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after Balboa discovered the South Sea, the Spaniards became very suspicious of the appearance of Portuguese ships in the Caribbean. Spanish authorities on about. Hispaniola (Haiti) at the end of 1512 received an order from King Ferdinand to "monitor the non-existent strait" and capture any ship. The first victim of this order was the Portuguese captain Ishtevan Froisch in 1512, hunting for slaves off the northern shores of South America. His caravel was in need of repair, and he decided to approach the shores of Hispaniola. Here he was immediately captured and thrown into prison with his entire team. Another caravel accompanying Froisch, under the command of the already familiar to us, João Lijboa, managed to disappear and safely reach Madeira; then, apparently without hesitation, he entered the Spanish port of Cadiz, where he sold his cargo of Brazilian wood. In the port or in Madeira, he is said to have been interviewed by a "correspondent" for a small newspaper published in Augsburg. Lizhboa told the "journalist" that somewhere in South America there is a long strait through which you can go to the "East Indies". A note about this discovery, published no later than 1514, reported, without mentioning the names and names of ships, about the voyage "to the Plata River". Historians of discoveries in our day, believe that I. Froisch and J. Lizhboa reached approximately 35 ° S. sh., entered the La Plata Bay, but did not fully explore - its length is 320 km - and therefore was taken for the strait. We can, therefore, say that they discovered the coast of South America from 26 ° 15 "S to 35 ° S lat. For more than 1.5 thousand km.
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it is hard to say whether the Spaniards knew about the voyages of Froisha and Lijboa, but it is known for sure that King Ferdinand, who in 1514 received news of the discovery of the South Sea, decided to send a flotilla of three ships to search for the strait. Its commander, he appointed Juan Diaz Solis, who from 1512 (after Amerigo Vespucci) became the chief pilot of Castile. Solis sailed no earlier than October 8, 1515, but it is not known where he touched the South American mainland, and, moving along the sloping Brazilian coast to the south-west, at 35 ° S. sh. reached the new "Fresh Sea". He then skirted a minor ledge (Montevideo) and walked westward for about 200 km, probably convinced that he had found a passage to the Eastern Ocean. But he opened the mouths of two large rivers - Parana and Uruguay. Solis landed in mid-February 1516 and was killed there by the Indians. Two ships of his flotilla returned to Spain in September of the same year. Later, Magellan named the common mouth of the two rivers Rio de Solis (from the middle of the 16th century - La Plata).
Magellan's project and the composition of his expedition
INthe conquest of India and Malacca from 1505 to 1511 was attended by a poor Portuguese nobleman Fernand Magellan - so it is customary to call it; his real surname is Magalyansh. He was born around 1480 in Portugal, in 1509 and 1511. on Portuguese ships he reached Malacca, and according to S. Morison, even the "Spice Islands" (Ambon Island). In 1512 - 1515. he fought in North Africa, where he was wounded. Returning to his homeland, he asked the king for a promotion, but was refused. The offended Magellan left for Spain and joined the company with the Portuguese astronomer Ruy Faleiro, who insisted that he had found a way to accurately determine geographic longitudes. In March 1518, both appeared in Seville to the Council of India The institution in charge of the affairs of the newly discovered territories. 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 penetrate these "Spice Islands" by the western route, so as not to arouse the suspicions of the Portuguese, through 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 must be a strait south of Brazil. Magellan and Faleiro initially demanded the same rights and advantages that had been promised to Columbus.
After a long bargaining with the royal advisers, who had negotiated a substantial share of the expected income, and after concessions from the Portuguese, an agreement was concluded with them: Charles I undertook to equip five ships and provide the expedition with supplies for two years. Before sailing, Faleiro gave up the enterprise, and Magellan, undoubtedly the soul of the whole business, became the sole chief of the expedition. He raised the admiral's flag on "Trinidad" (100 tons). The Spaniards were appointed captains of the remaining ships: San Antonio (120 tons) - Juan Cartagenawho also received the authority of the royal controller of the expedition; "Concepcion" (90 tons) - Gaspar Quesada; "Victoria" (85 tons) - Luis Mendoza and "Santiago" (75 t) - Juan Serrano... The staff of the entire flotilla was estimated at 293 people, there were another 26 freelance crew members on board, among them a young Italian Antonio Pigafetta, future historian of the expedition. Since he was neither a sailor nor a geographer, the records in the ship's logbooks that Francisco Albo, assistant navigator, kept on the Trinidad are a very important primary source. An international team set off on the first round the world voyage: in addition to the Portuguese and Spaniards, it included representatives of more than 10 nationalities.
september 1519 the flotilla left the port of San Lucar at the mouth of the Guadalquivir. When crossing the ocean, Magellan developed a good signaling system, the various types of ships of his flotilla never parted. Disagreements between him and the Spanish captains began very soon: beyond the Canary Islands Cartagena demanded that the chief consult with him regarding any change of course. Magellan calmly and proudly replied: "It is your duty to follow my flag during the day and my lantern at night." A few days later Cartagena raised the issue again. Then Magellan, who, despite his small stature, had great physical strength, grabbed him by the collar and ordered him to be kept in custody on the Victoria, and appointed his relative, a "supernumerary" sailor, as the captain of the San Antonio Alvar Mishkita.
On September 26, the flotilla approached the Canary Islands, on November 29 reached the coast of Brazil near 8 ° S. sh., December 13 - Guanabara Bay, and December 26 - La Plata. The navigators of the expedition were the best at that time: while determining latitudes, they made adjustments to the map of the already known part of the continent. So, Cape Cabo Frio, by their definition, is not at 25 ° S. sh., and at 23 ° S. sh. - their error was less than 2 km from its true position. Not trusting the messages from Solis's satellites, Magellan surveyed both low-lying shores of the La Plata for about a month; continuing the discovery of the Pampa plains begun by Lijboa and Solis, he sent the Santiago up the Parana, and, of course, found no passage to the South Sea. Further, an unknown, sparsely populated land stretched. And Magellan, fearing to miss the entrance to the elusive strait, on February 2, 1520 ordered to wean anchor and move as close to the coast as possible only in the afternoon, and stop in the evening. At a stop on February 13 in the large bay of Bahia Blanca he discovered, the flotilla withstood a terrifying thunderstorm, during which the lights of St. Elmo appeared on the masts of ships. Electric discharges in the atmosphere in the form of glowing brushes. On February 24, Magellan discovered another large bay - San Magias, circled the Valdes Peninsula he had identified and took refuge for the night in a small harbor, which he called Puerto San Matias (the Gulf of Golfo Nuevo of our maps, at 43 ° S lat.) ... Further south, near the mouth of the river. Chubut, On February 27, the flotilla stumbled upon a huge swarm of penguins and southern elephant seals. To replenish food supplies, Magellan sent a boat to the shore, but an unexpected squall threw the ships into the open sea. The sailors who remained on the shore, so as not to die from the cold, covered themselves with the bodies of killed animals. Taking the "procurers", Magellan moved south, pursued by storms, explored another bay, São Jorge, and spent six stormy days in a narrow bay (estuary of the Rio Deseado, near 48 ° S lat.). On March 31, when the approach of winter became noticeable, he decided to spend the winter in San Julian Bay (at 49 ° S lat.). Four ships entered the bay, and the Trinidad anchored at the entrance to it. The Spanish officers wanted to force Magellan to "follow the royal instructions": to turn to the Cape of Good Hope and to walk the eastern route to the Moluccas. A riot broke out that night. Cartagena was released, the rebels captured Victoria, Concepcion and San Antonio, arrested Mishkita, and Quesada mortally wounded an assistant loyal to Magellan. They aimed their guns at the Trinidad and demanded that Magellan come to them for negotiations. Against the two ships of the admiral, there were three mutineers who were preparing for battle. But the rebels did not trust their sailors, and on one ship they even disarmed them.
