The main discoveries of Magellan. Ferdinand Magellan: first circumnavigation of the world
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 Columbus's idea: to reach Asia by heading west. The colonization of America had not yet brought significant profits, unlike the Portuguese colonies in India, and the Spaniards wanted to sail to the Spice Islands themselves and benefit. By that time it had become clear that America was not Asia, but it was assumed that Asia lay 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 it is necessary to get to these “Spice Islands” by a western route, so as not to arouse the suspicions of the Portuguese, through the South Sea, opened 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 bargaining 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 leader of the expedition.
Magellan himself personally supervised the loading and packaging of food, goods and equipment. The provisions taken on board were crackers, wine, olive oil, vinegar, salted fish, dried pork, beans and beans, flour, cheese, honey, almonds, anchovies, raisins, prunes, sugar, quince jam, capers, mustard, beef and rice In case of clashes there were about 70 cannons, 50 arquebuses, 60 crossbows, 100 sets of armor and other weapons. For trade they took cloth, 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 Quezada - "Concepcion"; Luis Mendoza - "Victoria" and Juan Serrano - "Santiago". The staff of this flotilla numbered 293 people; there were another 26 freelance crew members on board, among them the young Italian Antonio Pigafetga, the historian of the expedition. An international team set off on its first voyage around the world: 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 Sanlúcar de Barrameda (the mouth of the Guadalquivir River).
Ferdinand Magellan (Fernand de Magalhães) - (born November 20, 1480 - died April 27, 1521)
What Magellan Fernand discovered
The outstanding Portuguese navigator Magellan Fernand, his expedition made the first trip around the world in history, which involved searching 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, circumnavigated the continent from the south, discovered the strait that was named after him, and the Patagonian Cordillera; first to cross the Pacific Ocean.
Biography of Ferdinand Magellan
Among the people who made global revolutions in the consciousness of people and the development of mankind, travelers were able to play a significant role. The most striking figure of them is the Portuguese Fernand de Magalhães, who became known throughout the world under the Spanishized name 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. Unsurprisingly, King João II appointed Fernand's father, Pedro Rui de Magalhães, as 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 monitor the preservation of public order).
Education
Connections at court made it possible for the alcalde to appoint his eldest son as Queen Eleanor’s page in 1492. Thus, Fernand received the right to be raised in the royal residence. There, in addition to the knightly arts - horse riding, fencing, falconry - he was able to master astronomy, navigation and cartography. At the Portuguese court, these subjects were required for young courtiers to study since the time of Prince Henry the Navigator. It was they who had the opportunity to go on long sea expeditions with the aim of conquest and discovery of new lands. It was not for nothing that King Manuel himself, who replaced Juan on the throne, observed their lessons.
The ambitious Fernand became seriously interested in sailing. In an effort to get 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.
Magalhães' career as a navigator
Almeida's expedition was purely military in nature and had the goal of pacifying the rebellious Muslim rulers from Sofala to Hormuz and from Cochin to Bab el-Mandeb. It was necessary to wipe out the Muslim fortifications from the face of the earth and build Portuguese fortresses in their place.
Magalhães took part in sea and land battles at Kilva, Sofala, Mombasa, Cannanur, Calicut, as well as in the sack 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 acquired a reputation as a brave captain, skilled in battle and navigation. At the same time, even then, caring for brothers in arms became one of the main features of the future pioneer of circumnavigation.
1509 - During the battles near Malacca, Magalhães 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 just as nobly during his return from Malacca to India. At the head of only 5 people, Fernand hastened to the aid of the Portuguese caravel and helped to win.
At the very beginning of 1510, Magalhães' career as a navigator almost came to an end: during an unsuccessful assault on Calicut, he was seriously wounded, and for the second time. The first wound received during the campaign in Morocco left him lame for life. Dejected Fernand decided to return to his homeland.
Magellan's route
In the spring, a small flotilla of three ships sailed from Cochin to Portugal. Magalhães was also on board one of the ships. But this time he never made it home. A hundred miles from the Indian coast, two ships hit the underwater rocks of the dangerous Padua Shoal and sank. The officers and noble passengers decided to return to India on the remaining ship, leaving their rootless companions without water and food on a narrow sandy shoal, who had 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 this is what happened. Two weeks later, the castaways were rescued and, upon arrival in India, they talked everywhere about the extraordinary firmness of their patron, who, under difficult conditions, managed to awaken hope in people and strengthen resilience.
