Which navigator was the first to circumnavigate the world. Famous travelers - around the world travel around the world

Ask any student about who made the first trip around the world, and hear: "Of course, Magellan." And few people doubt these words. But after all, Magellan organized this expedition, led it, but could not complete the voyage. So who is the first navigator to make

Journey of Magellan

In 1516, the little-known nobleman Ferdinand Magellan came to the Portuguese king Manuel I with the idea to implement Columbus's plan - to reach the Spice Islands, as the Moluccas were then called, from the west. As you know, Columbus was then “interfered” by America, which appeared on his way, which he considered to be the islands of Southeast Asia.

At that time, the Portuguese were already sailing to the islands of the East Indies, but bypassing Africa and crossing the Indian Ocean. Therefore, they did not need a new path to these islands.

History repeated itself: Magellan, ridiculed by King Manuel, went to the Spanish king and received his consent to organize the expedition.

On September 20, 1519, a flotilla of five ships left the Spanish port of San Lucar de Barrameda.

Moons of Magellan

Nobody disputes that historical fact that the first trip around the world was made by an expedition led by Magellan. The vicissitudes of the path of this dramatic expedition are known from the words of Pigafetta, who kept records all the days of the journey. Its participants were also two captains who had already visited the East Indies more than once: Barbosa and Serrano.

And especially on this campaign, Magellan took his slave, the Malay Enrique. He was captured in Sumatra and served Magellan faithfully for a long time. On the expedition, he was assigned the role of an interpreter when the Spice Islands were reached.

Expedition progress

Having lost a lot of time crossing and passing through a rocky, narrow and long strait, which later received the name of Magellan, the travelers came to a new ocean. During this time, one of the ships sank, the other went back to Spain. A conspiracy against Magellan was uncovered. The rigging of the ships needed to be repaired, and food supplies and drinking water were running out.

The ocean, called the Pacific, first met with a good fair wind, but subsequently it became weaker and, finally, completely calmed down. People deprived of fresh food did not only die of hunger, although they had to eat both rats and skin from masts. The main danger was scurvy - a thunderstorm for all sailors of that time.

And only on March 28, 1521, they reached the islands, whose inhabitants answered with amazement the questions of Enrique, who spoke his own language. mother tongue. This meant that Magellan and his companions arrived on the islands of the East Indies from the other side. And it was Enrique who was the very first traveler to circumnavigate the world! He returned to his homeland, circumnavigating the globe.

End of expedition

April 21, 1521 Magellan was killed, intervening in the internecine war of local leaders. This had the most dire consequences for his companions, who were forced to simply flee from the islands.

Many of the sailors were killed or wounded. Of the 265 crew members, only 150 remained, they were only enough to manage two ships.

On the islands of Tidore, they were able to rest a bit, replenish food supplies, take spices and golden sand on board.

Only the ship "Victoria" under the control of Sebastian del Cano set off on the return journey to Spain. Only 18 people returned to the port of Lukar! These people are the ones who made the first trip around the world. True, their names were not preserved. But Captain del Cano and the chronicler of Pigafetta's journey are known not only to historians and geographers.

The first Russian round-the-world trip

The head of the first Russian round-the-world expedition was. This voyage took place in 1803-1806.

Two sailing ship- "Hope" under the command of Kruzenshtern himself and "Neva", led by his assistant Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky - left Kronstadt on August 7, 1803. The main goal was to study Pacific Ocean and especially the mouth of the Amur. It was necessary to identify convenient places for the parking of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the best routes for its supply routes.

The expedition not only had great importance for the formation of the Pacific Fleet, but also made a huge contribution to science. New islands were discovered, but a number of non-existent islands were erased from the ocean map. For the first time, systematic studies were started in the ocean. The expedition discovered the trade wind countercurrents in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, measured the temperature of the water, its salinity, determined the density of the water ... The reasons for the glow of the sea were found out, data were collected on the tides, on the components of the different areas World Ocean.

Significant refinements were made to the map of the Russian Far East: parts of the coast Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, Kamchatka Peninsula. For the first time, some of the Japanese islands are marked on it.

The participants of this expedition became those of the Russians who were the first to circumnavigate the world.

But for most Russians, this expedition is known by the fact that the first Russian mission led by Rezanov went to Japan on the Nadezhda.

Great second (interesting facts)

The Englishman became the second person to circumnavigate the world in 1577-1580. His galleon "Golden Doe" for the first time passed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific through the stormy strait, later named after him. This path is considered much more difficult than through due to constant storms, floating ice, abrupt weather changes. Drake was the first person to circumnavigate the world around Cape Horn. Since then, among the sailors, a tradition has gone to wear an earring in the ear. If he passed leaving Cape Horn on the right, then the earring should have been in the right ear, and vice versa.

For his services he was personally knighted by Queen Elizabeth. It is to him that the Spaniards owe the defeat of their "Invincible Armada".

In 1766, Frenchwoman Jeanne Barré became the first woman to sail around the world. To do this, she disguised herself as a man and got on the ship of Bougainville, which went on a round-the-world expedition, as a servant. When the deception was revealed, despite all her merits, Barre was landed in Mauritius and returned home on another ship.

Second Russian round the world expedition under the direction of F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazareva is famous for the fact that Antarctica was discovered during it in January 1820.

During the 15th century, the Pyrenean powers - Spain and Portugal - embarked on the path of wide overseas expansion. In both countries, the features of their internal development and geographical location determined the need and possibility of searching for new lands and new sea routes. In the social battles of the XV century. both in Portugal and in Spain, the feudal nobility was defeated in the struggle against the royal power, which relied on cities. Both here and there, the processes of unification of the country took place under the conditions of the Reconquista - continuous external wars with the Moors, who were forced to cede land step by step Iberian Peninsula captured by them in the 8th century. In Portugal, these wars ended in the middle of the 13th century, in Spain - only at the end of the 15th century.

The Reconquista gave birth to chivalry, a class that lived and fed on the war and, as it ended, gradually lost its economic position.

When the last Moorish lands in the south of the peninsula were captured, the greedy and indefatigable in their desire for easy prey, the chivalry rushed in search of new sources of income. Both the young, not yet strong bourgeoisie, and the royal power were in dire need of them.

The situation that prevailed in the same XV century. in Western Asia and in the eastern part of the Mediterranean basin, prevented the establishment of direct ties between Western Europe and the richest countries of the Far and Middle East, to which the thoughts of profit seekers rushed. The Mongol Empire collapsed, direct trade routes laid in the 13th century. overland from Europe to China and Central Asia. On Balkan Peninsula and in Asia Minor the Turks established themselves, who blocked the European merchants from the path leading through the main gate of the East - Byzantium. True, the southern road to India through Egypt and the Red Sea was still free, but the whole transit trade, which was conducted through Alexandria with South Asia, was in the hands of the Venetians.

Finding new routes to the lands of the East - such was the task that was persistently sought to be solved in the 15th century. in all Western European countries, and primarily in Portugal and Spain, located on a peninsula that is far advanced into the waters of the Atlantic.

Random photos of nature
News of the voyages of Columbus, Cabot, Vespucci, and Gama set off a fever of discovery in Europe. Rumors of gold, slaves, spices, pearls, expensive and rare woods, fat and fertile lands, rich cities of the Eastern Indies and the still unexplored opportunities of the Western Indies excite and excite seekers of profit who rush across the ocean in the hope of quick and easy enrichment. .

Now it is difficult for us to imagine what importance the Europeans of the 15th century attached to. cloves, pepper, nutmeg. Until the appearance of the Portuguese in Southeast Asia, these now mediocre goods were delivered to Europe in an extremely complicated and long way: Arab merchants bought spices from petty kings in the Moluccas, Celebes (Sulawesi), Timor, Java and resold their goods in Hormuz or Alexandria the Venetians. Then, already on Venetian ships, spices were delivered to Italy, France, Spain, and the Venetians, who themselves bought pepper or cloves from the Arabs at a price three times higher than regular prices in the markets of Southeast Asia, they received huge profits from the sale. After all, the monopoly of the spice trade belonged to them undividedly. The news of the penetration of the Portuguese to the very source of fabulous wealth - the shores of the Moluccas, which bore the tempting name of the Spice Islands, aroused the feverish activity of Spanish profit-seekers. Spanish navigators believed that the Moluccas were located very close to Veragua. But the only way to reach the Spice Islands was to find a passage leading from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Sea.