In dire circumstances, Magellan displayed calm determination. He sent his loyal alguasil (police officer) Gonzalo Gomez Espinoso with several sailors to "Victoria" - to invite her captain for negotiations on the admiral's ship. He refused, then the alguasil thrust a dagger into his throat, and one sailor finished him off. Magellan's brother-in-law, Portuguese Duarte Barbosa, immediately took possession of the Victoria and was appointed captain. Now the rebels had only two ships, and so that they would not defect, the prudent admiral, as mentioned above, took a convenient position in advance at the exit from the bay. The San Antonio tried to break into the ocean, but the sailors, after a salvo from the Trinidad, tied the officers up and surrendered. The same thing happened at the Concepcion. Magellan dealt with the rioters-captains abruptly: he ordered to cut off Quesada's head, quartered the corpse of Mendoza, to land Cartagena on the deserted coast together with the conspirator-priest, but he spared the rest of the rioters.
In early May, the admiral sent Serrano south to reconnaissance on the Santiago, but on May 3 the ship crashed on the rocks near the river. Santa Cruz (at 50 ° S lat.) And his crew barely managed to escape (one sailor died).
Magellan transferred Serrano as captain to the Concepcion. Very tall Indians approached the wintering place. They were called Patagonians (in Spanish "patagon" - big-legged), their country from that time is called Patagonia. Pigafetta exaggeratedly described the Patagonians as real giants. The name of this tribe is Tehuelchi. Capes made of guanaco skins with high hoods and moccasins made them taller than they really were: the height of the Indians, according to measurements at the end of 1891, ranged from 183 to 193 cm. On August 24, the flotilla left the Bay of San Julian and reached the mouth of Santa Cruz, where it stayed until mid-October, waiting for the onset of spring. On October 18, the flotilla moved south along the Patagonian coast, which forms in this section (between 50 and 52 ° S) the wide bay of Bahia Grande. Before going out to sea, Magellan told the captains that he would look for a passage to the South Sea and turn east if he did not find the strait until 75 S. sh., that is, he himself doubted the existence of the "Patagonian Strait", but wanted to continue the enterprise to the last opportunity. The bay, or strait leading to the west, was found on October 21, 1520, 52 ° S. sh., after Magellan discovered the previously unknown Atlantic coast of South America for about 3.5 thousand km (between 34 and 52 ° S. lat.).
Having rounded Cape Dev (Cape Virgenes), the admiral sent two ships ahead to find out if there was an exit to the open sea in the west. At night a storm arose that lasted two days. The ships sent out were threatened with destruction, but at the most difficult moment they noticed a narrow strait, rushed off and found themselves in a relatively wide bay; along it they continued their journey and saw another strait, beyond which a new, wider bay opened.
Young Charles I, King of Spain (later - Emperor Charles V), grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella
Painter: Bernard van OrlyThen the captains of both ships - Mishkita and Serrano - decided to return and report to Magellan that, apparently, they found a passage leading to the South Sea. “... We saw these two ships approaching us in full sail with flags fluttering in the wind. Coming closer to us ... they started firing guns and noisily greeting us. " However, there was still a long way to go to the South Sea: Magellan walked south through narrow straits for several days until he saw two channels at about. Dawson: one to the southeast, the other to the southwest. He sent the San Antonio and the Concepcion to the southeast and a boat to the southwest. The sailors returned "three days later with the news that they had seen the cape and the open sea." The admiral burst into tears of joy and called this Cape Desirable.
"Trinidad" and "Victoria" entered the southwest channel, stood at anchor there for four days and returned back to join two other ships, but there was only "Concepcion": in the southeast, it came to a dead end - in Inutil Bay - and turned back. San Antonio fell into another dead end; on the way back, not finding the flotilla on the spot, the officers wounded and shackled Mishkita, and at the end of March 1521 returned to Spain. The deserters accused Magellan of treason in order to justify themselves, and they believed: Mishkita was arrested, Magellan's family was deprived of state benefits. His wife and two children soon died in poverty. But the admiral did not know under what circumstances the San Antonio disappeared. He believed that the ship was lost, since Mishkita was his trusted friend. Following along the northern coast of the heavily narrowed Patagonian Strait (as Magellan called it), he rounded the southernmost point of the South American continent - Cape Froward (on Brunswick Peninsula, 53 ° 54 "S) and another five days (23– November 28) led three ships to the north-west as if along the bottom of a mountain gorge.The high mountains (southern end of the Patagonian Cordillera) and bare shores seemed to be deserted, but in the south haze was visible during the day, and fires at night. called this southern land, the size of which he did not know, "Land of Fire" (Tierra del Fuego). According to another version, he called the southern country "Land of Smokes" (hearths) - Tierra de los Umos (as shown on the Spanish map of 1529) But Charles I renamed it "Land of Fires" on the grounds that "there is no smoke without fire. " On our maps, it is inaccurately called Tierra del Fuego. 38 days after Magellan found the Atlantic entrance to the strait, really connecting the two oceans, he passed Cape Zhelanny (now Pilar) at the Pacific outlet of the Strait of Magellan (about 550 km).
thus, Magellan left the strait into the open ocean on November 28, 1520 and took the remaining three ships first to the north, trying to leave the cold high latitudes as soon as possible and keeping about 100 km from the rocky coast. On December 1, it sailed near the Taitao Peninsula (at 47 ° S lat.), And then the ships departed from the mainland - on December 5, the maximum distance was 300 km. On December 12 - 15, Magellan again approached the coast quite close at 40 ° and 38 ° 30 "S lat., That is, at no less than three points he saw high mountains - the Patagonian Cordillera and the southern part of the Main Cordillera. From Mocha Island. (38 ° 30 "S) the ships turned northwest, and on December 21, being at 30 ° S. sh. and 80 ° W. etc., - to the west-north-west.