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 have been the main reason for his disagreements with the new Viceroy Afonso de Albuquerque.
Portugal
1512, summer - Magalhães returned to Portugal. This is evidenced by an entry in the royal court pay sheet, according to which he was assigned a monthly royal pension of 1,000 Portuguese reals. 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. He had the prisoners and all the captured trophies at his complete disposal. The post provided unlimited opportunities for personal enrichment, so Magalhães had no shortage of ill-wishers.
After some time, he was groundlessly accused of organizing an attack by the Moors on the herd and allowing 400 head of cattle to be stolen, receiving a lot of money for it. 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 reals. But the king did not like people with a strong character and, according to the chronicler Barros, “... always had an aversion to him,” and therefore refused. The outraged Magalhães secretly left his homeland in 1517 and moved to Spain.
Spain
From this time begins the history of a sea voyage around the Earth, unprecedented at that time, the sphericity of which was then only assumed. And the credit for its organization and implementation goes entirely to Fernand Magalhães, who from now on became Fernand Magellan.
Later, King Manuel came to his senses and, with tenacity worthy of better use, began to prevent Magellan from carrying out his plans. But the mistake could not be corrected, and for the second time in history, Portugal lost the chance to benefit from the discoveries of its great sons, underestimating their potential capabilities.
"Moluccan Armada" - Magellan's ships
It is known that while still in Portugal, he carefully studied nautical maps, made acquaintances with sailors, and worked a lot on 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 opened up to the east of the demarcation line established in 1494 belonged to Portugal, and to the west to Spain. But the method of calculating geographical longitude, adopted in those days, did not make it possible to clearly demarcate the Western Hemisphere. Therefore, Magellan, as well as his friend and assistant, astrologer and cosmographer Ruy Faleiro, believed that the Moluccas should belong not 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 had to be inherited.
Shortly before this significant event, serious changes occurred in Fernand's life. Arriving in Seville, he joined the colony of Portuguese emigrants. One of them, the commandant of the Seville Alcazar fortress, Diogo Barbosa, introduced the valiant captain into his family. His son Duarte became Fernand's close friend, 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 sea. An unfavorable astrological forecast made by Faleiro could not stop him either. 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, Concepcion, Victoria and Santiago. On September 20, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan said goodbye to the pregnant Beatrice and newborn Rodrigo on the pier and ordered the anchor to be raised. They were never destined to see each other again.
The lists of the 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. This entire motley multinational crew (in addition to the Spaniards and Portuguese, it also included Italians, Germans, French, Flemings, Sicilians, English, Moors and Malays) had to be kept in obedience. And discontent began almost from the first weeks of the voyage. Agents of the Portuguese king entered the ships, and through the zeal of the Portuguese consul in Seville, Alvares, the holds were partially filled with rotten flour, moldy crackers and rotten corned beef.
On September 26, the sailors reached the Canary Islands, on October 3, they 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,” 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.
Mutiny
Ferdinand Magellan - suppression of the rebellion
Soon Magellan had to give an order to reduce the diet. But part of the crew opposed this decision and began to demand a return to Spain, but received a decisive refusal. Then, during the celebration of Easter, the rebel leaders, 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 rebel captains, Gaspar de Quesada and Juan de Cartagena, tried to take their ships out of the bay, but their path was blocked by the Trinidad, Santiago and Victoria, which had been recaptured from the rebels. San Antonio surrendered without resisting. Their commander, Quesada, was immediately arrested, and after some time Cartagena was captured.
By order of Ferdinand Magellan, Mendoza's dead body was quartered, Quesada's head was cut off, and Cartagena and the traitor-priest Pedro Sanchez de la Reina were left on the shore. But the rebel sailors were not harmed. 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 did not stop there. On November 1, when the squadron was already moving through the desired Strait, later called the Strait of Magellan, the helmsman Ishteban Gomes, taking advantage of the fact that his ship was out of sight from the other ships, captured the San Antonio and fled to Spain. Magellan never learned about the betrayal, just as he never learned what fatal role Gomes 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 subjected to house arrest and interrogation. She was deprived of government benefits and left in dire need. Neither she nor her sons lived to see the expedition return. And Gomes was awarded a knighthood by the king for “outstanding services rendered to Magellan’s flotilla.”
