
About 120 people survived. On three ships, by touch, often changing course, they nevertheless reached the Moluccas, destroying the worm-eaten Concepción along the way. Here they, not thinking about the possible danger from the local population, where the Spaniards were not very fond of, and the difficulties of the way home, rushed to buy spices. In the end, the Victoria, under the command of Esteban Elcano, left the Moluccas, and the heavily loaded Trinidad remained for repairs. Finally, his crew, who made an unsuccessful attempt to get to Panama, were captured. For a long time its members languished in prisons and plantations, first in the Moluccas and then in the Banda Islands. Later they were sent to India, where they lived on alms and were under the vigilant supervision of the authorities. Only five in 1527 were lucky enough to return to their homeland.
And the Victoria, under the command of Elcano, diligently bypassing the routes of the Portuguese ships, crossed the southern part of the Indian Ocean, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and through the Cape Verde Islands on September 8, 1522, arrived in the Spanish harbor of San Lucar. Of her crew, only 18 people survived (according to other sources - 30).
At home, the sailors had a hard time. Instead of honors, they got public repentance for one “lost” day (as a result of moving around the earth in time zones). From the point of view of the clergy, this could only happen as a result of breaking fasts.
Elcano, however, received honors. He received a coat of arms depicting the globe with the inscription "You were the first to travel around me" and a pension of 500 ducats. And no one remembered Magellan.
The true role of this remarkable man in history was able to appreciate the descendants, and, unlike Columbus, it has never been disputed. His voyage revolutionized the concept of the Earth. After this journey, any attempts to deny the sphericity of the planet completely ceased, it was proved that the world ocean is one, ideas were obtained about the true size of the globe, it was finally established that America is an independent continent, a strait was found between two oceans. And it is not for nothing that Stefan Zweig wrote in his book The Feat of Magellan: “Only he enriches mankind who helps him to know himself, who deepens his creative self-awareness. And in this sense, the feat accomplished by Magellan surpasses all the feats of his time.