It cannot be said, of course, that during his 15-day voyage north from the Strait of Magellan he discovered the coast of South America for 1500 km, but he at least proved that in the latitude range from 53 ° 15 "to 38 ° 30" S ... sh. the western coast of the mainland has an almost meridional direction.
“... We ... plunged into the vastness of the Pacific Sea. For three months and twenty days we were completely deprived of fresh food. We ate breadcrumbs, but those were no longer breadcrumbs, but breadcrumbs mixed with worms ... It smelled strongly of rat urine. We drank yellow water that had been rotting for days. We also ate the cowhide covering the yards ... We soaked them in sea water for four to five days, after which we put them on hot coals for a few minutes and ate them. We often ate sawdust. The rats were sold for half a ducat apiece, but even at that price it was impossible to get them ”(Pigafetta). Almost everyone suffered from scurvy; 19 people died, including the Brazilian and the Patagonian "giant". Fortunately, the weather was good all the time: that's why Magellan called the ocean the Pacific.
Probably, it was during the transition across the Pacific Ocean in the southern hemisphere that the satellites of Magellan drew attention to two star systems, which later received the name of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. “The South Pole is not as stellar as the North Pole,” writes Pigafetta. “There are large clusters of small stars that look like clouds of dust. The distance between them is small, and they are somewhat dim. Among them are two large, but not very bright stars, moving very slowly. " He meant two stars of the circumpolar constellation Hydra. The Spaniards also discovered "five unusually brightly shining stars located in a cross ..." - the constellation Cross, or the Southern Cross.
Crossing the Pacific Ocean, Magellan's flotilla covered no less than 17 thousand km, most of them in the waters of South Polynesia and Micronesia, where countless small islands are scattered. It is amazing that at the same time the sailors came across only "two deserted islets on which they found nothing but birds and trees." According to Albo's records, the first (San Pablo), discovered on January 24, 1521, is located at 16 ° 15 ", and the second (Tivurones, that is," Sharks ", February 4) - at 10 ° 40" S. sh. Magellan and Albo very accurately determined latitude for that time, but since the correct calculation of longitude in the 16th century. needless to say, we cannot confidently identify these islands with any islands on our maps. It is most likely that San Pablo is one of the northeastern islands of the Tuamotu archipelago, Tivurones, one of the southern Line Islands (Central Polynesia). In this section, Magellan made the first measurement of the sea depths, which can be classified as "scientific". He could not reach the bottom with the help of six connected lines of several hundred fathoms, and came to the conclusion that he had found the deepest part of the ocean.
Historians are perplexed why Magellan crossed the equator and entered 10 ° N. sh. - he knew that the Moluccas are at the equator. But this is where the South Sea lies, already known to the Spaniards. Perhaps Magellan wanted to make sure if it really was part of the newly discovered ocean.
On March 6, 1521, two inhabited islands finally appeared in the west (Guam and Rota, the southernmost of the Mariana group). Dozens of boats with balancers came out to meet the strangers. They sailed with the help of triangular "Latin" sails, sewn from palm leaves. At Guam (13 ° 30 "N) the inhabitants are swarthy, well-built people, naked, The women wore loincloths, "a narrow strip of paper-thin bark." but in small hats made of palm leaves - they climbed on the ship and grabbed everything that came into their sight, as a result of which this group was called the "Rogue Islands" (Ladrones).
When the islanders stole a boat tied astern, an irritated Magellan landed with a detachment, burned several dozen huts and boats, killed seven people and returned the boat. "When one of the natives was wounded by arrows from our crossbows, which pierced him through and through, he swung the end of the arrow in all directions, pulled it out, looked at it with great amazement, and so he died ..."
On March 15, 1521, having passed about 2 thousand km to the west, the sailors saw mountains rising from the sea - this was Fr. Samar is an East Asian group of islands, later called the Philippines. Magellan searched in vain for an anchorage - the rocky coast of the island did not present a single chance. The vessels moved slightly to the south, to the Siargao island near the southern tip of the island. We spent the night in Samar (at 10 ° 45 "N). proved that between America and tropical Asia lies a gigantic body of water, much wider than the Atlantic Ocean. The discovery of the passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Sea and Magellan's voyage through this sea made a real revolution in geography. It turned out that most of the surface of the globe is not occupied by land. but by the ocean, and the existence of a single World Ocean was proved.
with caution Magellan on March 17 moved from Siargao to the uninhabited island of Homonkhon, The water area to the west of it has become famous in our time: on October 24-26, 1944, the American naval forces defeated the Japanese fleet here; as a result, the Americans occupied all the Philippines, except for about. Luzon. lying south of the big island. Samar to stock up on water and give rest to people. The inhabitants of the neighboring islet delivered fruit, coconuts and palm wine to the Spaniards. They said that "there are many islands in this region." Magellan named the archipelago San Lazaro. The Spaniards saw gold earrings and bracelets, cotton fabrics embroidered with silk, and edged weapons decorated with gold at the local elder. A week later, the flotilla moved south-west and stopped at about. Limasava (10 ° N, 125 ° E, south of Leyte Island). A boat approached the Trinidad. And when the Malay Enrique, Magellan's slave, called out to the rowers in their own language, they immediately understood him. A couple of hours later, two large boats full of people arrived with the local ruler, and Enrique freely explained to them. It became clear to Magellan that he was in that part of the Old World where the Malay language was spoken, that is, not far from the Spice Islands or among them. And Magellan, who visited about. Ambon (128 ° E) as part of A. Abreu's expedition, thus completed the first round-the-world voyage in history.
The ruler of the island gave Magellan pilots who accompanied the ships to the large commercial port of Cebu. Albo's magazine and Pigafetta have new names for the Europeans - Leite, Bohol, Cebu, etc. Western European historians call this the discovery of the Philippines, although they have long been visited by Asian sailors, and Magellan and his companions saw Chinese goods there, such as porcelain dishes. In Cebu they met the order of the real "civilized" world. The Raja (ruler) began by demanding that they pay a fee. Magellan refused to pay, but offered him friendship and military assistance if he recognized himself as a vassal of the Spanish king. The ruler of Cebu accepted the offer and a week later was even baptized along with his family and several hundred subjects. Soon they were baptized, according to Pigafetta, "all the inhabitants of this island and some from other islands." On about. Cebu, he talked with several Arab merchants, who gave him information about the other islands of the archipelago. As a result, for the first time, names such as Luzon, Mindanao, and Sulu entered geographical use with minor distortions.
