Did Magellan really make the first circumnavigation of the world? Ferdinand Magellan: the first circumnavigation of the world

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

The way across the Atlantic Ocean was quite calm. 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. With the help of cunning, a large ship was captured and two others were blocked. 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 the locals, who were angry that they could not 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.

(Total 5 photos)
Magellan, like Columbus, was driven by a desire to find a shortcut to Indian spices. And here again, there was no idea to go around the globe, he went for spices and the path in the direction of America seemed to him optimal.
Magellan's goal was the Moluccas. Europeans have been buying spices there for a long time, and there were a lot of them in local markets, and most importantly at insanely low prices.

But the problem was that the transportation took a huge amount of time, and the path was very dangerous. Fernand offered the King of Portugal a route through the Americas. The king did not accept this idea at all, because there were already established trade routes of the same Portuguese traders through the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Then Magellan moves to Spain and offers the same project to the king there.

The Spanish king was either more trusting or riskier and agreed to the project. And on September 20, 1519, a flotilla of five ships with 256 people on board, led by Ferdinand Magellan, leaves Sanlucar de Barrameda.
The first losses happened off the coast of America. After a long voyage along the coast of the continent, part of the team decides that there will be no sense in the expedition and decides to return.

Ferdinand Magellan

Three captains mutiny. Magellan severely suppresses him - one captain is killed by him, the second is executed, the sailors are reassured and inspired again. On the same section of the route, one of the ships runs into rocks and sinks.

Having reached the southern tip of the mainland, the ships pass through the strait, later named after the naval commander. Here the flotilla loses another ship, which simply turns the wrong way, and sets off on its way back to Spain. The ships go to the Pacific Ocean.

It follows a long 100-day journey across the endless water surface. Food is running out, the crews are eating leather gear and, as a delicacy, rats. In this part of the journey, almost half of the team perishes.

In the spring of 1521, Fernand approaches the Philippine Islands. Magellan tries to bring the local population under the rule of the Spanish crown, intervenes in tribal squabbles and dies.

Monument to Ferdinand Magellan

On Mactan Island in 1886, monuments were erected on the same square to the famous traveler who died on this spot, and to the leader Lapu-Lapu, who killed him.

Monument to the leader Lapu-Lapu

After the death of Magellan, the team hastily sails from the island and gets to the Moluccas for several more months. There the ships are being repaired, one really has to be burned as hopeless, they are loaded with coveted spices and they disperse. "Trinidad" turns back to the Pacific Ocean, wanting to get to Panama, in Spanish possessions. The second ship - "Victoria" - goes home through the old trade route through Africa.

"Trinidad" as a result is captured by the Portuguese, and his team ends up in penal servitude in India.
The first circumnavigation of the world ends on September 8, 1522 in Seville. 18 people returned to the Victoria, they went through storms, scurvy, the Portuguese ....

They immediately go to church upon arrival, and order a thanksgiving service at the end of a terrible journey. After returning, all the laurels go to the captain of the Victoria - Elcano.

He receives fame, awards, pensions, even a coat of arms with a globe and the motto "You were the first to go around me." By the way, formally, this is quite a fair statement. But then Magellan gets only curses. Later, of course, justice triumphs, Fernand takes his place in the pantheon of discoverers.

This expedition brought several discoveries at once. She proved that all the oceans of the Earth are connected, that the Earth is round, that there is much more water on the planet than land. And it became clear that there was no shortcut to India through America.

And for the first time, the paradox of the “lost day” was discovered. It lies in the fact that when moving to the west, the day gradually lengthens and after a while the whole day is lost. As a result, according to the meticulous Victoria magazine, the ship arrived on September 7th.

By the way, some researchers hypothesize that Magellan had very old and very accurate maps. Because the route used the ocean currents very well, the peculiarities of the winds, which, in theory, were not known to the sailors of that time ....

Ferdinand Magellan- Portuguese navigator. Born in 1470 into a noble family. As a child, he served as a page in the retinue of the Portuguese queen, received a good education, studied cosmography, navigation and astronomy. In March 1518, in the Spanish city of Valladolid, where Christopher Columbus had died twelve years earlier, the Royal Council considered the project of Ferdinand Magellan on a sea voyage by a southwestern route to the Spice Islands, to these "wonderful Malacca Islands, the possession of which will enrich Spain!".

flagship caravel "Trinidad"

In September 1519, a flotilla of five ships departed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The flagship walked " Trinidad» with a displacement of 110 tons. A small man with a stiff beard, cold prickly eyes looked at the receding shore, and occasionally gave short commands.