The Spaniards had no doubt that this passage would soon be opened. And as soon as this happens, the Castilian flotillas, following the western, and, as it seemed then, the shortest way, will reach the Moluccas and drive out the zealous Portuguese competitors from there. Therefore, at that time, in the 10s of the 16th century, both the organizers of new overseas enterprises and the greedy gold-loving freemen, ready to go to the ends of the world in search of prey, faced a task that required a quick and effective solution. It was necessary at all costs to find a passage to the South Sea and, following them, get to the Spice Islands and drive out the Portuguese from there. However, the coveted Spice Islands were still out of reach for the Spaniards. Implementation of the plans of Vespucci, Solis and unknown Portuguese sailors fell to the lot of Ferdinand Magellan.

This small man with a stiff beard and cold, prickly eyes, dry, restrained and silent, personifies the harsh and stormy era of great overseas enterprises, the era when people crossed unknown seas in search of gold and spices and, risking their lives at every step, overcoming immense difficulties, conquered, dooming the lands they discover to famine and ruin.

Fernando Magellan

Fernando Magellan, or in Portuguese Fernand de Magalhos, was born in Portugal, in the small village of Saboroja, in the province of Trazos-Montes, around 1480. Magellan came from a noble family and, like all young hidalgos of that time, spent his youth at the court of King Manuel as a page. No information has been preserved about this period of Magellan's life, but one must think that the energetic and enterprising nature of Magellan could not be satisfied social life at the royal court. Be that as it may, but Magellan left the court service at the age of twenty and became an officer in the detachment of Francisco Almeida, who went to India as governor. In 1505 he took part in the Portuguese expedition to East Africa.

It is not known how long Magellan spent in Africa, it is only known that in 1508 he was already in Portugal, where at that time an expedition was being equipped for new discoveries in the Malay Archipelago. The leadership of this expedition was entrusted to Diogo Lopis da Sequeira, who accepted Magellan as one of his companions. Together with Sequeira, Magellan visited the city of Malacca, which at that time was the center of international trade in the east. In this city, which lay on the very border of countries unknown to Europeans, from where expensive spices were brought, Magellan carefully tried to find out where cloves, nutmegs, camphor, pepper and cinnamon were brought from.

Almost being captured by the Malays, Magellan and da Sequeira were forced to hastily withdraw with their ships from Malacca to Kannanur, where the Portuguese already dominated. Here Magellan met Alphonse d'Albuquerque, Viceroy of India. Together with d'Albuquerque, Magellan participated in the conquest Goa city, in the establishment of Portuguese rule on the Malabar coast and in the expedition of d'Albuquerque to Malacca.

Thanks to the study of geographical issues, Magellan had a plan to reach the rich islands of spices, following not the usual route, past Africa and India, but across the western Atlantic Ocean, bypassing the mainland South America. Magellan, recognizing the sphericity of the earth, assumed that the western path would be straighter and, therefore, shorter than the eastern one. This idea western way to the shores of Asia, as you know, was the idea of ​​Columbus. Magellan spoke of his plan to the Lisbon cosmographer Rui Faleiro, who approved the plan and advised Magellan to approach King Manuel.

However, the king rejected Magellan's proposal. Then Magellan left Portugal and moved to Spain. On October 20, 1517, he arrived in Seville, where at that time his acquaintance, the Portuguese sailor Diogo Barbosa, lived. Soon, Barbosa filed a petition with the Spanish government to assist Magellan in the implementation of his plan. To this end, a special commission was established to review the Magellan project.

In the commission, Magellan proposed “to find a new way to India and to the islands of spices” and argued that the islands of spices - this pearl of India - are, according to the division of the world made by the pope between Spain and Portugal, within the Spanish possessions.

But the commission rejected Magellan's proposal and declared it unfeasible, so the members of the commission assumed that the American mainland, like a barrier, stretches from one pole to the other and therefore there is no passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Sea. Fortunately for Magellan, among the members of the commission was a certain Juan de Aranda, who alone appreciated the full significance of the Magellan project and became interested in it. Juan de Aranda got to know Magellan better and secured an audience with the king for him.

The king took Magellan's proposal seriously; Magellan's proposal was again discussed at the council of ministers, and the king agreed to help him; he only demanded that Magellan mark his path more precisely, since the Spaniards had already explored the coast of the mainland of South America at a great distance to the south and had not found a passage anywhere. Magellan replied that he was thinking of looking for a passage to the South Sea far from the equator.

During his voyages around Africa, Magellan drew attention to the fact that this mainland is somewhat pointed to the south; in the same way, the studies of the Spanish sailors on the coast of Brazil found that the coast of South America goes southwest beyond Cape Augustine. Comparing these two facts, Magellan came to the conclusion that the mainland of America, like Africa, ends in a wedge in the southern hemisphere and, therefore, in the south of America there is a passage to the South Sea. This assumption of Magellan is absolutely correct, but he, nevertheless, was not destined to go around the mainland of America, he did not reach the extreme tip of this mainland, and, although he penetrated the Great Ocean, but not in the way he expected.

Magellan's plan was accepted by the king, and Magellan was appointed admiral and commander of an expedition consisting of five ships and 265 crew members.

In July 1519, all preparations for the departure were completed. After a solemn ceremony of swearing allegiance to the Spanish king, Magellan received the royal standard, and on the morning of August 10, the expedition left Seville. Having replenished their supplies in the harbor of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, on September 10, Magellan's squadron, with a fair southeast wind, went to open ocean. Magellan himself commanded the ship "Trinidad", the captain of the second ship "Santo Antonio" was Juan de Cartagena; these ships were followed by the caravels "Concepcion" with captain Gaspar de Quesada, "Victoria" under the command of the royal treasurer Luis de Mendoza and, finally, a small ship "Sant Yago" with helmsman João Serran. Among the companions on Magellan's ship were the Portuguese Duarte Barbosa and the Italian Antonio Pifaghetta, the future historian of this first round-the-world trip.

When the squadron passed the Canary Islands, Magellan, without consulting with his comrades, changed course somewhat; the captain of the ship "Santo Antonio" - Juan de Cartagena, considering himself equal in power to Magellan, protested against this and pointed out to Magellan that he was deviating from royal instructions. This was the beginning of disagreements between Magellan and Juan de Cartagena. Cartagena began to incite against Magellan and other officers; then Magellan, having invited Juan de Cartagena and other officers to his ship for a meeting, ordered the arrest of Juan de Cartagena and put him in chains. On November 29, the shores of South America appeared ahead of the coast of South America - Cape Augustine, and on December 13, following the coast of Brazil, Magellan's squadron reached the bay of Rio de Janeiro. Soon, Magellan's ships entered areas completely unexplored until that time. Stopping sometimes near the coast, the Spaniards entered into trade relations with the natives and exchanged fruits and various food supplies for various trinkets and small things.

Describing the natives of Brazil, Pythaghetta says that “the Brazilians are not Christians, but they are not idolaters either, since they worship nothing; natural instinct is their only law. They go completely naked and sleep on cotton nets called hammocks and tied to two trees. They sometimes eat human flesh, killing only captives and people of a foreign tribe for this.

The natives of this region were tall, broad-faced, red-skinned, with bleached hair, they were shod in wide fur boots, for which the Spaniards called them "Patagonians", that is, big-footed.

Anticipating that the wintering would be long, and taking into account that there were very few food supplies in the country of the Patagonians, Magellan ordered food to be given to the crew in portions. This measure increased the discontent among the sailors, and several officers who stood on the side of Juan de Cartagena decided to revolt. They spoke. That further sailing to the south is madness, since the strait from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great in all probability does not exist. But Magellan did not want to hear about returning back. Meanwhile, the unrest became more and more serious. The dissatisfied freed Juan de Cartagena and took possession of two ships; soon the captain of the third ship, the Victoria, joined the rebels. The rebels announced to Magellan that he should return to Spain, in case of refusal, they threatened to resort to arms.