In the role of the patron saint of new Christians, Magellan intervened in the internecine war of the rulers of the island of Mactan, located against the city of Cebu. On the night of April 27, 1521, he went there with 60 people in boats, but because of the reefs they could not come close to the shore. Magellan, leaving the crossbowmen and musketeers in the boats, with 50 people ford to the island. There, near the village, they were awaited and attacked by three detachments. The boats began shooting at them, but arrows and even musket bullets at such a distance could not penetrate the attackers' wooden shields. Magellan ordered to set fire to the village. This infuriated the Maktans, and they began to shower the strangers with arrows and stones and throw spears at them. “... Ours, with the exception of six or eight people who remained with the captain, immediately fled ... Recognizing the captain, many people attacked him ... but nevertheless he continued to hold fast. Trying to pull out the sword, he drew it only halfway, since he was wounded in the arm ... One [of the attackers] wounded him in the left leg ... The captain fell facedown, and they threw him down ... with spears and began to strike with cleavers, until they destroyed ... our light, our joy ... He kept turning back to see if we all had time to plunge into the boats "(Pigafetta). In addition to Magellan, eight Spaniards and four allied islanders were killed. There were many wounded among the sailors. The old adage was confirmed: "The Lord God gave the Portuguese a very small country for life, but the whole world for death." On the deserted shore of Fr. Mactan, where Magellan found his death, a monument was erected to him in the form of two cubes, crowned with a ball.
after the death of Magellan, D. Barbosa and X. Serrano were elected captains of the flotilla. The newly baptized ruler of Cebu, having learned that the ships were about to leave, invited his allies to a farewell feast. 24 sailors, including Barbosa and Serrano, accepted the invitation and went ashore, but two - G. Espinosa and the pilot of the "Concepcion" Portuguese Juan Lopes Carvalho - returned, suspecting unkindness. Hearing screams and screams on the shore, they ordered the ships to come closer to the shore and bombard the city with guns. At this time the Spaniards saw Serrano wounded, in one shirt; he shouted to stop shooting, otherwise he would be killed and that all his comrades were killed, except for the Malay translator Enrique. He begged to ransom it, but Corvalho forbade the boat to come ashore. “... And he did so with a view, - writes Pigafetta, - so that they alone would remain masters on the ships. And despite the fact that Juan Serrano weptly begged him not to raise the sails so quickly, as they would kill him ... we immediately departed. " Immediately Carvalho was declared the head of the expedition, and Espinosa was elected captain of the "Victoria". 115 people remained on the ships, many of them were sick. It was difficult to operate three ships with such a crew, so the dilapidated Concepcion was burned in the strait between Cebu and Bohol.
"Victoria" and "Trinidad", leaving the strait, passed the island, "where people are black, like in Ethiopia" (the first indication of the Filipino Negritos); the Spaniards named this island Negros. In Mindanao, they first heard of the large northwest. Luzon. Random pilots led ships across the Sulu Sea to Palawan, the westernmost island of the Philippine group.
Pigafetta, an accurate and thorough chronicler, was not a professional cartographer. But as an impartial artist, he made rough sketches of a number of islands in the Philippine archipelago that were touched by Magellan's expedition. They have no resemblance to the originals and can be identified only by their names: Samar, the first of the islands visited, Homonkhon, where the first landing was made, Mactan, the place of Magellan's death, as well as Panaon, Leite, Cebu and Palawan. From about. Palawan Spaniards arrived - the first of the Europeans - to the giant Fr. Kalimantan and on July 9 anchored near Brunei, after which the whole island they, and then other Europeans began to call Borneo. The Spaniards made alliances with local rajahs, bought food and local goods, sometimes robbed oncoming ships, but still could not find out the way to the Spice Islands.
Pigafetta made productive use of the monthly stopover of "Victoria" - he spent most of July as a guest of the Sultan of the city of Brunei and collected the first reliable information about Fr. Kalimantan: “This island is so big that it will take three months to circle it on the prau” (Malay ship).
On September 7, the Spaniards set sail along the northwestern coast of Kalimantan During this detour, Pigafetta saw a rocky summit and christened it “Mount St. Peter” - this is Kinabalu (4101 m), the highest point of the Malay archipelago. and, reaching its northern end, they stood for almost a month and a half near a small island, stocking up on food and firewood. They managed to capture a junk with a Malay sailor who knew the way to the Moluccas. Carvalho was soon dismissed "for failure to comply with royal decrees" and Espinosa was elected admiral. The former assistant navigator at the Concepcion Basque became the captain of "Victoria" Juan Sevastian Elcano, otherwise - del Cano. On October 26, in the Sulawesi Sea, the ships withstood the first storm after leaving the Strait of Magellan. On November 8, a Malay sailor brought ships to the spice market on about. Tidore, off the western coast of Halmahera, the largest of the Moluccas. Here the Spaniards bought cheap spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. "Trinidad" was in need of repair, and it was decided that upon its completion, Espinosa would go east, to the Gulf of Panama, and Elcano would lead the "Victoria" home by the western route - around the Cape of Good Hope.
december "Victoria" with a crew of 60 people, including 13 Malays captured on the islands of Indonesia, moved south from Tidore. At the end of January 1522 a Malay pilot brought the ship to about. Timor. On February 13, the Spaniards lost sight of him and headed for the Cape of Good Hope, spending three times more time wandering among the Malay Islands than crossing the Pacific Ocean.
Elcano deliberately stayed away from the usual path of Portuguese ships, meeting with which threatened the Spaniards with prison and, perhaps, execution. In the southern part of the Indian Ocean, the sailors saw only one island (at 37 ° 50 "S, Amsterdam). This happened on March 18. On May 20, the Victoria circled the Cape of Good Hope.
