During the circumnavigation of the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan. First round-the-world trip. Moluccas. Return to Spain

Magellan's ships sail into the Pacific Ocean

On September 6, 1522, a ship entered the Spanish port of Sanlucar de Barrameda at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, whose appearance indicated a long and difficult journey. This ship was called "Victoria". Those of the locals who had a good memory, not without some difficulty, identified in the arrived wanderer one of the five ships of the expedition that sailed from this harbor almost three years ago. It was remembered that it was commanded by a stubborn Portuguese, whose appointment to this position caused a lot of rumors. I think his name was Ferdinand Magellan. However, the inhabitants of Sanlucar de Barrameda did not see either the leader of the expedition himself or his numerous companions. Instead, they saw the battered Victoria and on board a handful of exhausted people who looked like the living dead.

The captain of the Victoria, Juan Sebastian Elcano, first of all sent to royal residence Valladolid message about the return to Spain of one of the five ships " blessed memory Ferdinand Magellan". Two days later, the Victoria was towed to Seville, where the surviving 18 crew members went barefoot with candles in their hands to the church to thank the Almighty for their, albeit not entirely safe, return. Juan Elcano was summoned to Valladolid, where he was received by the King of Spain and concurrent Holy Roman Emperor Charles. The monarch awarded the captain with a coat of arms with the image of the earth and the inscription "You were the first to go round me." Also, Elcano was granted the highest annual pension of 500 ducats, with the payment of which there were some difficulties - the state treasury was empty. However, the organizers of the expedition did not lose out, despite the fact that only one ship out of five returned home. The holds of the Victoria were filled with rare and expensive overseas goods, the proceeds from the sale of which more than covered all the expenses of the expedition. Thus ended the first trip around the world.

Gold, spices and distant islands

The European colonial expansion that began in the 15th century continued to gain momentum in the 16th century. At the forefront of the race for fabulously expensive colonial goods in the then Old World were the powers of the Iberian Peninsula - Spain and Portugal. It was Lisbon who was the first to reach the legendary India and begin to receive such desired profits from this. Later, the Portuguese paved the way to the Moluccas, known in Europe as the Spice Islands.

The successes of their neighbors on the peninsula at first glance also looked impressive. Having destroyed the last Muslim state in the Pyrenees, the Emirate of Granada, the Spaniards found themselves with free hands and an empty treasury. Most in a simple way solution to the budget problem was to find a way to infiltrate the rich Eastern countries, which were talked about at that time in every self-respecting court. Around the then royal couple, Their Majesties Ferdinand and Isabella, the temperamental and very persistent Genoese had long been spinning. For some, his stubbornness caused irritation, for others, a condescending smile. However, Cristobal Colon (that was the name of this energetic man) found serious patrons, and the queen began to listen to his speeches. As a result, three caravels set off across the ocean, the voyage of which opened a new page in Europe.

Returning in triumph, Colon, or, as he was called in Spain, Christopher Columbus spoke a lot about the lands he had discovered. However, the amount of gold with which he accompanied his narratives was very limited. However, the credit of confidence received by the discoverer, as it was then believed, was India, was very high, and three more expeditions went overseas one after another. Number of islands and lands discovered by Columbus across the ocean, everything increased, and the joy in Spain from these discoveries decreased. The amount of jewelry and other expensive goods brought to Europe was small, the local population was not at all eager to work meekly for white aliens, or to move into the bosom of the true church. The colorful tropical islands did not arouse lyrical moods among the proud and poor hidalgos, hardened in the merciless Mauritanian wars, who were only interested in gold.

It soon became clear that the lands discovered by Columbus were neither China nor India, but were completely new continent. In addition, the successfully completed voyage of Vasco da Gama showed the last stubborn skeptics what real India is and how to reach it. The neighbors of the Spaniards on the peninsula counted the growing profits and watched with a fair amount of irony how the Spaniards were looking for wealth on the picturesque, but from the then point of view of little use islands. The Spanish treasury, like any other, needed replenishment. The conquerors of the Moors had far-reaching plans. Turkish expansion gained momentum in Eastern Mediterranean, a conflict was brewing with France over peninsula, there were other things in the eternally seething Europe. All this required money - and a lot of it.