Magellan decided to suppress the rebellion with harsh measures. He sent his devoted Genzalo Gomez Espinosa to the ship "Victoria" with orders to the captain to report immediately. The captain of the Victoria, Luis Mendoza, considering himself completely safe, listened to Magellan's order with a sneer and flatly refused to go to him. Then Espinosa suddenly drew a small dagger and struck Mendoza in the neck, another Spaniard, who arrived with Espinoza, struck a second blow to Mendoza, and Mendoza fell dead on the deck of the ship. A struggle ensued, but Magellan, who was following her from his ship, immediately sent boats with soldiers to the Victoria, and soon a signal flag raised on the mast of the Victoria informed Magellan of the victory.

Thus, the plans of the enemy were dealt a blow. Struck by the energy and determination of Magellan, Juan Cartagena and his comrades decided to secretly sail to Spain. But the next day, Magellan's ships, which took up position at the entrance to the harbor, cut off their path. An attempt to break through under the cover of night ended unsuccessfully, and soon the captains of both ships - Quesada and Cartagena - were already prisoners of Magellan. Magellan decided to severely punish the rebels. Court-martialed, they were sentenced to death. “The conspirators were the superintendent of the fleet Juan de Cartagena, the treasurer Luis de Mendoza, the accountant Antonio de Coca and Gaspar de Quesada. The plot was discovered, and the caretaker was quartered, and the treasurer died from dagger blows. A few days after this, Gaspar de Quesada, along with one clergyman, was exiled to Patagonia. The captain-general did not want to kill him, since the emperor don Karl himself appointed him captain.

In the harbor of San Julian, Magellan's squadron stood all winter. After waiting for the stormy time to pass and spring comes, Magellan set off further south. Magellan announced to his companions that he would sail south to 75 degrees south latitude, and only after making sure that the strait did not exist, he would turn back to the east. On October 21, Magellan's flotilla reached the cape, which was named Cape Virgenes, in honor of the corresponding holiday. catholic church coinciding with this day.

Having reached this point and seeing the bay jutting out into the mainland in front of him, Magellan had no idea that he was in front of the entrance to the desired strait. The next day he sent two ships to explore the bay, but the ships returned before reaching the end of the bay. Then Magellan decided that this was the strait he was looking for, and therefore gave the order to the entire squadron to go into the strait. The ships moved forward carefully, exploring the path through the labyrinth of side straits, bays and coves.

Both banks were deserted. At night on south coast in different places on the tops of the mountains, numerous lights were visible, which is why Magellan called this country - Tierra del Fuego.

Strait of Magellan and access to the Pacific Ocean

After a twenty-two-day voyage along the strait, sometimes expanding to four or more miles, sometimes narrowing to one mile, Magellan's flotilla safely got to the other end of the strait. While wandering the strait, one ship, the Santo Antonio, escaped and its captain returned to Spain. Magellan, after searching for this ship for several days, decided to continue his journey further and finally saw another boundless ocean in front of him.

The first cape, which ended the strait, Magellan called Cape Deseado (desirable), "because - says Pigafetta - we have long sought to see it." November 27 "Victoria", walking ahead of other ships, the first reached the exit to the open ocean, where the coast of the American mainland turned sharply to the north. The cape, which ended the strait, the Spaniards named after their ship "Victoria".

One can imagine the general joy when the sailors saw in front of them new ocean. From now on, a new road to Far East was discovered and Magellan's assumptions were confirmed. The strait, through which Magellan first passed, received the name from the Spaniards of the Strait of All Saints, since on this day the ships of Magellan entered this strait for the first time; subsequent generations, however, did not recognize this name and gave it the name of Magellan, by which it is known today.

Driven by a fair wind, Magellan's ships headed north along the western coast of South America. Magellan wanted to rise to warmer latitudes, in order to then head west again. On January 27, Magellan reached 16 degrees south latitude and turned west here. Soon the coast of the American mainland disappeared from sight, and the ships found themselves in the middle of a completely unknown boundless water desert of the ocean. Magellan gave the name to this new Pacific Ocean, since, compared with the Atlantic, here Magellan met less storms.

The ocean voyage lasted for four whole months and was accompanied by incredible hardships. There were almost no food supplies, fresh water was all spoiled and the sailors were forced to eat rotten crackers and rats. Pigafetta, describing the misfortunes of his comrades, says: “For three months and twenty days we were completely deprived of fresh food. We ate rusks, but they were no longer rusks, but rusk dust mixed with worms that ate the best rusks. She smelled strongly of rat urine. We drank yellow water that had been rotting for days. We also ate the cowhide that covered the grey, so that the shrouds would not fray; from the action of the sun, rain and wind, it became incredibly hard. We soaked it in sea water for four or five days, after which we put it on hot coals for several minutes and ate it. We often ate sawdust. Rats were sold for half a ducat a piece, but even at that price they were impossible to get.

However, worse than all these troubles was this one. Some of the crew had their upper and lower gums swollen to such an extent that they were unable to take any food, and as a result they died. Nineteen people died from this disease, including a giant, as well as an Indian from the Verzin country. Of the thirty crew members, twenty-five fell ill, some with their feet, some with their hands, some who experienced pain in other places, very few remained healthy. I, thank the Lord, have not experienced any ailment.”

In the midst of such disasters and hardships, sailors sailed to no one knows where, and this killed their energy even more. During the three months of sailing in the Pacific, 19 people died and about 13 were sick. Everyone considered themselves doomed to death. Between there in the ocean there was not a single island. Only in one place in the ocean did the sailors see two islands, but they did not find anything on them that could support their forces. Magellan called these islands Unfortunate.

On March 16, west of the Thieves' Islands, Magellan discovered another new island, covered with luxurious tropical vegetation. Here Magellan decided to rest his exhausted crew and set up two tents for the sick on the shore. Soon the natives came ashore, bringing with them bananas, palm wine, coconuts and fish. The Spaniards traded all these products for mirrors, scallops, rattles and other small things. This island, named by Magellan Samar, was one of the many islands that form an entire archipelago. Magellan called this archipelago the San Lazaro Archipelago, but later this group of islands became known as the Philippine Islands, in honor of King Philip II of Spain.

A favorable reception from the natives, gold and other valuables found on the islands by the Spaniards - all this taken together distracted Magellan for a while from his original goal - reaching the Moluccas. Magellan set about exploring these islands and on the night of March 27, approaching one island, he met a Malay on a boat. The Malay translator who was with Magellan learned that on some islands the inhabitants speak the Malay dialect.

The Malay promised Magellan to bring the raja of this island to the ships, and, indeed, the next day he appeared to Magellan, accompanied by eight close raja Massawa. He brought gifts to Magellan, instead of which he received a caftan made of red cloth, tailored in an oriental way, a cap of bright red color; knives and mirrors were distributed to his associates. Magellan showed the Raja firearms and cannons, the shots from which greatly frightened him.

“Then the captain-general ordered one of ours to put on full armor, and three others, armed with swords and daggers, to strike him all over the body. The ruler was utterly amazed by this spectacle. At the same time, the captain-general told him through a slave that one man armed in this way could fight against a hundred of his own people. To which the ruler replied that he was convinced of this with his own eyes. The captain-general stated that each of the ships had two hundred men armed in the same way. He showed him cuirasses, swords, shields, and how to use them, ”writes Pigafetta.

At parting, the rajah asked Magellan to send several people with him to see the treasures of the rajah and his dwelling. Magellan released Pigafetta with the Raja, who was given a very good reception. The Raja told him that he found on his island pieces of gold the size of a nut or even an egg; all bowls and some household utensils of the Raja were made of gold. He was dressed, according to the custom of the country, very neatly and had a handsome appearance. His black hair fell over his shoulders; the silk coverlet descended in beautiful folds; he was perfumed with styrax and aloes; in his ears he had large gold earrings, and his face and hands were painted with different colors.

On the first day of the Easter holiday, the fleet set sail and sailed for the island of Cebu, where, as the natives reported, food supplies could be found in abundance. Together with Magellan, he expressed a desire to visit Cebu and Raja Massawa, who was ready to serve Magellan as an interpreter.