Having passed the first in this part of the Indian Ocean, Elcano proved that the "Southern" continent does not reach 40 ° S. sh. During the passage through the unknown sea expanses of the Indian Ocean, the ship's crew was reduced to 35 people, including four Malays. On the Cape Verde Islands belonging to Portugal, where a stop was made in order to replenish fresh water and food supplies, it turned out that the sailors "lost" one day, bypassing the land from the west; For this "loss" all the surviving members of the Victoria's crew were subjected to a humiliating punishment - public repentance: from a church point of view, such "negligence" led to improper observance of fasts. This fact is a vivid illustration of the ignorance of the clergy, who refused to even suggest the possibility of a natural explanation. interesting fact "Loss" of the day, first manifested during the circumnavigation of Magellan and his satellites. here, at Santiago, another 12 Spaniards and one Malay, who were arrested on suspicion that they had got to Molucca by the eastern route, were behind. On September 6, 1522, the "Victoria", having lost another sailor on the way, reached the mouth of the Guadalquivir, making the first round-the-world voyage in 1081 days.
Of the five ships of Magellan, only one circled the globe, and only 18 of its crew of 265 returned to their homeland (there were three Malays on board). Thirteen sailors arrested on Sant'gu arrived at their homeland later, released by the Portuguese at the request of Charles I. But "Victoria" brought so many spices that the sale of them more than covered the costs of the expedition, and Spain received the "right of first discovery" to the Mariana and Philippine Islands and made claims to the Moluccas.
Magellan, by his circumnavigation of the world, proved that the greatest body of water stretches between America and Asia, and established the existence of a single World Ocean. Magellan put an end to the controversy about the shape of our planet forever by providing practical evidence of its sphericity. Thanks to him, scientists were finally able to establish the true dimensions of the Earth not speculatively, but on the basis of irrefutable data.
the repair of the Trinidad dragged on for more than three months, and she sailed from Tidore under the command of Espinosa (navigator Leone Pancaldo) with a crew of 53 people and an almost 50-ton load of spices only on April 6, 1522. Having rounded the northern end of Fr. Halmahera, Espinosa immediately headed east to Panama. However, opposing winds soon forced him to turn north. In early May, he discovered the Sonsorol Islands (at 5 ° N lat., In the extreme west of the Karolinska chain), and between 12 and 20 ° N. sh. - 14 other islands from the Mariana group. From one of them, most likely from Fr. Agrikhan (at 19 ° N), a native was taken on board. Struggling with easterly winds, stormy weather and cold, Espinosa reached 43 ° N on 11 June. sh. How far to the east the ship moved, now we can only guess - probably the Spaniards were between 150 and 160 ° E. e. 12-day storm, poor food and weakness forced the sailors to turn back. More than half of the team had died of hunger and scurvy by this time. On the way back on August 22, Espinosa discovered several more northern Mariana Islands, including Maug at 20 ° N. sh., and returned to the Moluccas around October 20, 1522. A sailor who had deserted at Maug Gonzalo Vigo went later by boat to about. Guam with the help of the indigenous people. Having familiarized himself in this way with almost all the significant islands between Maug and Guam, he completed the discovery of the Mariana chain, stretching for more than 800 km.
Meanwhile, in mid-May 1522, a Portuguese military flotilla approached the Moluccas. Antonio Brito... Fulfilling the task - to take possession of the archipelago and prevent violation of the Portuguese monopoly, he built a fort on about. Ternate. Having received news at the end of October that a European ship was near Molucca, Brito sent three ships with orders to seize it, and they brought the Trinidad to Ternate, which had 22 men. Brito seized the cargo and took the nautical tools, maps and, no doubt, the logbook. This explains the awareness of the Portuguese about the route of Magellan's expedition, his death and later events, and Brito received additional information by interrogating the seamen he had captured "with passion". After a four-year imprisonment, only four of the Trinidad crew survived and in 1526 returned to Spain, including Gonzalo Espinosa, also completing their circumnavigation.
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Name: Fernand Magellan
State: Portugal, Spain
Field of activity: Navigator
Greatest achievement: Made the first in the world trip around the world.
Fernand Magellan was born in 1480, February 3, in Portugal. Magellan was an explorer and navigator. He organized the first round the world trip in Europe. Magellan's expedition was the first conclusive proof that the earth is round.
early years
Fernand Magellan was born in Porto (Portugal) in 1480. His parents belonged to a noble family and a young Magellan in early age entered the service of the royal family. He was only 12 years old when he became the royal page of Leonora of Aviss. Magellan studied cartography, astronomy and navigation by the stars from childhood.
Magellan joined the Portuguese Navy in 1505. He sailed to East Africa, then participated in the battles of Diu, during which Portugal won and defeated the Egyptian fleet. Fernand traveled twice to Malacca (Malaysia) and took part in the seizure of the port by the Portuguese army.
Also, he participated in an expedition to the Moluccas, which at that time bore the name of the Spice Islands. The spice trade in Europe during Magellan's time was very profitable and created a lot of competition. The Maluku Islands have become the main source of valuable spices such as cloves and nutmeg.
In 1513 Magellan was wounded in a battle in North Africa, but the king took all his merits and helped him. In 1517, he went to Seville to enter the civil service in Spain.
Research for Spain
Spain and Portugal at the time of Magellan were major powers that were in great competition with each other. Both countries claimed the newly discovered regions of the Americas and the East. In 1494, Portugal and Spain signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, defining the spheres of influence for each power. Portugal could count on all the territories from Brazil to the East Indies, and Spain on the western lands from Brazil to Cape Verde.
In essence, the treaty divided the globe into two halves between the two countries. The Spaniards had not yet had time to explore their half of the Earth, but they assumed that they could find part of the Spice Islands there. Magellan proposed to test this assumption by equipping an expedition to the west.
For Magellan's grand expedition, other explorers have already paved the way. One of them was (1451-1506), who sailed west from the European coast to the Caribbean islands. Columbus misjudged the distance between Europe and the East Indies. He discovered America and the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean. After his voyage, many explorers were obsessed with the idea of \u200b\u200bfinding a way through America to the east, to give Spain access to the Spice Islands. Magellan was one such researcher.
Fernand Magellan's trip around the world
King Charles V of Spain (1500-1558) accepted Magellan's offer and on September 20, 1519, he was assigned to lead a flotilla of five ships. The flotilla was to head for the Atlantic.
Together with Magellan, his brother-in-law, Duarte Barbosa, set out on a voyage. Arriving in Brazil, the flotilla headed along the South American coast to the Bay of San Julian, in Patagonia.
There, the researchers stood from March to August 1520. During this time, there was an attempt on the ships to revolt against the captain, who was suppressed. Subsequently, however, the rebel ship Santiago was completely destroyed, and its crew was taken aboard by the rest of the ships.
After leaving San Julian, the flotilla headed south. On October 21, 1520, she entered the strait, which now bears the name of Magellan. On November 28, only three ships entered the Pacific Ocean. This was followed by a long voyage north across the Pacific Ocean. On March 6, 1521, the flotilla anchored in Guam.