A forty-year-old nobleman from the Portuguese outback, now the chief captain of the fleet, Fernand de Magallanes, achieved the goal that he had been striving for for so many years. Behind him is participation in pirate raids on the African cities of Kiloa and Mombasa, trips to India and the Malay Archipelago, Banda Island, where nutmeg grows in abundance, and Ternat Island - the birthplace of the best cloves in the world. But the gold went into other hands. Now here it is, the flotilla that will bring him wealth. His project was rejected by the Portuguese king Manuel, but an agreement was concluded with the king of Spain, Charles V, according to which a twentieth of the income from the newly discovered lands would go to him, Ferdinand Magellan.

expedition of Ferdinand Magellan in the ocean

ships, of course, were not new. AND " San Antonio», « concepsion», « Victoria», « sant iago”, All of them have seen a lot in their lifetime, and the team is mostly visitors to port taverns. But a fresh breeze filled the sails. The relatively safe voyage of Magellan lasted only a few days, to the Canary Islands. Chief Captain fleet refused the recommendation of the Portuguese pilots and, having reached the latitude of the Gulf of Guinea, his caravels turned to the south-west. The decision of the flagship displeased Juan de Cartagena, a relative of the king, the captain " San Antonio”, appointed by Charles V as inspector of the expedition. As soon as the flotilla crossed the equator, the inspector announced that Ferdinand Magellan violates royal instructions. A heated argument ended with an order for the arrest of the inspector. Cartagena held a grudge. In the end of November caravels reached Brazil, and on January 10 entered the mouth of La Plata. For the first time, the name "Montvidi" is applied to the map of the area (now the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo, is located here). Great discoverer Magellan frantically looking for a strait in the South Sea. But neither La Plata nor the Gulf of San Matias lived up to the hopes of the expedition. The captain decided to take shelter for the winter in the harbor of San Julian. The irony of fate: the sailors were literally next to the strait they were looking for. On April 2, 1519, a rebellion broke out among the expedition members, but thanks to strength and cunning Magellan order was restored. It was necessary to have strong-willed qualities in order to continue sailing with people who were ready for any betrayal for their own benefit. It was the perseverance of the flotilla captain that led to the opening of a passage from the Atlantic to the South Sea. At the 52 south parallel, a wide excavation was opened, reconnaissance, consisting of two ships, confirmed that this was not a river - there was salt water everywhere.

Fernand world map Magellan

After a twenty-day voyage through the strait, later named after the discoverer, the ships Magellan We saw another sea in front of us - the South. The desired goal has been achieved. In the vast ocean, the captain never encountered a storm. The ocean was surprisingly quiet and calm. It was called "Pacifico" - "Quiet", "Peaceful". In the 17th century, this name was finally established instead of the name "South Sea". Severe hunger and disease haunted travelers. It took three months to cross the ocean and reach the blooming Mariana Islands. A new stage of the expedition began - acquaintances and battles, where the leader dies in one of them. This is how the great navigator crossed two oceans to find his end in a robber skirmish! And only two ship completed the mission Ferdinand Magellan- they saw the Spice Islands, located in the Moluccas archipelago. Ships loaded with spices set off on their return journey. " Trinidad"went to the shores of Panama across the Pacific Ocean, "Victoria" - across the Indian and Atlantic Oceans to Spain. The Trinidad ship wandered for six months in the waters of the Pacific Ocean and was forced to return to the Moluccas. The sailors were captured, where they died in prisons and on plantations.

Caravel "Victoria"

Caravel " Victoria But, having withstood a cruel storm at the Cape of Good Hope, she entered the Atlantic Ocean. And only on September 6, 1522, in the outport of Seville, the inhabitants of Sanlucar de Barrameda saw a lonely caravel. Having moored, 18 emaciated people went ashore - these were the remains of the expedition Ferdinand Magellan.

Strait named after Fernand Maggelan

Journey Ferdinand Magellan considered one of the greatest events of the 16th century. He proved that the earth is spherical; for the first time, Europeans crossed the largest of the oceans - the Pacific, opening a passage from the Atlantic. In addition, the expedition found out that most of the earth's surface is not land, as Columbus and others thought, but oceans. Name Magellan two star clusters are named Large and Small Magellanic clouds and the strait. All sea travel Ferdinand Magellan described by the historiographer and expedition member Antonio Pifachetta.

The Strait of Magellan is famous for its winds.

February 12, 1908 in New York launched the first in the world round-the-world rally- a very bold and risky event in the spirit of that era of great technical discoveries and achievements. But adventurers have always existed - they lived before 1908, they were after it, they feel great in our time. And today we will talk about history of travel around the world, ranging from Magellan to modern brave knights of the compass and map.

Magellan's circumnavigation of the world (1519-1522)

Round the world by bicycle (1884-1886)

Round the world trip on a yacht (1895-1898)

First circumnavigation of the world (1908)

Airplane trip around the world (1924, 1957)

Walking around the world (1970-1974)

Non-stop round-the-world balloon flight (1999)

The Victoria is the first ship to circumnavigate the world as part of the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan.