Discovery of the Mariana Islands
On November 28, Ferdinand Magellan's ships entered the ocean, which no European had ever sailed. The weather, fortunately, remained good, and the navigator called the ocean Pacific. Crossing it, he traveled 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 group, is considered indisputable. Magellan called them the Robbers. The islanders stole a boat from the sailors, and the captain-general, landing with a detachment on the shore, burned several native huts.
This voyage lasted almost 4 months. Despite the absence of hurricanes typical for this area, people had a very hard time. They were forced to eat dry dust mixed with worms, drink rotten water, and eat cowhide, sawdust, and ship rats. These creatures seemed almost a delicacy to them and were sold for half a ducat apiece.
The crew suffered from scurvy, many people died. But Magellan continued to confidently lead the squadron forward and once, when asked to return, he said: “We will go forward, even if we have to eat the entire oxhide.”
Discovery of the Philippine Islands
1521, March 15 - the expedition found itself near the island of Samar (Philippines), and a week later, still moving west, it arrived at the island of Limasawa, where Magellan's slave, the Malayan Enrique, heard his native speech. This meant that the travelers were somewhere near the Spice Islands, i.e. they had almost completed their task.
And yet the navigator sought to reach the treasured islands. But he decided to stay for a while to convert the Filipinos to Christianity.
1521, April 7 - the flotilla dropped anchor off the island of Cebu, where a major port and 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 favorable attitude from the powerful Spanish king only if they renounced the old faith and will begin to worship the cross.
On April 14, the ruler of Cebu, Humabon, decided to be baptized. The cunning Rajah, now called Carlos, enlisted the support of Magellan against his pagan enemies and thus, in one day, subjugated all 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 the fact that the Rajah was the first to convert to Christianity. Moreover, the rulers of the nearby islands began to be brought to obedience. But the leader of one of these islands, Mactan, 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 of Humabon's warriors. But luck turned against the Spaniards. The captain general underestimated the enemy, remembering at the wrong time the history of the conquest of Mexico, when a handful of Spaniards were able to take possession of the entire country. In a battle with the warriors of Mactan, his battle-hardened companions were defeated, and the captain-general himself laid down his head. While retreating 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 expedition chronicler Antonio Pigafetta:
“The captain fell face down, and immediately they pelted him with iron and bamboo spears and began to strike him with cutlasses until they destroyed our mirror, our light, our joy and our true leader. He kept turning back to see if we had all managed to get 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 to betray.
His successors were unable to maintain their positions. First of all, with feverish haste, they delivered the exchanged goods to the ships. Then one of the new leaders thoughtlessly insulted the Malayan Enrique, and he persuaded Humabon to betray. The Rajah lured some of the Spaniards into a trap and ordered them to be killed, and demanded a ransom for the surviving captain of the Concepcion, Juan Serrau. Seeing him as a rival, Juan Carvalo, who was temporarily appointed commander of the flotilla, abandoned his comrade and ordered the sails to be raised.
About 120 people survived. Using three ships, they groped, often changing course, but finally reached the Moluccas, destroying the worm-eaten Concepcion along the way. Here they, not thinking about the possible danger from the local population, where the Spaniards were not very fond, and the difficulties of the journey to their homeland, rushed to buy spices. Eventually, the Victoria, under the command of Esteban Elcano, left the Moluccas, while the heavily laden Trinidad remained behind for repairs. Finally, his crew, who made an unsuccessful attempt to reach Panama, was captured. For a long time, its members languished in prisons and on plantations, first in the Moluccas and then on the Banda Islands. Later they were sent to India, where they lived on alms and were under the constant supervision of the authorities. Only five were lucky enough to return to their homeland in 1527.
And the Victoria, under the command of Elcano, diligently avoiding 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, arrived in the Spanish harbor of San Lucar on September 8, 1522. Of her crew, only 18 people survived (according to other sources - 30).
The sailors had a hard time at home. Instead of honors, they received public repentance for one “lost” day (as a result of moving through time zones around the earth). From the point of view of the clergy, this could only happen as a result of breaking the fasts.
Elcano, however, received honors. He received a coat of arms depicting a globe with the inscription “You were the first to circle around me,” and a pension of 500 ducats. But no one remembered Magellan.
