Module 2: Content/Contextual Analysis of Primary Sources: Antonio Pigafetta's First Voyage Around the World

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering the historical context, key figures, and events of Antonio Pigafetta's account of Magellan's first voyage around the world.

Historical context

Refers to the social, religious, economic, and political conditions that existed during a certain time and place.

Antonio Pigafetta

An Italian scholar and explorer who served as Magellan's assistant and official chronicler during the first voyage around the world.

1519-1522

The years spanning the duration of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition from its departure to its return to Spain.

Ferdinand Magellan

The explorer who led the expedition to the East under the sponsorship of the Spanish Crown to find a western sea route to the Spice Islands.

Spice Islands (Moluccas)

The destination in present-day Indonesia that Magellan's expedition sought for its valuable traded goods.

King Charles I of Spain

The monarch who sponsored Magellan's expedition to the East in $1519$.

Trinidad
San Antonio
Concepción
Victoria
Santiago

The 5 original ships used in this expedition.

Victoria

The only ship of the original five to successfully complete the circumnavigation and return to Spain in $1522$.

Santiago

One of the five ships that set out on Magellan's expedition in $1519$.

San Antonio

One of the five ships that participated in the expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan.

Concepcion

One of the five ships included in Magellan's fleet for the voyage to the East.

Trinidad

One of the five ships that initially comprised Magellan's expeditionary fleet.

Strait of Magellan

The passage discovered at the southern tip of South America that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

March 16, 1521

The date when Magellan's expedition reached the Philippines and anchored in the island of Samar.

Samar

The specific island in the Philippines where Magellan's expedition first anchored after crossing the Pacific.

Rajah Humabon

The local ruler of Cebu with whom Ferdinand Magellan formed an alliance and introduced Christianity.

Battle of Mactan

The conflict on April 27, 1521, where Ferdinand Magellan was killed by the forces of Lapulapu.

April 27, 1521

The specific date of the Battle of Mactan and the death of Ferdinand Magellan.

Lapulapu

The local leader whose forces fought against and killed Ferdinand Magellan during the Battle of Mactan.

Juan Sebastian Elcano

The commander who led the ship Victoria back to Spain in $1522$ after the death of Magellan.

1522

The year the Victoria returned to Spain, completing the first successful circumnavigation of the world.

1535

The year Antonio Pigafetta's travelogue, 'The First Voyage Around the World,' was published in Europe.

Travelogue

The genre of Pigafetta's work, serving as an account of the voyage and highlighting his personal viewpoints and judgments.

Gold
God
Glory

The motivations of European discovery and conquest during the Old World era:.

Old World

A term referring to Europe during the period when it was actively seeking to discover and conquer new lands.

New World

The term used by Westerners to describe the newly discovered lands and territories encountered during the Age of Discovery.

18 men

The number of survivors who completed the entire trip and returned to Spain out of the approximately $240$ who started.

240 men

The approximate number of people who originally set out on Magellan's expedition three years before its completion.

Navigatori class

The class of Italian Navy destroyer that included a warship named after Antonio Pigafetta in 1931.

1931

The year a warship of the Italian Navy was named after Antonio Pigafetta.

Theodore J. Cachey Jr.

The editor of the version of Antonio Pigafetta's 'The First Voyage Around the World' mentioned in the text.

Luigi Ballerini

One of the General Editors of The Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library.

Massimo Ciavolella

One of the General Editors of The Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library.

William Shakespeare

A prominent Western literary man who referred to Pigafetta's book in his interpretation of the New World.

Michel de Montaigne

A Western literary figure noted for referring to Pigafetta's work regarding the interpretation of the New World.

Giambattista Vico

A prominent literary man in the West who used Pigafetta's travelogue as a reference for the New World.

Cebuano language

The language for which Pigafetta's journal provided the first recorded document and translation.

Mercantilist

The economic system of $16^{th}$ century Europe that measured wealth by the accumulation of precious metals like gold and silver.

Bullions

Precious metals, such as gold and silver, used to measure the wealth of kingdoms in a mercantilist system.

Prestige goods

Items like spices that were scarce in Europe and seen as symbols of high status, despite their ordinariness in the Philippines.

Primary source

Pigafetta's book is considered one of these for the study of pre-colonial Philippines because it is a direct historical account.

European standards

The cultural lens through which Pigafetta observed and assessed indigenous Filipino cultures, leading to descriptions of 'nakedness.'

Christianity

The religion introduced by Magellan to local rulers in the Philippines, such as Rajah Humabon.

First circumnavigation

The historical milestone achieved by Magellan's expedition, proving the Earth could be traveled around by sea.

Italian Navy

The military organization that named a Navigatori class destroyer after Antonio Pigafetta.

Western sea route

The goal of Magellan's expedition: to find a path to the Spice Islands by sailing west across the Atlantic.

Gold mines

Resources Pigafetta described in the islands to illustrate the abundance of wealth available for an empire like Spain.

Spices

Goods such as ginger that were plentiful in the Philippines but extremely scarce and valuable in Europe.

Tropical climate

The environmental condition of the islands that made the 'naked' attire of the natives appropriate, contrary to Pigafetta's view.

Palm and bamboo

Specific materials used by natives for houses to allow air circulation and compensate for the hot climate.

Emperor Charles V

The ruler under whose flag Magellan and Pigafetta sailed, also known as King Charles I of Spain.