Magellan headed east to Cebu, Philippines, where he tried to get help from the local government. Involuntarily he was involved in hostilities and was killed in battle on April 27, 1521. Barbosa was also soon killed. The remaining crew was forced to destroy the Concepcion (ship) and the great voyage around the world was completed. Magellan's ship - Victoria was led by former rebel Juan Sebastian del Cano. He crossed Indian Ocean and from the Cape of Good Hope he finally returned to Seville on September 8, 1522. Meanwhile, Trinidad (the ship) attempted to return home across the Pacific Ocean. In the Moluccas, the crew was captured by the Portuguese and sent to prison. Only four of them were later able to return to Spain.
Magellan's legacy
Economically, Magellan's project was a failure for Spain. Portugal, as a result of the division of the world, got a more advantageous part of the world in terms of resources. Spain, however, miscalculated and did not gain access to the Moluccas. Magellan lost his fleet, people and his own life. Despite this, his voyage was the most important historical event, because it was the first proof that the Earth is a ball. Magellan's voyage is considered one of the most important studies in the history of mankind.
Fernand (Magalhães) Magellan was born in 1480, in Sabroza, Vila Real, Portugal, and died in April 1521, on the island of Mactan, Philippines. A navigator from Portugal who proved that the earth is in the shape of a ball. Magellan pioneered the first passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Magellan's expedition made only one trip around the world. In 1519-1521, Fernand led a Spanish expedition to find the western route to the Moluccas. He discovered all the coasts of South America south of La Plata, rounded the continent from the south, discovered the strait and the Patagonian Cordillera; first, in 1520, crossed the Pacific Ocean, finding the island of Guam, and then reached the Philippine Islands.
Now about everything in order
A poor, but rather noble nobleman Fernand Magellan in 1492-1504 served as a simple page in the retinue of the Portuguese queen. He was fond of astronomy and navigation, studied cosmography. In 1505-1513 he took part in sea battles with Indians, Arabs and Moors. In these battles, he showed himself very well and was soon given the rank of captain. But, because of the false accusation, it was possible to put an end to his career. Fernand had no choice but to resign. In 1517 he moved to Spain. King Charles took him into his service and soon Magellan offered him a voyage around the world, which the Portuguese had previously refused. After a long bargaining and disputes, the king gave the go-ahead and Magellan hit the road.
September 20, 1519 - a round-the-world expedition was launched under the leadership of Magellan - a flotilla of 5 ships and 256 people left the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The expedition was stocking up on food for two years. Magellan commanded a ship called the Trinidad. All the ships about the flotilla were not new, and the crew, mainly consisted of regulars of taverns.
Arriving at Dawson Island, Fernand Magellan decided to split his fleet, since the strait was divided into two channels. The Concepcion, along with the San Antonio, sailed southeast, while the other two ships remained to rest. They decided to send a boat to the southwest. Three days later, the boat returned and reported that there was open water ahead. At the end of November 1520, Magellan's ships entered the open ocean. The journey through the strait took about thirty-eight days. The flotilla passed over 15 thousand kilometers across the Pacific Ocean. Many sailors were not quite ready for such a long voyage and experienced real torment. The travelers were haunted by severe hunger and disease. It took three long months to cross the ocean and reach the blooming Mariana Islands.
During the journey, Magellan's Flotilla deviated slightly from the route and ended up just north of the islands to which they were actually heading. At the end of January 1521, the sailors saw an uninhabited island (Tuamotu archipelago), and ten days later they discovered another island (Line archipelago). It was impossible to land on these islands, so the sailors engaged in fishing and shark fishing to replenish their supplies.
And so, at the beginning of March 1521, Magellan and his team saw the island of Guam from the Mariana Islands group. The island was inhabited. Local residents in boats surrounded Magellan's expedition, and an exuberant trade began. But soon, the sailors noticed that the natives were not clean on the hand and were slowly stealing from the ships what was bad. Fernand Magellan's team endured these antics for a long time, but when the natives, one might say insolently began to drag the boat from the ship, the sailors' patience ran out. Magellan's team landed on the island and burned the village, killing several people in the process. They took their boat, other valuables and things from them and went to their ships, while the locals tried to prevent them by throwing stones, however, without much success. And what could they have done. The islands were named Landrones (translated as Thieves).
A few days later, the flotilla reached the Philippine Islands, which Fernand called the Archipelago of Saint Lazarus. The team was tired and Magellan, fearing any new skirmishes, began to look for a small uninhabited island to take a breath. In mid-March, the team landed on the small island of Homonkhom. An infirmary was set up on this island, where they began to transport all the sick and wounded. Fresh food quickly raised the spirit of the crew, and the sailors set off on a further journey among the islands. On one of these islands, Magellan's slave Enrique, who was born in Sumatra, met people who spoke his native language. The circle was closed. For the first time, man went around the earth. The Pacific crossing is over.
In early April 1521, the flotilla entered the port of Cebu on the island of the same name. It already smelled of civilization. They even wanted to take a duty from Magellan's team, but they refused so as not to strain the situation.
Trade began. The gold and products of the islanders were exchanged for iron products. They did not know the price of gold, so they easily parted with it.
The ruler of the island, Raja Humabon, who was impressed by the strength of the Spaniards, decided to surrender under the protection of the Spanish king and soon called himself Carlos. His whole family followed him, as well as many ordinary people. But one of the leaders opposed the new order and did not want to surrender to the rule of Humabon. Magellan decided to fix this matter and organized a military expedition. The goal was to show the islanders the full power of the Spanish fleet, but the battle was failed. Because of the shallows, ships and boats did not have the opportunity to come closer to the shores in order to support the ground forces. And the locals did not waste their time. They studied the weaknesses of the Spaniards and began to move quickly so that the enemy in heavy armor was difficult to attack them. Themselves aimed at the Spaniards' legs, since they were not covered by armor. The sailors were forced to withdraw to the shore and in this retreat Magellan was killed.
As a result of the battle, only nine sailors died, but the reputation was badly tarnished. João Serran and Duarte Barbosa, who stood at the head of the expedition, tried to negotiate with the islanders on the surrender of the body of Fernand Magellan, but they did not make any concessions. The failure completely undermined the prestige of the Spanish sailors and even their ally Humabon betrayed them. Having invited them to his place for dinner, he killed almost all the sailors and the entire command staff. The survivors had to urgently flee from the island. Almost there, the sailors spent several months reaching the Moluccas.
They bought spices on the islands and set off on their way back.