Descendants were able to appreciate the true role of this remarkable man in history, and, unlike Columbus, it was never disputed. His voyage revolutionized the understanding of the Earth. After this trip, any attempts to deny the sphericity of the planet completely stopped, it was proven that the world ocean is one, ideas about the true size of the globe were obtained, it was finally established that America is an independent continent, and a strait was found between the two oceans. And it is not without reason that Stefan Zweig wrote in his book “Magellan’s Feat”: “Only he enriches humanity 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.”
Ferdinand Magellan (c. 1480 - 1521) - an outstanding Portuguese navigator who made the first trip around the world. He discovered the entire coast of South America south of La Plata, the strait named after him, the Patagonian Cordillera, and was the first to circumnavigate America from the south, crossing the Pacific Ocean, discovering the islands of Guam and Roth. He proved the existence of a single World Ocean and provided practical proof of the sphericity of the Earth. The two galaxies closest to Earth, the Magellanic Clouds, bear his name.
Fernand Magalhães, who became known to the whole world as Ferdinand Magellan, was born around 1480 in the city of Sabros in the Portuguese province of Traz os Leontes in the family of an impoverished knight from the Magalhães clan. In 1490, the father managed to place his son at the court of King Juan II, where he was raised and studied at the expense of the treasury, and two years later he became a page of Queen Leonora.
Later, Fernand was enlisted in the Naval Order and, as a naval officer, went to India as part of the squadron of the Viceroy of India Francisco d'Almeida. Later, the young officer took part in an expedition to the Malacca Peninsula, in a campaign against Morocco, where he was seriously wounded in the leg. Then his service record was enriched by service in Sofal, which by that time had become one of the Portuguese military fortifications on the way from Lisbon to India.In 1509, Magalhães took part in the defeat of the Venetian-Egyptian squadron at Diu, and in 1510 he again received seriously wounded during the storming of Calicut (Kozhikode). He understood his services to the crown and upon returning to Lisbon in 1512 or 1513 he asked the king for a promotion. Having been refused, the offended Magalhães decided to move to Spain, which he did in 1517 .
While still in Portugal, remembering the impressions received in the East Indies, Magellan began studying cosmography and marine sciences, and also wrote the book “Description of the Kingdoms, Coasts, Harbors and Islands of India.” In Spain he met with the Portuguese astronomer Ruy Faleiro. Together they made a plan: sailing west to reach the Moluccas, which at that time were under Portuguese rule and were the main source of spices for Lisbon. Naturally, the Portuguese stood guard over their interests and arrested any foreign ship that appeared in the waters they controlled.
The companions believed that the islands lie in that part of the Earth that, according to the famous papal bull of 1493 Inter cetera, belongs to Spain. In order not to arouse the suspicions of the Portuguese, they should have been reached by the western route, passing from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through a passage that, as Magellan believed, was located south of Brazil. With this plan, he and Faleiro in March 1518 turned to the Council of the Indies, demanding for themselves, if the enterprise was successful, the same rights and benefits that Columbus had stipulated. After lengthy negotiations, the project was accepted, and Charles I (aka German King Charles V) undertook to equip 5 ships and provide supplies for two years. In the event of the discovery of new lands, companions were given the right to become their rulers. They received 20% of the income. In this case, the rights had to be inherited. But soon Faleiro, citing a bad horoscope, refused to participate in the expedition. Thus, Magellan became its sole leader and organizer.
On September 20, 1519, the ships "Trinidad", "San Antonio", "Concepcion", "Victoria" and "Santiago" left San Lucar at the mouth of the Guadalquivir, having on board 293 crew members and another 26 non-staff members. Among them was Antonio Pigafetta, who became the chronicler of the expedition. The flagship ship was the Trinidad.
Descriptions of swimming exist in many variations. It is widely known about the fires along the shores of the land called Tierra del Fuego (more correctly “Land of Fire” - Tierra del Fuego), why the Pacific Ocean became Pacific, and the Patagonians have a name that means “big-footed”, about the discovery of the Magellanic clouds (expedition made discoveries not only on earth, but also in the sky), etc. In a brief summary, the expedition route is as follows.
On September 26, the flotilla approached the Canary Islands, on November 29 it reached the Bay of Rio de Janeiro, and on January 10, 1520, the mouth of La Plata, the extreme point of the then known coast. From here Magellan sent the Santiago upstream to check if there was a passage to the South Sea. After the return of the ship, the expedition moved south, and the transitions were carried out only as far as possible and as close to land as possible, so as not to miss the strait.