When the flotilla arrived on the island of Cebu, Magellan sent one of his officers to the local rajah. The envoy of Magellan, when asked by the Raja what kind of people they were, said: “We are in the service of the greatest king on earth, and this king sent us to the Moluccas to establish trade relations.”

The Raja received the officer amiably, but told him that if they intended to trade on his island, they must first pay the duties to which all ships coming to Cebu are subject.

The Spaniard objected that his master was too great a monarch to submit to such requirements; the officer added that they came here with peaceful intentions, but if they want to make war with them, then they will talk differently.

A Moorish merchant who was at the court of the Raja confirmed the words of the officer about the power of the Spanish king, and after negotiations, the Raja gave the Spaniards the exclusive right to trade on the island, and he himself went to Magellan on the shore.

After this meeting, the natives began to bring food to the Spaniards in abundance, and relations between the natives and the Spaniards became extremely friendly. The Raja and many of the natives even converted to Christianity.

Not far from the island of Cebu was another island, Mactan, whose raja, who had previously recognized the supremacy of the raja of Cebu, for some time did not want to pay tribute to him. When the Raja of Cebu Island told Magellan about this, Magellan decided to render a service to the new vassal of Spain and at the same time show the natives the superiority of weapons and the military art of Europeans. He invited the Raja to go to Mactan and punish the indignant Raja. On April 26, three boats, on which 60 soldiers fit, and about thirty native boats, on which were the Raja of Cebu, his nephew and many soldiers, set off for the island of Mactan.

Speaking about this campaign, Pigafetta writes: “Then the captain formed us into two detachments, and the battle began. Musketeers and archers fired from a distance for about half an hour, but to no avail, since bullets and arrows pierced only their shields, made of thin wooden planks, and their arms. The captain shouted: “Stop firing! Stop shooting!" - but no one paid attention to his cries. When the natives were convinced that our shooting was not reaching the target, they began to shout that they would hold on steadfastly, and resumed shouting with more greater strength. During our shooting, the natives did not stay in one place, but ran here and there, hiding behind their shields. They showered us with so many arrows and hurled so many spears towards the captain (some of the spears were iron-tipped), and fire-hardened stakes, and stones and earth, that we were hardly able to defend ourselves. Seeing this, the captain sent out several men with orders to burn down their houses in order to act on them with fear. The sight of the houses being burned infuriated them even more. Two of ours were killed near the houses, while we burned twenty to thirty houses. We were attacked by such a number of natives that they managed to wound the captain in the leg with a poisoned arrow. As a result, he gave the order to slowly retreat, but ours, with the exception of six or eight people who remained with the captain, immediately turned to flight. The natives only shot at our feet because we were not shod. And so great was the number of spears and stones they threw at us that we were unable to resist. The guns from our ships could not help us, as they were too far away. We continued to retreat and, being at a distance of a shot from the shore, continued to fight, standing knee-deep in the water. The natives continued the pursuit, and, picking up four or six times the same spear from the ground, they threw them at us again and again. Recognizing the captain, so many people attacked him that twice his helmet was knocked off his head, but still he continued to stand firm, as befits a glorious knight, along with others standing next to him. So we fought for more than an hour, refusing to retreat any further. One Indian threw a bamboo spear right into the captain's face, but the latter immediately killed him with his spear stuck in the Indian's body. Then, trying to draw his sword, he drew it only halfway, as he was wounded in the arm by a bamboo spear. Seeing this, all the natives attacked him. One of them wounded him in the left leg with a large cleaver similar to a Turkish broadsword, but even wider. The captain fell face down, and immediately they threw iron and bamboo spears at him and began to strike with cleavers until they destroyed our mirror, our light, our joy and our true leader. He kept looking back to see if we all had time to get on the boats.”

Magellan was killed on April 27, 1521 at the age of 41. Although he never reached the goal of his journey - the Moluccas - he went through the most difficult part of the journey, opened the strait at the southern tip of America and was the first to cross the greatest ocean. the globe.

Further journey of the expedition after the death of Magellan

Having recovered from the defeat, the Spaniards made an attempt to get the body of Magellan from the natives for a large ransom, but the natives refused. They wanted to have the trophy of their victory. After this ill-fated expedition, the surviving Spaniards returned to the island of Cebu, but here, too, the mood of the previously friendly Indians changed dramatically. A Malay, Magellan's slave, who served as his translator, considering himself free after Magellan's death, fled from the ship and told the Raja of Cebu that the Spaniards had plotted against the Raja. The Raja believed him, and invited Duarte Barbosa and Juan Serrano, who, after the death of Magellan, became the heads of the expedition. Suspecting nothing, the Spaniards, including 26 people, went ashore and arrived at the Raja's court. But as soon as they entered the premises of the rajah, they were surrounded by a detachment of armed Indians and attacked them. Any resistance was useless. All Spaniards except Juan Serrano were killed. When the ships learned the sad news that had befallen their comrades, they immediately approached the shore and opened heavy fire from cannons at the village. In vain, wounded Serrano, whom the natives brought to the shore, begged to stop firing and ransom him from the enemies. The Portuguese Carvalho, who took command of the expedition, did not dare to risk other people and hastened to move away from the island, since it could be expected that the Indians would sail in their canoes to the ships and could harm the flotilla. The unfortunate Serrano was left to fend for himself in the hands of the Indians, who probably killed him.

Carvalho, meanwhile, sent his ships to the neighboring island of Bohol. Here the Spaniards were convinced that total number the expedition members are not enough to manage three ships, as a result, it was decided to burn one ship, the oldest "Concepsion", to burn, removing everything of value from it. On neighboring islands the Spaniards sought out guides who promised to lead them to the Moluccas. Indeed, after a short voyage on November 6, the Spaniards saw 4 islands on the horizon. The Indian guide announced that this was the Moluccas. “We,” Pigafetta writes, “as a sign of our joy, fired a volley from all the cannons. Our joy at the sight of these islands will not seem surprising to anyone, for for almost 26 months we have sailed the oceans, visited many islands, constantly looking for the Moluccas.

Soon the ships landed on an island, where the Spaniards found spices in abundance. Having loaded the ships with spices and stocked up on food supplies, the Spaniards stood for some time, and then headed for the island of Borneo, which at that time was the center of the Malay civilization. The Raja of Borneo gave the Spaniards a magnificent reception: he sent two richly decorated elephants and a guard of honor for the officers. The Spaniards, arriving at the palace, were greeted very cordially by the Raja himself, who inquired about the purpose of their journey. The Raja promised to help the Spaniards and provide them with provisions. He released the Spaniards to the ships, assuring them of his friendship. However, on July 29, more than a hundred pirogues surrounded both Spanish ships, apparently intending to attack them. Fearing an attack, the Spaniards decided to warn him and fired a volley from all the artillery at the pirogues, on which many people were killed. The Raja then sent his apology to the Spaniards, explaining that the pirogues did not come out against the Spaniards at all, but against the pagans with whom the Muslims were at war.

Leaving Borneo, the Spaniards landed on another island, more deserted. Here they decided to repair their ships, which were in need of repair. The Spaniards spent more than forty days repairing the ships. Pigafetta at that time was studying the vegetation of the island. On this island, in addition to the usual southern trees, Pigafetta was struck by extraordinary trees from which "animate leaves" fall. “We also found trees, the leaves of which, falling, come to life, even move. They look like mulberry leaves, but not as long. On both sides of the short and pointed petiole they have two legs. They have no blood, but one has only to touch them, as they immediately slip away. One of them I kept for nine days in a box. When I opened it, the sheet moved inside the box. I believe that these leaves live on air alone.

Having repaired their ships, the Spaniards moved on. They passed the Sulu archipelago, a hangout for Malay pirates, then visited the island of Mindanao. From here they decided to continue their journey across the ocean in order to return to their homeland as soon as possible, since the ships, despite the extensive repairs made, were destroyed more and more every day. As soon as the flotilla passed Mindanao and headed west, a leak formed on the Trinidad ship, and further navigation on it became impossible. As a result, the squadron landed on one island, where it was decided to make repairs. It was the island of Timor. Here the Spaniards were hospitably greeted by Raja Mansor, who, after repeated conversations with the Spaniards, expressed his desire to be under the patronage of the Spanish king.