On September 20, 1519, five sailing ships left the Spanish port of Sanlúcar de Berrameda: Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepción, Santiago and Victoria. In the literature, they are often called caravels, But "Victoria" was most likely karakkoy- the most common type of sailing ship of the XV-XVI century. Most likely "Victoria" had three masts. The fore and main masts carried two tiers of straight sails, the mizzen - one oblique sail, under the bowsprit (which in those days was also considered a mast) they raised the blind. The sailboat was armed with about forty cannons of various calibers.

There is no exact data on the size of the vessel due to the difference in measures. Some researchers believe that the Magellanic ton roughly corresponded to the modern ton, others that it exceeded the modern ton by 2.43 times. Therefore, the tonnage "Victoria" different sources range from 85 to 206 tons.

The squadron was commanded by the Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan. The purpose of the trip was to reach Moluccas, rich in spices so valued in Europe, by the western way - rounding South America. Before Magellan none of the navigators has yet managed to find the strait connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but Ferdinand Magellan did not doubt its existence.

The expedition was equipped by the Spanish king Charles V. Initially Magellan approached the Portuguese monarch Manuel I with the idea of ​​making such a trip, but he did not support the traveler's idea.

Swimming was originally designed for 2 years, but lasted much longer.

Sailboat "Victoria" was named Magellan in honor of the church where the famous captain took the oath to the Spanish king. "Victoria" was not a flagship. Captain Magellan commanded "Trinidad". Captain "Victoria" appointed Luis de Mendoza.

In total, according to various sources, there were from 265 to 280 people on five ships.

In November 1520, through the finally discovered strait, the expedition entered the unknown ocean, called Magellan the Pacific. During the first year of navigation, the flotilla lost 2 ships: a caravel "Santiago" sunk, and "San Antonio" there was a riot, as a result of which the crew of the sailboat abandoned further travel and turned back to Spain.

The sailors spent more than a hundred days in the Pacific Ocean, falling into a calm zone. During this time, the ships ran out of food. The crews had to eat sawdust and cook leather belts and clothing. 19 members of the expedition died from starvation and scurvy. The rest were extremely exhausted.

In the spring of 1521, three sailboats reached the island of Guam. On the islands, the sailors managed to rest and replenish their supplies. But conflicts and armed clashes constantly arose between travelers and local residents. In one of these clashes on the islands, subsequently named Philippine, April 27, 1522, the expedition commander, captain Ferdinand Magellan.

The expedition was led by Juan Sebastian de Elcano- ship captain "Concepción". His first decision was to return home to Spain. But before that, the sailors still visited the Moluccas - where Magellan was on his way. There, travelers bought a large number of various spices. Two of the three ships of the expedition remained on the same islands - "Conception" was burned due to extreme dilapidation, and "Trinidad" placed for repair.

And on September 7, 1522, the last of the five sailing ships of Magellan "Victoria" returned to his native harbor of Sanlúcar de Barramed. Eighteen sailors out of almost three hundred who went on a trip went ashore. Externally "Victoria" resembled a ghost ship, her condition was so bad. And the sailors were like living skeletons. Right from the gangway of the ship, they went to the church - to light candles in gratitude for their return. Among the survivors was Antonio Pigafetta- chronicler of the expedition.

Nevertheless, the expedition was considered extremely successful. Not only was the hypothesis that the Earth is a ball confirmed, a new route to India across the Pacific Ocean was opened, but the concept of “date lines” was introduced - during the voyage, travelers discovered that they arrived in Spain a day later than it was calculated in travel calendar. Subsequently, this discovery led to the introduction of time zones. In addition, the money from the sale of spices was enough to cover all the expenses of the expedition.

All the honors associated with the completion of the round-the-world trip went to de Elcano - the king of Spain approved de Elcano's personal coat of arms, which depicted oriental spices, the globe and the inscription "You were the first to circle me" in Latin - Primus circumdedisti me.

In the 20th century, several replicas of the legendary sailing ship appeared, which for the first time circumnavigated the world. A Spanish replica was built in 1992 "Victoria". Its construction was timed to coincide with the exhibition in the city of Seville. In 2004-2005 "Victoria" traveled around the world on the route of Magellan. Now the sailboat serves as a museum ship.

In 1999, a Czech replica "Victoria", built by Rudolf Krausneider. The conditions on the sailboat were as close as possible to the 16th century: not only was the ship missing an engine, but even a latrine! Not everyone endured the difficult journey, and the crew changed several times during the voyage. Czech "Victoria" circumnavigated the Earth in 5 years, which is 2 years longer than Magellan's expedition.

In 2011, another replica of the famous sailboat was built - in Chile. The construction was timed to coincide with the bicentennial anniversary of the appearance of Europeans on the continent. Now Chilean "Victoria" stands in the city of Punta Arenas and is open to the public.