At this time, they learned that the King of Portugal had declared Fernand a deserter, and his ships were subject to arrest. By that time, there were practically no ships in combat and in a normal floating state, the Concepcion had previously been burned. There are only 2 ships left. The Trinidad was repaired and headed east towards the Spanish possessions in Panama, while the Victoria sailed west bypassing Africa. Soon "Trinidad" fell into a strip of headwinds, and he had no choice but to return back to the Moluccas, where he was captured by the Portuguese.
"Victoria", under the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano, stubbornly continued its route, replenished with a team of islanders, who, however, soon died, as they were not prepared. Soon there was not enough food on the ship. All that's left is rice and water. The meat has all gone bad. Part of the team began to demand that the captain change course to Mozambique, which belonged to Portugal. However, the captain and his loyal sailors decided to reach the Spanish coast at any cost. "Victoria", with great difficulty rounded the Cape of Good Hope and then for almost two months without any stops walked along the African coast to the northwest.
In early July 1522, a practically worn-out ship with an exhausted crew arrived at the Cape Verde Islands, which were owned by Portugal. Part of the team went ashore and went to get food and water. They did not return, they were arrested and the team in a hurry was forced to urgently leave the island.
In early September 1522, the Victoria barely made it to Spain and became the only ship in Fernand Magellan's fleet to return home. 18 people remained on the ship. In 1525, 4 more people from the crew of the ship "Trinidad" were brought to Spain. Later, those sailors of the "Victoria" team who were captured by the Portuguese during their forced stay on the Cape Verde islands were ransomed from Portuguese captivity.
The sale of the cargo brought by the Victoria's team not only covered all the expenses for the expedition, but despite the loss of four ships out of five, gave a huge profit.
Remember how Neil Amstrong said the famous phrase, calling his first step on the lunar surface a giant leap for humanity? But long before him, such feats were performed by the Middle Ages. For example, Magellan's discoveries became a real revolution in the way people think about their planet and made them doubt the inviolability of the dogmas of the Catholic Church. So who was the person who proved that the Earth is round, who discovered where the Strait of Magellan is located on the map? What consequences did his discoveries have for the development of science? To find answers to these questions, it is worth getting acquainted with historical facts, most of which are known thanks to Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian navigator who participated in the first round the world voyage.
Fernand Magellan: biography
Unfortunately, today no one can say for sure where the first of the Europeans to go around the South American continent was born. However, most researchers believe that this event took place on October 17, 1480 in Porto or Sabroza. At the same time, according to historical documents, in adolescence Fernand served as a page with Queen Leonora of Aviz, so it is assumed that he was of noble origin.
When Magellan was 25 years old, he went to India with Francisco Almeida's squadron. After serving the allotted 5 years, Fernand tries to return to his homeland, but by chance he is forced to stay in India, where he achieves the favor of the colonial authorities and gains great prestige among the military. Thus, the future great traveler finds himself in Lisbon only in 1512. And he participates in the war with Morocco, during which his unauthorized actions arouses the anger of King Manuel the First. During the audience, Magellan asks the monarch for permission to go on a sea expedition, but is refused. At the same time, Manuel the First lets him know that he won't mind if he serves another overlord. I wonder if he knew then that future discoveries of Magellan would glorify Spain, would he give him such advice?
What preceded the first trip around the world
The offended Magellan leaves his homeland and goes to Spain, buys a house in Seville, marries, and has a son. Having acquired useful contacts, Magellan turns to the organization that finances sea expeditions - the "Chamber of Contracts", but they refuse to allocate money for the implementation of his project to find a western route to the Spice Islands. At the same time, Juan de Aranda is personally interested, demanding 1/8 of the possible profits, and the King of Spain Charles I gives permission to equip five ships. Now you know who Magellan was before his famous journey. What he discovered will be described later.
Magellan: Expected Economic Benefits
Although Columbus made Spain a superpower, the main goal of this expedition, namely, reaching the shores of India by the western route, was not achieved. But this promised huge economic benefits! In particular, in this way it would be proved that the famous Spice Islands, ceded to Portugal by the Treaty of Tordesillas, are located in the "Spanish" South Sea. In turn, this meant that the expected discoveries of Magellan could significantly expand the possessions of Charles the First and end the Portuguese monopoly on the spice trade, which were then worth their weight in gold.
Travel to Brazil and Patagonia
Magellan's heroic maritime epic began on September 20, 1519, when 5 ships, supplied with food for 2 years in advance, left San Lucar. In total, up to 280 people took part in the expedition, 100 of whom were equipped as soldiers. In addition, the ships were equipped with 10 cannons and 50 arquebus. The main ship, the Trinidad, and the Santiago caravel were piloted by Magellan himself and another Portuguese, João Serran. The other three ships set out on a campaign under the leadership of high-born Spanish hidalgo, who agreed to arrange a mutiny if it seemed to them that Commander Fernand had lost his way.
Having overcome the Atlantic Ocean with great difficulty, on November 29, Magellan's expedition reached the shores of Brazil and began to explore the shores of La Plata, hoping that this is the strait through which one can get to the "South Sea". Convinced of the erroneousness of this assumption, the squadron proceeded further south, along the coast of the South American continent and, meeting penguins along the way, took them for natives. The wandering continued until the end of March 1420, when Magellan decided to hibernate and cut the crew rations. During the winter, the Spaniards got to know the locals, who walked with hay wrapped around their feet. And they called them Patagonians (big-legged), and their country was called Patagonia.
Strait of Magellan
On October 21, 1520, the expedition ships find themselves at a narrow strait. For reconnaissance ships "San Antonio" and "Concepcion" are sent, which miraculously manage to avoid death during a sudden oncoming storm. However, as they say, there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped. At the moment when the wave carried the ship to the shore, they got into a narrow passage, the studies of which showed that there was salt water in it, and the lot did not reach the shore. Both ships return to Magellan and report the good news that the sea route to the South Sea has been found, and many years later it is designated as the Strait of Magellan on the world map. Unfortunately, this discovery, neither at that historical moment, nor centuries later, could not bring any benefit to mankind from an economic point of view, since this route is extremely long and dangerous for shipping. However, he gave a huge impetus to the development of sciences such as cartography and geography.
Tierra del Fuego islands discovered by Magellan
To the south of the discovered strait, the members of the expedition saw land on which lights were lit at night. Magellan mistakenly assumed that this is the northern tip of Terra Australis Incognita - Southern mainland - and called it Tierra del Fuego. As it turned out later, it was an archipelago, consisting of 40 thousand islands and islets. Thus, to the questions: "What did Fernand Magellan do?", "What did he discover?" one can rightfully name Tierra del Fuego as an answer. Today everyone knows that the Strait of Magellan separates the archipelago from the mainland, and on the largest of its islands - Isla Grande - there is the southernmost city of the planet - Ushuaia.