The Raja's possessions consisted of several islands that were part of the Moluccan archipelago group. Pigafetta, describing these islands, admired the valuable plants that grow in abundance on these islands. The sago tree, mulberry, clove, nutmeg tree, pepper, camphor tree and other spice trees grow here. There are also whole forests of valuable ebony here.

Arriving at Timor, Carvalho convened a council at which it was decided to leave the Trinidad on Timor to be repaired, and the Victoria, with a cargo of spices under the command of Juan Sebastian de Elcano, immediately send to Spain. 53 Spaniards and 30 Indians went to the Victoria, and 54 Spaniards remained on the Trinidad. Then "Victoria" went to the southwest, to the island of Soude, or Xule. 10 miles away, the Victoria landed on the island of Buru, where she stocked up on provisions. Then, the Victoria landed at the island of Solora, whose inhabitants carried on a large trade in white sandalwood. Here the ship stood for 15 days and the ship was repaired, and Juan Sebastian de Elcano also exchanged a lot of wax and pepper. After that, visiting Timor again, he headed to the island of Java.

After leaving Java, the Victoria rounded the Malay Peninsula, carefully avoiding the Portuguese ships. May 6 "Victoria" rounded the cape Good Hope, and travelers could hope for a successful outcome of the trip. However, the sailors still had to endure many misfortunes. Food supplies were practically exhausted, all the crew's food consisted only of rice and water.

On July 9, the Victoria reached the Cape Verde Islands, the crew was literally dying of hunger, and de Elcano decided to land near the island of Boavista. Speaking of his arrival at Boavista, Pigafetta cites the following fact in his diary: “Wanting to know whether our diary was regularly kept, I ordered to ask on the shore what day of the week it was. They replied Thursday. This surprised me, because according to my notes, we only had Wednesday. It seemed impossible to us that we were all wrong for one day. I was surprised by this more than others, since I always kept my journal very regularly and noted, without missing, all the days of the week and the day of the month. Subsequently, we learned that there was no mistake in our account: sailing constantly to the west, we followed the movement of the sun, and, returning to the same place, we had to win 24 hours compared to those who remained in place.

On September 6, 1522, the Victoria entered the harbor of Sanlúcar de Barrameda safely. Of the 265 people who went to sea on September 20, 1519, only 18 people returned to the Victoria, but they were all sick and exhausted. Two days later, the Victoria arrived in Seville.

Conclusion

In the three years that have passed since Magellan's expedition set sail, much has changed in Spain. Mexico was discovered and conquered, and new sources of profit were thus found in that part of the world where the Spaniards had no need to fear Portuguese competition. changed significantly and foreign policy Spain. Charles V was guided in his policy by great-power imperial interests to a much greater extent than by the interests of Spain. A series of bloody and exhausting wars for hegemony in Europe began, and Spain was drawn into these wars. Nobility and chivalry were enriched in the military enterprises of Charles V; at the same time, production was obtained not by robbing distant and inaccessible lands, but by ruining neighboring countries- Italy and Flanders, on the fields of which there was a continuous war with the French.

Finally, significant events took place in the internal life of Spain. In 1521 - 1522 an uprising of urban communities (comuneros) was suppressed, and on the ashes of urban freedoms, the nobility celebrated a bloody feast. The victory over the cities heralded the advent of the era of feudal reaction and dealt a crushing blow to the not yet strong bourgeois class, which was being formed in the bowels of the Spanish city.

Therefore, the news of the opening of the strait leading to the South Sea, and the news that the Spanish ships reached the Spice Islands, did not arouse the interest of either the king's advisers or all kinds of money-seekers.

WITH geographic point view the significance of this first circumnavigation was enormous. It was the turning point that separates ancient period in the field of geography from the new era. Before Magellan, the sphericity of the Earth, although theoretically recognized by scientists, was nevertheless the doctrine of the sphericity of the Earth was just a mental construction. The return of the ship "Victoria", which set off to the west, from the east was the strongest argument in the system of evidence that the Earth is a large ball. The journey of Magellan and de Elcano thus contributed to the spread and strengthening in the minds of people of a somewhat strange idea for the human mind about the sphericity of the Earth. No preconceived opinion could resist the convincing force of the fact, and the voyage of the Victoria dealt another powerful blow to the old cosmographic ideas.

The fact that the Earth is a huge ball, freely hanging in space, had a huge impact on all human thinking, immense horizons immediately opened up before the human mind, and a new question involuntarily arose before man: if our Earth is a ball, and, therefore, is the same celestial body as the Sun and the Moon, then maybe it does not stand still, but revolves around the Sun along with other planets? This idea was tried to substantiate and prove by the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who published his famous book on the revolution of the Earth in 1548, that is, twenty-one years after the return of Juan Sebastian de Elcano from the world tour.

The crews included: 1) commanders, 2) crown officials and priests, 3) junior commanders, which included ship's carpenters, boatswains, caulkers, coopers and scorers, 4) sailors marineros-sailors of the first article and grametes-deck sailors and cabin boys, 5) supernumerary-sobresalientes-people who did not have certain duties on ships, and soldiers (Antonio Pigafetta is also among the spares), 6) servants of commanders and officials.

In my own way national composition the crew was very colorful. It consisted of: 37 Portuguese, 30 or more Italians, 19 French, not counting the Spaniards, Flemings, Germans, Sicilians, English, Malays, Negroes, Moors, natives of Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands.

“Fernando Magellan sought to ensure that other rulers, the neighbors of this one, obeyed this ruler, who became a Christian, but they refused to obey him. In view of this, Fernando Magellan set out one night in his boats and set fire to the settlements of those who refused to submit. 10-12 days after that, he ordered the settlement, located at a distance of half a league from the settlement he burned and called Mactan, also located on the island, to send him three goats, three pigs, three measures of rice and three measures of millet. In response, they declared that instead of the three pieces of each item he demanded, they were ready to give him two and that if he agreed to this, they would immediately fulfill everything, but if not, then as he pleased, they would give nothing more. . In view of the fact that they refused to give him what he demanded of them, Fernando Magellan gave the order to equip three boats with a crew of 50-60 people and marched against this village on April 28 in the morning. They were met by many people, about three or four thousand people, who fought with such tenacity that Fernando Magellan and six people who were with him were killed in 1521.

Week tour, one day hiking and excursions combined with comfort (trekking) in the mountain resort of Khadzhokh (Adygea, Krasnodar region). Tourists live at the camp site and visit numerous natural monuments. Rufabgo Waterfalls, Lago-Naki Plateau, Meshoko Gorge, Big Azish Cave, Belaya River Canyon, Guam Gorge.

The man under whose leadership the first round-the-world trip took place was Ferdinand Magellan. Even from the very beginning, when, before sailing, part of the command staff (primarily the sailors) refused to serve the Portuguese, it became obvious that this circumnavigation will prove to be extremely difficult.

The beginning of a world tour. Way of Magellan

On August 10, 1519, 5 ships left the port in Seville and set sail, the goals of which were based only on Magellan's intuition. In those days, no one believed that the Earth was round, and naturally, this caused great concern to the sailors, because moving farther and farther away from the port, their fear grew stronger and they would never return home.

The expedition included ships: the Trinidad (under the command of Magellan, the expedition leader), the Santo Antonio, the Concepsion, the Sant Yago, and the caracca Victoria (later one of the two ships that returned back).

The most interesting for you!

The first clash of interests took place near the Canary Islands, when Magellan, without warning and coordination with other captains, changed course a little. Juan de Cartagena (the captain of the Santo Antonio) severely criticized Magellan, and after Fernand refused to go back to his previous course, he began to persuade officers and sailors. Upon learning of this, the head of the expedition summoned the rebel to him, and in the presence of other officers ordered him to be shackled and thrown into the hold.

One of the passengers of the first trip around the world was Antonio Pifaghetta, a man who described all the adventures in his diary. It is thanks to him that we know such accurate facts of the expedition. It should be noted that riots have always been a great danger, so the Bounty sailboat became famous thanks to the rebellion against its captain William Bligh.