We spent the winter in San Julian Bay off the coast of Patagonia (49° S), which we entered on March 31. Here Magellan experienced a serious test. A riot broke out on three ships. The crews demanded to turn to the Cape of Good Hope and go to the Moluccas the traditional way. The rebellion was suppressed thanks to the determination of the admiral and the devotion of some of his companions. The rebel captains were treated mercilessly: one was executed, the body of another, who died, was quartered, and the third was landed on a deserted shore along with the conspirator-priest. But Magellan did not punish the sailors.
On August 24, wintering ended. The flotilla left San Julian Bay and moved further along the coast, and on October 21, 1520, the sailors saw the long-awaited strait leading to the west. But the admiral still had doubts, fearing that there was another bay in front of him, and sent two ships ahead, which returned three days later with the news “that they had seen the cape and the open sea.” We spent some more time in these waters, exploring the narrow straits, channels and bays, and lost the San Antonio. Magellan never found out that the ship's crew mutinied, the captain was wounded and shackled, and then the ship was turned back to Spain. At home, the new arrivals accused the admiral of treason. Magellan's family was deprived of government benefits. His wife and children soon died in poverty.
The flotilla moved further along the northern shore of the Strait, which Magellan called Patagonian (later on maps it will be designated as Magellan), rounded Cape Froward (53 ° 54 "S) - the southernmost point of the mainland and for another five days walked through the Strait surrounded gloomy high coasts, the southern of which was Tierra del Fuego, and on November 28, 1520, the sailors saw the open ocean.The passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, which Columbus had sought in vain, was finally found.
The three remaining ships of the flotilla (except for the deserted San Antonio, which lost the Santiago that crashed on the rocks) first went north 100 km from the rocky coast, trying to leave the cold waters, in mid-December from the island. Moga (38°30" S) turned to the northwest, and a little later - to the west-northwest. During the journey across the ocean, many islands were discovered, but inaccurate calculations do not allow us to identify them with any specific points on the map. But the discovery in early March of the islands of Guam and Rota, the southernmost of the Mariana group and called “Robbers” by Magellan, can be considered proven. The islanders stole a boat from travelers, and Magellan, landing with a detachment on the shore, burned several huts and boats, and several natives were killed.
From these islands the flotilla moved west and on March 15, 1521 found itself near the island. Samar (Philippines). They anchored off the neighboring island of Siargao, and later moved to the uninhabited Homonkhon. A week later, moving west, we arrived at the island. Limasawa, where Magellan's Malay slave Enrique heard Malay speech. This meant that the travelers were somewhere near the Spice Islands, that is, they had completed their task.
Accompanied by a pilot, the ships moved to the island. Cebu, where a major trading port and the residence of the Rajah were located. Soon both the ruler and members of his family converted to Christianity, and Magellan intervened in the internecine war on the island. Manthan. On the night of April 27, 1521, the admiral, accompanied by a small detachment, landed on the shore, where they were attacked by local residents. Here the great navigator died under the blows of spears and cutlasses, but “... he kept turning back to see if we had all managed to get into the boats.” This small touch, recorded by the devoted Pigafetta, says a lot about the personality of Ferdinand Magellan - not only a talented naval commander, but also a man who possessed rare qualities in those harsh times. Eight more sailors died there along with the head of the expedition.
Magellan's voyage was completed by Sebastian Elcano (del Cano). Under his leadership, two ships sent through North Kalimantan (Borneo) reached the Moluccas and purchased spices there. Only Victoria was able to sail further. On it, carefully avoiding the paths laid by the Portuguese, Elcano crossed the southern part of the Indian Ocean, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and, through the Cape Verde Islands, on September 7, 1522, arrived at the harbor of San Lucar.
Of the 256 people who left with Magellan, only eighteen came ashore, and all of them were extremely exhausted - according to an eyewitness, “worse than the most starved nag.” They had a hard time here. Instead of honors, the team received public repentance for one lost day (as a result of moving through time zones around the Earth in a westerly direction). From the point of view of the church authorities, this could only happen as a result of a violation of the fasts. Elcano, however, received honors. He received a coat of arms depicting the globe with the inscription “You were the first to circle around me,” and a pension of five hundred ducats. No one remembered Magellan. The true role of this remarkable man in history was appreciated by his descendants, and, unlike Columbus, it was never disputed. On the deserted shore of. Mantan, on the site where Magellan died, a monument was erected in the form of two cubes topped with a ball.