Discovery of the Mariana Islands
Having overcome the strait in 38 days, the ships of the expedition went out into the ocean and sailed about 17,000 km to the first uninhabited island that met on their way. The sailors were surprised, since before that it was assumed that America was located near the shores of Asia. Then Magellan realized that he had revealed to the world the true relationship between land and ocean waters, and also gave people an idea of \u200b\u200bthe size of the Earth. They failed to land on the ground, and they continued their journey until they reached the island of Guam, which belongs to the group of the Mariana Islands. It turned out that the local residents had no idea about private property, and therefore tried to carry away from the ships any objects that came to their hand. That is why the Spaniards named the islands Landrones, which translates as thieves. There the travelers stocked up on food and fresh water and continued on their way.
Discovery of the Philippine Islands
Since it was obvious that the expedition was already in the Eastern Hemisphere, Magellan, fearing encounters with the Portuguese, tried to stay away from the waters where the shipping lanes passed. Soon his ships reached the unknown islands. It was decided to call them the archipelago of St. Lazarus, and later they were renamed the Philippine Islands. Homonkh was chosen for landing, so when answering the question: "What is the name of the first island discovered by Magellan in Asia?"
Traveler's death
Today everyone knows what lands Magellan discovered. However, few know the details of his death.
So, how did the man who was the first man to go around the South American continent meet death? It all started with the fact that the leader of the island of Mactan refused to obey the ruler of neighboring Humabon, who swore allegiance to the Spanish crown and was even baptized, along with his family and close nobles. Magellan decided to show local residentsthat Europeans value and protect their vassals, and went to pacify the rebellious Maktans. At the same time, he did not calculate that the natives, who had managed to learn the methods of warfare by the Europeans, no longer treated them as celestials. In addition, Magellan's military expedition was ill-prepared, and the Spaniards did not calculate that their ships would not be able to get close enough to the shore. Almost immediately after the start of the battle, Magellan's army suffered great damage, since the native warriors aimed their spears at the legs of the Spanish soldiers unprotected by armor, and when they tried to get to their ships, they began to finish them off with arrows. The same fate befell Commander Fernand, who, wanting to cover his retreating comrades-in-arms, remained to fight in the water with a handful of loyal warriors, but was wounded first in the face and then stabbed with spearheads. This is how one of the greatest travelers in human history died. However, he forever inscribed his name in the annals of world history, and today every schoolchild knows which strait Magellan discovered.
The further fate of the sailors of the expedition
The death of Magellan and eight of his associates undermined the prestige of the Spaniards in the eyes of the natives. Therefore, Humabonu decides to get rid of the aliens and arranges a dinner party, during which he deals with a significant part of the commanders. The rest have to flee. Finally, having reached the Spice Islands, the surviving members of Magellan's expedition buy goods and are going back when they learn that the Portuguese king declared Magellan a deserter and issued an order to detain his ships. At that time, only two ships remain afloat, the commanders of which decide to go home by different routes. So the ship "Trinidad" is captured by the Portuguese, and the members of its crew end their lives in hard labor in India. The fate of those who go to Spain on the Victoria under the command of Juan Elcanto through the Cape of Good Hope is taking shape in a completely different way. At the cost of incredible efforts, they managed to get to Seville. Thus, before answering the questions: "Who is Magellan?", "What did he discover?", It is worth considering. After all, the fact that he is called the first traveler to circumnavigate the world is not entirely true. Moreover, he never set himself such a goal, since his only desire was to find a western route through which spices could be imported to Spain and profit from it.
Fernand Magellan: what he discovered
Such a short life, only 40 years long, but what brilliant results! These are the thoughts that arise when you read the story of the journey that Magellan made. What did you discover? The famous strait, named after him, Tierra del Fuego, the Mariana and Philippine Islands. And most importantly, Magellan proved that one can get from Europe to Asia not only by skirting Africa, but also moving in a westerly direction.
In the village of Sabroza in Portugal.
Magellan came from a poor provincial noble family, served as a page at the royal court. In 1505 he went to East Africa and served in the navy for eight years. He took part in the incessant clashes in India, was wounded and recalled to Portugal in 1513.
Returning to Lisbon, Fernand Magellan developed a project to sail the western route to the Moluccas, where valuable spices and herbs grew. The project was rejected by the Portuguese king.
In 1517, Magellan left for Spain and proposed this project to the Spanish king, who appointed him commander-in-chief of a flotilla heading in search of a western sea route to India.
Magellan's flotilla consisted of five ships - the flagship "Trinidad", "San Antonio", "Santiago", "Concepcion" and "Victoria".
On September 20, 1519, the navigator set off from the port of Sanlucar (at the mouth of the Guadalquivir). Magellan dispensed with charts, and although he knew how to determine latitude from the sun, he did not have reliable instruments for even an approximate determination of longitude.
At the end of November, the flotilla reached the coast of Brazil, and about a month later - the mouth of La Plata, finding no passage to the west of it, in February 1520
Magellan moved south and traced the coast of an unknown land (which he called Patagonia) for more than two thousand kilometers, opening the large bays of San Matnas and São Jorge.
In March 1520, the flotilla entered the Bay of San Julian, where a mutiny broke out on three ships, suppressed by Magellan. In August 1520, after wintering in the Bay of San Julian, Magellan with four ships moved further south and on October 21, 1520 opened the entrance to the strait (later named Magellan), explored it, finding the Tierra del Fuego archipelago to the south.
In November 1520, Magellan went out into the ocean, called by his satellites the Pacific and, having passed more than 17 thousand kilometers without stopping, in March 1521 discovered three islands from the Mariana Islands group beyond 13 ° north latitude, including the island of Guam, and then the Philippine islands (Samar, Mindanao, Cebu). Magellan entered into an alliance with the ruler of the island of Cebu, undertook a campaign for him against the neighboring island of Mactan and on April 27, 1521, was killed in a skirmish with the local residents.
The team continued their journey west. The "Victoria" and "Trinidad", which remained on the move by that moment, were the first of the Europeans to reach the island of Kalimantan and anchored near the city of Brunei, after which they began to call the whole island Borneo. In early November, the ships reached the Moluccas, where they bought spices - cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Soon "Trinidad" was captured by the Portuguese, and only "Victoria", having completed the world's first round-the-world voyage, in September 1522 returned to Seville with 18 people on board. The sale of the brought spices covered all the costs of the expedition. Spain received the "first discovery right" to the Mariana and Philippine Islands and made claims to the Moluccas.