However, fate decreed otherwise for Bly, he still managed to become a hero in the service of Horatio Nelson. Magellan's circumnavigation of the world was about 200 years earlier than the birth year of Admiral Nelson.

Hardships of circumnavigation for sailors and officers

Meanwhile, some officers and sailors began to express open dissatisfaction with the voyage, they called a riot demanding to return back to Spain. Ferdinand Magellan was determined and put an end to the uprising by force. The captain of the Victoria (one of the instigators) was killed. Seeing the determination of Magellan, no one else argued with him, but the next night, 2 ships arbitrarily tried to sail home. The plan failed and both captains, once on the deck of the Trinidad, were put on trial and shot.

Having stopped the winter, the ships set off back on the same course, the round-the-world trip continued - Magellan was sure that the strait in South America existed. And he was not wrong. On October 21, the squadron reached the cape (now called Cape Virgenes), which turned out to be a strait. The fleet sailed through the strait for 22 days. This time was enough to disappear from sight and go back to Spain to the captain of the ship "Santo Antonio". Coming out of the strait, sailboats first entered the Pacific Ocean. By the way, the name of the ocean was invented by Magellan, since for 4 months of a difficult passage through it, the ships never got into a storm. However, in fact, the ocean is not so quiet, James Cook, who visited these waters more than once after 250 years, was not enthusiastic about him.

Having left the strait, the squadron of discoverers moved into the unknown, where the round-the-world trip stretched for 4 months of uninterrupted wanderings across the ocean, without meeting a single piece of land (not counting 2 islands that turned out to be deserted). 4 months is a very good indicator for those times, but the fastest Thermopylae clipper ship could cover this distance in less than a month, Cutty Sark, by the way, too. At the beginning of March 1521, on the horizon, the pioneers saw inhabited islands, which Magellan later named Landrones and Vorovsky.

Circumnavigation: half way done

So, for the first time in history, sailors crossed the Pacific Ocean and ended up on inhabited islands. In this regard, the round-the-world trip began to bear fruit. There were replenished not only stocks fresh water, but also food supplies, for which the sailors exchanged all sorts of little things with the natives. But the behavior of the inhabitants of the tribe forced them to quickly leave these islands. After 7 days of sailing, Magellan found new islands, which today are known to us as the Philippine.

On the Archipelago of San Lazaro (as they were first called Philippine Islands) travelers met the natives, with whom they began to establish trade relations. Magellan became friends with the Raja of the tribe so well that he decided to help this new vassal of Spain in solving one problem. As the rajah explained, on the neighboring islands another rajah of the tribe refused to pay tribute and he did not know what to do.

Fernando Magellan ordered to prepare for hostilities on a neighboring piece of land. It is this battle that will be the last for the expedition leader, the world tour will end without him ... On Mactan Island (the island of the enemy), he built his soldiers in 2 columns and began to fire on the natives. However, nothing came of it: the bullets pierced only the shields of the natives and sometimes affected the limbs. Seeing this situation local population began to defend herself even more vigorously and began to throw spears at the captain.

Then Magellan ordered to burn their houses in order to put pressure on fear, but this maneuver only angered the natives more and they took up their goal more tightly. For about an hour, with all their might, the Spaniards fought off the spears, until the strongest onslaught on the captain bore fruit: when they saw the position of Magellan, the natives attacked him and instantly threw stones and spears at him. Until his last breath, he watched his people and waited until they all left the island in boats. The Portuguese was killed on April 27, 1521, when he was 41 years old, Magellan, with his round-the-world trip, proved the great hypothesis and changed the world with this.

The Spaniards failed to get the body. In addition, on the island, a friendly raja sailors were also in for a surprise. One of the natives lied to his master and reported about the impending attack on the island. The Raja called the officers from the ship to his home and brutally massacred the 26 crew members there. Having learned about the massacre, the acting captain of the ships ordered to come closer to the village and shoot it with cannons.

Even from the lessons of school geography, we remember that the first round-the-world trip in the history of mankind was made by the flotilla of the outstanding navigator Ferdinand Magellan. This fact is so well known that the question, posed briefly and clearly: who made the first circumnavigation of the world? - surely the answer will follow, not without a share of surprise: how - who? Magellan!

But, despite the certainty of such an answer, it is nevertheless not true! If you look at a world map or a globe, you can easily find the Philippine Islands stretched out in a chain in the South Pacific. And, again, without difficulty, make sure that this archipelago lies almost exactly halfway through any ship that set off from Europe to circumnavigate the world: after crossing the Atlantic Ocean and passing through the Strait of Magellan at the southern tip of the American mainland, the ship will enter the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean and after some time will come to the Philippine Islands. This is exactly the path that the flotilla under the command of Admiral Magellan made. But in order to complete the circumnavigation of the world, you still need to cross a huge space. indian ocean, go around Africa from the south, go out again into the Atlantic Ocean and, having traveled thousands of miles, finally reach the European coast, from where the voyage began.

Why do we mention this in such detail? Just to remind you of one more fact - sad but indisputable: Ferdinand Magellan could not make a round-the-world trip, because he was killed halfway - precisely in the Philippines, on one of the islands in a skirmish with the inhabitants.

However, there is nothing unfair in the fact that the first round-the-world trip in our memory is firmly associated with the name of Magellan: this unprecedented expedition was organized and carried out according to his plan. Another thing is unfair - the fact that for almost four hundred years the name of the person who completed the work conceived by Magellan was consigned to complete oblivion - the name of the person who first flew his ship around the globe and thereby, in particular, proved in practice the sphericity of the Earth. Well, really, try to remember: does the name Elcano tell you anything? Meanwhile, it is he - Juan Sebastian Elcano - who is the first navigator in the history of mankind to circumnavigate the world.

And it was like this...

Hereditary fisherman and sailor, Basque from Gipuzkoa Spanish province, the owner and captain of a large ship, a participant in the sea campaigns of the commanders Gonzalo de Cordova and Cisneros - you must agree that from this cursory listing the image of a courageous and gray-haired sea wolf in battles arises. And yet, this "sea wolf" was barely twenty when he brought his ship from the last campaign to Algeria, where the Spaniards inflicted a crushing defeat on the Moors. Led to ... disappear for almost ten years. Why? For one simple reason: at all times, royal persons made the most tempting promises with extraordinary ease, and when the time came to fulfill them, they forgot about them with the same ease. So it happened this time: the Spanish king Ferdinand, who promised to generously reward the participants in the Algerian campaign, as you might guess, was not going to remember his promises. If we were talking about him alone, the young captain Juan Sebastian Elcano, perhaps, would have come to terms with this blow - in any case, after a decade and a half, he did so, having again experienced the "generosity" of the monarch. But this time it was about the whole team, which had to be paid honestly earned money. And Captain Elcano did an act that was not only fair, but also extremely courageous: he sold the ship and, having bailed out the required amount, paid the crew the due salary. Wait, you might say, of course, this is a fair deed, but what does courage have to do with it?

The fact is that by royal decree it was strictly forbidden to sell ships to the Portuguese - Spain's successful rivals at sea. Such a punishment awaited the violator that Elcano, having sold his own ship and paid off the crew, was forced, as we have already said, to disappear for almost ten years, and not only from the field of view of alguacils (policemen), but also historians: about this period in Unfortunately, we know little about the life of the future great navigator. More precisely - nothing specific. But nevertheless, we can confidently assume the main thing: he remained a sailor, and ten years did not pass in vain - by the age of thirty he was already an experienced and well-known sailor in his circle.

Such an accurate and significant fact allows us to assume this: when in 1518 Magellan began to recruit people for his ships, which had an unparalleled voyage, Elcano was among the team of one of the caravels. The seriousness of the offense of ten years ago has not diminished at all, for the royal decree knew no leniency. And the fact that King Ferdinand died long ago, and that King Charles, who simultaneously became the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, sat on the Spanish throne, did not change matters, because no one canceled the long-standing royal decree and Elcano still remained a criminal in the eyes of the law. And yet, he was taken by Magellan. And this means only one thing: Elcano was a real sailor, and the admiral was ready to look through his fingers at a long-standing misdeed. Moreover, Juan Sebastian was taken not by a simple sailor, but by a boatswain; that is, a person in those days obliged to take an active part in the preparation of the expedition. And just a few months later, even before sailing, Elcano was appointed navigator of one of the ships of the Magellan flotilla. Of course, only a person whose qualities - nautical talent, experience and fearlessness - were indisputable could make such a rapid rise.