Magellan's voyage revolutionized ideas about the Earth. After this trip, any attempts to deny the sphericity of the Earth completely stopped, it was proven that the World Ocean is one, ideas about the size of the planet were obtained, it was finally established that America is an independent continent, the coast of South America with a length of about 3.5 thousand km was studied, found a strait between two oceans, etc. All this would be more than enough for not one, but a good dozen people. But these discoveries were inspired and made by one person - Ferdinand Magellan, whose deeds are rightly considered a feat accomplished for the benefit of all mankind.
Magellan's journey is described by his companion Antonio Pigafetta in the book "The Travels of Magellan", the manuscript of which he presented to the king. It has been published several times and translated into all major European languages, including Russian. This translation was published in two editions, in 1800 and 1950.
Http://www.seapeace.ru/seafarers/captains/274.html
Now almost anyone can travel around the world. For this purpose, special tourism programs have been created. But perhaps it is worth remembering the one who made such a journey for the first time in history - Ferdinand Magellan.
A man whose name is forever inscribed in world history was born on November 20, 1480 in the town of Sabrosa (Portugal) into a noble family. He was orphaned at an early age, but his title of nobility allowed him to remain under the tutelage of the royal court. This is what gave him the opportunity to study maritime affairs at a school on Cape Sagres. And after receiving an excellent, for that time, education, he went to serve in the Royal Navy.
Since 1505, he sailed in the squadron of the Viceroy of Portugal, Francisco de Almeida. His first voyage was a trip to India. This was the case until 1508, when he became a participant in military operations against the Moors, Indians and Arabs, where he showed himself to be a brave warrior. These events in his life allowed him to rise through the ranks to the rank of captain. But being overly ambitious, he committed a false denunciation and was deprived of further promotion. This put an end to his career in the Portuguese Navy.
Having emigrated to Spain in 1517, he not only swore allegiance to Charles I, but also offered the monarch something that would glorify his fleet and empire - the first voyage around the world. But the Spanish ruler did not immediately agree to this proposal, as he considered it a big gamble. But after lengthy discussions, the captain’s authority was taken into account and the Spanish fleet began to prepare 5 ships for this voyage: “San Antonio”, “Victoria”, “Santiago”, “Trinidad”, “Concepcion”.
On September 20, 1519, these sailing ships with a crew of 319 (according to some sources 265) people weighed anchor off the coast of Spain (Sanlúcar) and went out to the open sea. The composition of 5 ships reached the southern coast of South America. In those days there was no specific navigation system. But Magellan not only managed not to lose them, but also in practice used signals that made it possible to remain in each other’s field of vision. In 1520, the ship "Santiago" crashed into the rocks during a storm, and shortly after that, the crew of the ship "San Antonio" betrayed their admiral and returned to Spain, where its captain slandered Magellan for treason against the kingdom.
They sailed across the Pacific Ocean for about three months. The weather was on their side. By the spring of 1521, travelers landed on the shores of the Philippine Islands (Mactan Island). Wanting to subjugate the natives to the Spanish crown, Ferdinand Magellan, along with part of his crew, fell in battle on April 27, 1521. The sailors could not continue their journey on three ships and therefore they had to burn the ship “Concepcion”. After filling the holds with spices, the sailing ships headed home. But by order of the Portuguese king, Trinidad was captured. But “Victoria” successfully sailed the southern shores of Africa and reached the shores of Spain, where goods brought from the east easily covered all the costs of this expedition.
Ferdinand Magellan was a good captain, a brave warrior. But vanity destroyed him. Despite this, he firmly inscribed his name in the history of the Spanish fleet and world navigation in general.
4th, 5th grade and its discoveries
Interesting facts and dates from life
Magellan Fernand - Portuguese navigator whose expedition made the first circumnavigation of the world; discoverer of part of the Atlantic coast of South America, the passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, which he first crossed. Magellan proved the existence of a single World Ocean and provided practical evidence of the sphericity of the Earth.
