FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD

Antonio Pigafetta

• He was an Italian chronicler who accurately recorded in his journal the details of the

world’s first circumnavigation

• Belonged to a rich family from Vicenza, Italy who studied astronomy, geography, and

cartography

• He served on board ships until 1519

• He travelled with Ferdinand Magellan with his crew members as an assistant on order of

King Charles I of Spain

• He was wounded in the battle of Mactan and one of the 18 men who returned to Spain

in 1522

Ferdinand Magellan

(1480 – 1521)

He was a Portuguese navigator, born in Sabrosa, Portugal, who served his country Portugal,

but after a falling out and quarrel with King Manuel, he renounced his citizenship and left for

Spain.

• In the 15th century, spices were at the epicenter of the world economy (much like oil is

today) Portugal and Spain led the competition over this critical commodity

• At a young age, he was exposed to stories of the great Portuguese and Spanish rivalry

for sea exploration and dominance over the spice trade in the East Indies, especially the

Spice Islands

• Europeans had reached the Spice Islands by sailing east, but none had yet to sail west

from Europe. Magellan was determined to be the first thing to do so.

• Magellan approached King Manuel of Portugal to seek his support for a westward

voyage to the Spice Islands, but the king refused his petition repeatedly

• Frustrated, he renounced his Portuguese nationality and relocated to Spain to seek royal

support for his venture

Magellan’s Voyage

September 20, 1519 – the fleet left with 250 crewmembers

The 5 ships in the fleet were:

1. Trinidad (the flagship)

2. Victoria

3. San Antonio

4. Concepcion

5. Santiago

• Magellan’s fleet crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached South America a month

later

• At Port San Julian, the crew in 2 out of 5 ships mutinied against Magellan, but was

unsuccessful because of the loyalty of the majority to him. The mutinous captains

Mendoza and Quesada were executed

• The ships sailed southward in search of the fabled strait that would allow passage

through South America

• Magellan sent the Santiago to explore the route ahead, but it was shipwrecked

during a terrible storm. All the crewmembers were rescued

• November 1520, Magellan finally entered the strait that they had been seeking, and

it was now named Strait of Magellan

• Grumbling about the dangers of the journey ahead, the crew and captain of San

Antonio turned and fled across Atlantic Ocean back to Spain

• After a month traversing the strait, the fleet reached a vast ocean. They were the

first Europeans to see the great ocean which Magellan named Mar Pacifico, for its

apparent peacefulness, in contrast to the dangerous waters that they had passed

through

• March 1521, they reached Guam where they finally replenished their food supply

• March 16, 1521 – Philippine islands were sighted. Magellan reached island of

Homonhon with 150 members, they were the first spaniards to reach the Philippines

• Rajah Humabon – ruler who became friends of Magellan. He and his wife were

baptized as Christians

• Datu Lapu-lapu – chieftain of Mactan who was the enemy of Rajah Humabon. He

refused to be converted to Christianity. The rajah convinced Magellan to kill Datu

Lapu-lapu

• April 27, 1521 – “Battle of Mactan”

• Magellan sailed to Mactan with his army and led the attack. Lapu-lapu’s men fought

fiercely. He fell when he was shot with a poison arrow and was killed; his body was

never recovered by his men. Only few men were left to sail the 3 remaining ships.

• Juan Sebastian Elcano – served as captain of the fleet after Magellan’s death.

• The casualties left them with few men to sail the 3 remaining ships , so they

abandoned and burned the Concepcion, then they fled to Palawan

• Trinidad and Victoria – left Palawan on June 21, 1521 and remained anchored in

Brunei for 35 days

• The fleet reached Moluccas (Spice Islands) on November 16, 1521 with only 115

crew, where they traded with the natives there

• Loaded with tons of valuable spices, they tried to return to Spain still by sailing west

• Trinidad – had to remain anchored in Brunei for repair, and weeks later attempted

to return to Spain via Pacific Ocean; however it was captured by Portuguese and was

wrecked in a storm while anchored under their control

• Victoria – set sail via Indian Ocean on way back to Spain. Loaded with a heavy cargo

of 26 tons of spices, it arrived back in Seville, Spain on September 6, 1522 with only

18 men. Victoria was the only ship that completed the voyage around the world.

Significance of Magellan’s Expedition

• Discovery of a western sea route to the Spice Islands

• Discovery of what is now known as the Strait of Magellan and a massive ocean

unknown to them before (they became the first Europeans to cross the Pacific

Ocean)

• It proved that the globe could be circled by the sea and that the earth was much

larger than previously thought

• European geographic knowledge was expanded immeasureably

• The circumnavigation empirically discredited the medieval theory (that the earth

was flat) conclusively