And the fact that these qualities were indisputable is evidenced, albeit indirectly so far, by another fact. It is known that the voyage from the very beginning was overshadowed by constant conflicts between the Spanish captains and the Portuguese flotilla commander. These conflicts escalated into an open rebellion, the purpose of which was to remove Magellan. The admiral managed to suppress the rebellion and deal with the rebels in full accordance with the harsh laws of that time: one of the captains was executed, the other landed on the deserted coast of Patagonia, which also meant death, only slow.

Dozens of rebellious sailors were put in chains. Among them was the former navigator of the caravel "Concepcion" Juan Sebastian Elcano ... But barely six months had passed, and the ship's blacksmith removed the chains from the rebellious navigator, because Admiral Magellan, to use a modern expression, "reinstated him in his position." It is impossible to suspect Magellan of kindness - according to contemporaries, he was a man of such severity that it often reached cruelty, he was a true son of his time, when a person's life was valued no more than one maravedi, or, in our words, a broken penny. And at the same time it was the time of the Great Geographical Discoveries when the qualities with which the Basque sailor Elcano was so generously endowed began to acquire true value.

The wisdom of Magellan's decision can hardly be overestimated: we do not know if he would have been able to complete this unprecedented voyage around the world if he had not died ridiculously halfway, but we know for sure that it would have ended ingloriously after his death, if not for Elcano.

After the death of the admiral, captain-generals Espinosa and Carvalho, who successively replaced him, took the last two surviving ships to the shores of Borneo, where they embarked on a real robbery. Only six months later the ships reached the Moluccas. And here one of the caravels of the flotilla - "Trinidad" - had to be put in for repairs, without which she could not continue her journey. Thus, from the entire flotilla of Magellan there was one single ship - the caravel "Victoria", and the captain on it was none other than Juan Sebastian Elcano.

The meaning of this fact is this: it was at this moment that the ... round-the-world trip began! Let me ask you, how can this be? After all, swimming began a year and a half ago!

True, and yet ... But in order for everything to become clear, let's return to Magellan. And let's start with the fact that the goal of the expedition was not to circumnavigate the world at all.

Her goal was cloves, black pepper and other spices, so valued in the aristocratic circles of Europe and valued literally worth their weight in gold. The whole trouble was that these spices grew very, very far away, on the islands of the Indian Ocean. Rather, it was half the trouble, because the sailors of that time managed to get on their wretched boats even to the Moluccas - the main region of spices. The trouble - for the Spaniards - was that on the sea route from Europe to southeast Asia the undivided primordial opponents and rivals - the Portuguese, who drowned, without hesitation, any alien ship that dared to set sail for the Moluccas, were in charge.

Thus, for the Spanish spice hunters, the route from Europe to the south along Africa and further, from its southern tip to the east, was booked. Magellan came up with the idea to try to reach the Moluccas not from the east, but from the west. This idea was rejected by the Portuguese king, under whom Magellan served - why look for some other western path if the Portuguese undividedly own the beaten track east way? It was then that Magellan offered his idea and his services to the Spanish king Charles. And, as we would say today, there was nowhere to go: spices were needed, but the road to them was inaccessible. And Magellan got the opportunity to equip the flotilla and set sail, the main and only purpose of which was to find a western route to the Moluccas. This path, as we know, was found at the cost of incredible suffering and hardship. Magellan himself did not sail to the Moluccas, having died, as you remember, a little earlier. But if this did not happen and if he himself reached the main goal of the voyage, what would happen next? In other words, would he have taken his ships further, to the west, so that, having circled Africa by the already known eastern route, to return to Europe, or would he have turned back?

It is difficult to say, but the following can be assumed with a high degree of probability. So, the main goal of the voyage - the opening of the western route to the Moluccas - was achieved. This path existed, the Portuguese had no idea about it, so that it was possible to return home safely without any risk of meeting them through the already newly discovered path. That is why we have the right to assume that Magellan, having loaded the ships with the spices so desired by His Majesty Charles, would have turned back - across the Pacific Ocean.

But if we cannot know exactly what decision Magellan would have made, we know Elcano's decision: he did not turn back, but moved his ship further. The second stage of the voyage began, namely the circumnavigation. Avoiding meetings with the ships of the Portuguese, Elcano led the Victoria much south of the well-known eastern route. In other words, he led and brought his ship to Europe in a way that no one had traveled before!

On September 7, 1522, the ship Victoria, which was dilapidated in a three-year voyage, somehow kept afloat, anchored off the coast of Spain. On one ship that survived from the entire flotilla, only eighteen surviving sailors returned. These eighteen people circled the globe for the first time, and proved the sphericity of the planet and the fact that there is a single World Ocean.

How were these people met at home, having accomplished a feat unprecedented in the history of navigation? It’s hard to believe, but it was like this: Elcano and his comrades were subjected to weeks of interrogation, the purpose of which was to find out: was the entire cargo of spices taken in the Moluccas surrendered to royal officials or did the sailors conceal part of this cargo? Can you imagine, this was the most important thing for the king of Spain, the emperor of the "Holy Roman Empire" Charles V and his officials! And the fact that for the first time in history a round-the-world voyage was completed, that nine-tenths of the flotilla crew died during this three-year trip across four oceans, unprecedented in terms of difficulties and trials, - all this absolutely did not matter!

When the authorities were finally convinced, not without surprise, that the precious cargo from the Moluccas had been delivered and handed over in perfect integrity, the king-emperor decided to generously reward Elcano. And do you know what that reward was? Charles V forgave the great navigator for that offense of thirteen years ago, to which the previous king forced the young captain with his “generosity”! In addition, in a fit of the same generosity, Charles V had appointed Juan Sebastian a pension of 500 escudos, but he immediately came to his senses and delayed its payment until Elcano returned from the second voyage to the Moluccas. It is unlikely that Juan Sebastian was surprised by this decision, which testified to the “generosity” of the emperor, because any Spanish sailor knew the bitter words of Columbus, spoken by him shortly before his death: “After twenty years of hard work and dangers, I don’t even have my own shelter in Spain” . Such was the fate of many outstanding navigators, and not only navigators, and Elcano was no exception ...

On July 24, 1525, a flotilla of seven ships under the command of Captain-General Loaysa and the great helmsman Elcano set off on a new voyage to the Moluccas - a voyage from which Juan Sebastian was not destined to return. Emperor Charles retained his five hundred escudos ... Elcano's health was undermined by the most severe trials, and on August 6, 1526, the courageous captain, who was not yet forty, died on his flagship ship Santa Maria de la Victoria ... The grave of him, the great navigator, who circumnavigated the globe for the first time in the history of mankind, is located in the middle of the great Pacific Ocean ...

For many years the name and feat of the world's first circumnavigator were consigned to oblivion and remained unknown to posterity for more than four centuries.

Agree, reader, that you did not know everything that was said before. Many did not even hear the name Elcano, and the question of who made the first round-the-world trip was answered with complete confidence; Magellan!

Ferdinand Magellan is considered the first traveler to travel around the globe. However, he was not at all going to become the first world traveler. His task was completely different - more mundane. And then all the glory from global discoveries did not go to him at all.

Idea author

The idea of ​​the expedition that led to the discoveries was proposed by Ferdinand Magellan, who was born in 1470 and died in 1521. A nobleman by birth, he was born in Portugal, was a royal page. It is known that Magellan was well educated, engaged in cosmography, navigation and astronomy. His first voyage took place when Fernand was twenty years old: he participated in military battles. Magellan managed to suppress the uprising of the natives in Malacca, and then remained in the service in Africa. The false accusation stopped the career of a sea captain. The idea to go by ship to the west, proposed to the Portuguese king, was rejected.

In 1517, Magellan, with the approval of the King of Portugal, left for Spain, becoming her subject. He managed to convince King Charles V of the existence of a transition between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. If it were possible to find this strait, Spain would receive all the lands that are located to the west of the Canary Islands (at the behest of Pope Alexander VI).