The poor but noble nobleman Magellan served as a page in the retinue of the Portuguese queen in 1492-1504. He studied astronomy, navigation and cosmography. In 1505-13 he took part in naval battles with the Arabs, Indians and Moors, and showed himself to be a brave warrior, for which he received the rank of sea captain. Due to a false accusation, he was denied further promotion and, having resigned, Magellan moved to Spain in 1517. Having entered the service of King Charles I, he proposed a project for a circumnavigation of the world, which was accepted after much bargaining.
Opening of the strait between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
On September 20, 1519, five small ships - Trinidad, San Antonio, Santiago, Concepcion and Victoria with a crew of 265 people set out to sea. When crossing the Atlantic, Magellan used his signaling system, and the different types of ships of his flotilla were never separated. At the end of December he reached La Plata, explored the bay for about a month, but did not find a passage to the South Sea. On February 2, 1520, Magellan went south along the Atlantic coast of South America, moving only during the day so as not to miss the entrance to the strait. He settled for the winter on March 31 in a convenient bay at 49° south latitude. That same night, a mutiny began on three ships, which was soon brutally suppressed by Magellan. The ship Santiago, sent on reconnaissance in the spring, crashed on the rocks, but the crew was saved. On October 21, they entered a narrow, winding strait, later named after Magellan. On the southern shore of the strait, sailors saw the lights of fires. Magellan called this land Tierra del Fuego. A little over a month later, the strait (550 km) was crossed by three ships, the 4th ship “San Antonio” deserted and returned to Spain, where the captain slandered Magellan, accusing him of treason against the king.
On November 28, Magellan with the remaining three ships entered the unknown ocean, rounding America from the south along the strait they had discovered. The weather, fortunately, remained good, and Magellan called the ocean Pacific. A very difficult voyage continued for almost 4 months, when people ate dry dust mixed with worms, drank rotten water, ate cowhide, sawdust and ship rats. Hunger and scurvy began, many died. Magellan, although he was short, was distinguished by great physical strength and self-confidence. Crossing the ocean, he traveled at least 17 thousand km, but met only two islands - one in the Tuamotu archipelago, the other in the Line group. He also discovered two inhabited islands - Guam and Rota from the Mariana group. On March 15, the expedition approached the large Philippine archipelago. With the help of weapons, the decisive and brave Magellan forced the ruler of the island of Cebu to submit to the Spanish king.
The death of Magellan and the end of the expedition around the world
In the role of patron of the natives he baptized, Magellan intervened in the internecine war. One of the leaders of the island of Mactan opposed the new order. Magellan organized a military expedition against him. He wanted to clearly demonstrate to the local residents the power of Spain. The battle turned out to be unprepared. Because of the shallows, ships and boats were unable to get close enough to effectively support the landing force with fire. While Europeans were in Cebu, local residents had the opportunity to study European weapons and their weaknesses. They moved quickly, not allowing the Europeans to take aim, and attacked the sailors at their unprotected legs. When the Spaniards began to retreat, Magellan was killed.
There were only 115 people left on the three ships - there were not enough people, and the Concepcion ship had to be burned. For 4 months the ships wandered in search of the spice islands. From the island of Tidore, the Spaniards bought cheaply a lot of cloves, nutmeg, etc. and split up: “Victoria” with captain Juan Elcano moved west around Africa, and “Trinidad”, which needed repairs, remained behind. Captain Elcano, fearing a meeting with the Portuguese, stayed significantly south of the usual routes. He was the first to navigate the central part of the Indian Ocean and, having discovered only the island of Amsterdam (near 38° south latitude), proved that the “southern” continent does not reach this latitude. On September 6, 1522, “Victoria” with 18 people on board completed the “Around the World”, which lasted 1081 days. Later, 12 more Victoria crew members returned, and in 1526, five from Trinidad. The sale of the brought spices more than covered all the expenses of the expedition.
Thus ended the first circumnavigation of the world, which proved the sphericity of the earth. For the first time, Europeans crossed the largest of the oceans - the Pacific, opening a passage from the Atlantic. The expedition found that much of the earth's surface is occupied not by land, as Columbus and his contemporaries thought, but by oceans. Warlike and vain, Magellan received many wounds, one of which left him lame. His son died in 1521. His wife, who gave birth to a stillborn child, died in March 1522. The strait and two star clusters (the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds), which were described by the historiographer and expedition member Antonio Pifacetta, are named after Magellan. S. Zweig’s novel “Magellan” (1938) is dedicated to the fate of Magellan and his daring feat.
Monument to the famous traveler near the strait named after him