A friend, the astronomer Ruy Falière, and also the aristocrat De Aranda, who offered to give him 20% of the profit that the expedition would bring, in exchange for supporting the project, helped to get the royal “good”. So the project of finding a way to the Spice Islands was accepted by the king. However, Faler managed to reduce De Aranda's stake to 8%.

When Magellan proposed the idea of ​​his journey, the world already knew about Central and parts of South America, as well as about the ocean that stretches beyond them. The Isthmus of Panama has already been crossed. But then no one suspected that East and West could be connected by another path.

Magellan decided to find evidence that the location of the Spice Islands was in the New World, and not in Asia. This would mean that spicy wealth is the area of ​​influence of Spain, and not Portugal, as was then believed.

Magellan did not think about a round-the-world trip. He was looking for a strait that could be in South America. He wanted to get to the Spice Islands, buy goods, bring them to Spain and make a profit.

Preparing for the expedition

Five ships set sail. There was enough money for their equipment. Many of the merchants of Europe decided to participate in the enterprise. They wanted to access the profitable spices directly, without the mediation of Portugal.

Despite attempts by the Portuguese authorities to thwart the expedition, as there was fear that it would actually succeed, the voyage took place.

The Portuguese ambassador to Spain, Alvaro da Costa, did everything possible to prevent Magellan from going on an expedition. He spread rumors about the impracticability of his idea. The fact that the Spaniards do not trust the captain, and only trouble can be expected from royal officials who will also participate in the voyage. Magellan was also told that the Portuguese king was waiting for him at home, where a favorable place was prepared for him.

Everything was in vain. Then the ambassador organized an attempt on Magellan, which failed. Alvaro da Costa continued his work: he arranged for the ships to be supplied with equipment and products of poor quality, he put up various obstacles. All this was not successful.

True, in Spain there were many dissatisfied that the expedition would be led by the Portuguese, who, in addition, would also receive a good jackpot: a fifth of the profits, a twentieth from the new discovered lands, and the right to own a third of the new islands.

This led to a mutiny on the flagship, when Magellan's personal standard flew over it: it strongly resembled the flag of Portugal. The rebellion was crushed, but concessions had to be made. There could be no more than five people from Portugal on the ship, and the standard was replaced.

The expedition went to sea on September 20, 1519. Throughout the journey, Magellan was pursued by conflicts with the Spaniards, who sailed with him.

The first happened to Captain Juan de Cartagena. He was outraged that Magellan decided to change the approved route in order to avoid meeting with the Portuguese. The admiral decided to go to Africa, and not to America, as planned.

Magellan and Cartagena even got into a fight. The Spaniard was stripped of his captain's position and transferred to passengers on another ship. This increased the authority of Magellan, but he had an angry enemy.

Atlantic Ocean

Path along Atlantic Ocean went pretty smoothly. It was here that Magellan first applied his own signaling system, with the help of which the ships were able to communicate with each other. This helped ships not to get lost in the ocean.

From the equator, the ships went to the Land of the Holy Cross, as Brazil was then called, and on December 13 they stopped in the bay of Santa Lucia. Now here is Rio de Janeiro. Having reached the coast of Brazil, the sailors found out that La Plata is the mouth of the river, and not the strait, as previously assumed.

rebellion

By the end of March 1520, Magellan decides to stop for the winter in the harbor of San Julian. The strait, which they had been looking for for so long, was very close, but the sailors were not yet aware of this.

I had to reduce my food intake. This was the reason for the organization of a new rebellion. The rebellion was led by officers from Spain. They succeeded in capturing three ships. One of the officers was killed for refusing to join the rebellion.

Magellan had to act decisively. Captured by cunning big ship and blocked the other two. The rebels had no choice but to surrender. The court sentenced the two main instigators (de Catagena and one priest) to leave in Argentina, on the rocks where the penguins lived. The fate of these people is unknown.

During the winter, one ship, a reconnaissance ship, was badly damaged and out of order. About thirty people died from scurvy and other diseases.

The captains on the ships were people whom Magellan trusted - immigrants from Portugal. At this time, five natives were taken prisoner by cunning, but they all died on the way to Europe.

Strait of Magellan

The ships left San Julian on the twenty-fourth of August. Having reached the Santa Cruz River, they stopped and spent almost two months here. Food supplies could be replenished.

The strait was found at the 52nd south parallel. Two ships sent out to reconnoiter found out that this was not a river. This meant that a new path to the East had been found.

It took thirty 38 days to cross the strait. It was difficult and required courage from the leader of the expedition and all its participants. All four remaining ships passed this way safely. But just before the very end of the strait, a riot began again on one of them. The ship was commanded by a Portuguese, and a native of Portugal, Gomes, also became the leader of the rebels. He said that this is the end of the world - and we must go back, otherwise everyone will die. The team arrested the captain and traveled back to Spain, where they were arrested. Magellan decided that the ship was lost in the strait: he was not aware of the rebellion.

Pacific Ocean

For about 15 thousand kilometers, the ships sailed through the vast expanses, not meeting a single island where people lived.

Food was running out. People even ate rats, which became a delicacy, and leather upholstery, which was removed from the masts and sides. Three months were very difficult.

However, in some ways the sailors were lucky: there were no storms along the way. This was the reason to call the new ocean the Pacific. He turned out to be much larger than Magellan thought before.

It was possible to stock up on food and water on the island of Guam. Here I had to fight a little with local residents who were angry that they failed to steal anything on the ships.

In April 1521, the expedition reached the Philippines. And here the slave of Magellan, who was born in Sumatra, managed to see people who spoke the same language as he did. This was another proof that the Earth is spherical.

Death of Magellan

In the Philippines, Magellan was unexpectedly supported by Arab merchants who persuaded the local population not to engage in battle with the sailors. Magellan convinced one ruler, Humabon, to become a Christian and a vassal of the king of Spain. Humabon soon complained that the neighboring rajah was being disobedient.

The sailors got involved in a battle that turned out to be difficult. The arrows of the natives hit the Spaniards exactly at the feet, and the bullets of the sailors could hardly penetrate their wooden shields. Magellan died in this battle. He was 41 years old.

After that, the sailors had to urgently leave the Philippines. Since there were few people left, they could not manage three ships. It was decided to burn the Conciepsin, setting off on two ships - the Victoria and the Trinidad.

Completion of the expedition

It was not easy for the squadron to get back. I had to dodge the Portuguese ships. The expedition reached the Moluccas of the Spice Islands, where they bought goods.

There were many battles, transitions, ships fell into storms. It was decided to disperse. "Victoria" went along the African continent, and "Trinidad" - along the Isthmus of Panama.

The first ship returned to Spain, and the second, unable to overcome the headwinds, went to the Moluccas. Off the African coast, the team had to fight the Portuguese, who had been waiting here since the expedition led by Magellan had just set off. The sailors were captured and sent to penal servitude in India.

"Victoria" was led by the Spaniard Juan Sebastian del Cano (Elcano). Once he took part in a rebellion against Magellan, but the admiral forgave him. Kano managed to navigate the ship for several months on rough seas, overcoming a lot of dangers. Upon returning to his homeland, he got all the glory and a good profit.

It turned out that the calendar of sailors from the Victoria was a day behind the Spanish one. Later, such a discrepancy was described in the novel by Jules Verne.

Expedition results

The result of this campaign was the opening of the western route to Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Philippine Islands, the coast of South America and the island of Guam, and the first trip around the world.

Spanish ambitions were satisfied. The country stated that the Mariana and Philippine Islands were discovered by its subjects. The rights to the islands of the Moluccas were also presented.

It also became known for sure that the Earth is round, and most of it is covered with water. Before that, people believed that the main area of ​​​​the planet is land.

Of the three hundred people who set sail with Magellan, only 18 returned home, then another 18 were released by the Portuguese from hard labor in India.

The money for the spices and the gold went to cover the expenses, but still the savers made a good profit. The royal Spanish court also received income.

Where Magellan was buried is unknown: his body remained with the natives. At that time, no one spoke of him as a discoverer and the first to travel around the Earth. On the contrary, he was accused of disobeying the royal will. Now the name of this person is the strait he discovered and two constellations - the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.