And now in high circles again, as almost 30 years before, an energetic person appeared, claiming that he had a plan how to get to the Spice Islands. And, like Christopher Columbus, he too was a foreigner. Moreover, the piquancy of the situation was added by the fact that this generator of strategic ideas, until recently, was in the service of competitors, that is, he was Portuguese. His name was Ferdinand Magellan.

Portuguese

Magellan was neither a projector nor an adventurer. By the time he started promoting his project in 1518, he was already an experienced navigator and a man versed in military affairs. He also possessed extensive knowledge and skills that gave weight to his words. Magellan was born in 1480 in Portugal, where his surname sounded like Magallans, in an old aristocratic family that had Norman roots. The boy, who lost his parents early, was appointed by his relatives as a page to Queen Leonora, the wife of King João II the Perfect. His court service continued with the new monarch Manuel I. Magellan was noticed due to his outstanding personal qualities, strength of character and good education.

The king allowed young man go to the East with Francisco de Almeida, the first viceroy of the Portuguese possessions in India. Arriving in legendary India, Magellan found himself in the midst of political, military and economic events. For a long time, being the actual owners of the local waters, the Arab navigators were not at all delighted with the appearance of dangerous and determined competitors. The future great navigator takes part in numerous battles with the Arabs. In one of these battles, he received a wound in the leg, which subsequently gave his gait a slight limp. In 1511, under the leadership of the already new governor, Afonso de Albuquerque, Magellan was directly involved in the siege and capture of Malacca, which became one of the strongholds of the Portuguese expansion in the East.

Seeing that the local islands are rich in spices that are fabulously expensive in Europe, the navigator gradually comes to the idea of ​​finding another way to the regions of the Indian Ocean abounding in various riches. It was then that Magellan began to form the concept of a path to the East straight across the Atlantic, since the path around Africa seemed longer and more dangerous. For this purpose, it was only necessary to find a strait located somewhere, according to the Portuguese, among the lands discovered by Columbus and his followers. So far, no one has been able to find him, but Magellan was sure that he would be lucky.

The only thing left was to persuade the king. And this is where the difficulty arose. Returning from the Portuguese possessions in the East, Magellan in 1514 went to fight in Morocco. Due to an official incident, the Portuguese had a chance to present his project to the king. However, neither Manuel I nor his entourage became interested in the ideas of Magellan - the path to the Spice Islands around the cape Good Hope was considered dangerous, but proven, and the question of the existence of a mysterious strait between the Atlantic and the South Sea, recently discovered by de Balboa, was considered not so important. Relations between the Portuguese king and Magellan have long left much to be desired: twice he was denied petitions to the Highest Name - last time the case concerned the "fodder" money that Magellan relied on as a courtier.

Considering himself offended, the Portuguese decided to try his luck in neighboring Spain. Having asked King Manuel to release him from his official duties, Magellan in the fall of 1517 moved to Seville. Together with him, the famous Portuguese astronomer Rui Faleiro arrived in Spain. In the meantime, the young Charles I, who was the grandson of the famous Ferdinand, came to the Spanish throne. In the male line, the young monarch was the grandson of Maximilian I of Habsburg. Soon, Charles becomes Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire under the name of Charles V. He was ambitious and full of various political projects, so Magellan's initiative could come in handy.

Arrived in Seville, Magellan immediately began to act. Together with Faleiro, they came to the nearby Council of the Indies, an institution that dealt with newly discovered territories and colonies, and declared that, according to their accurate calculations, the Moluccas, the main source of spices for Portugal, were, contrary to the signed between the two monarchies through the mediation of the Pope agreement in Tordesillas, in the territory allotted to Spain. So the “oversight” that has arisen should be corrected.

Subsequently, fortunately for the Portuguese, it turned out that Faleiro was mistaken. In the meantime, local authorities in colonial and commercial affairs listened to the fiery speeches of the Portuguese émigré with skepticism, advising them to look elsewhere for listeners. And yet, one of the leaders of this serious organization named Juan de Aranda decided to personally talk with the Portuguese and, after some thought, found his arguments not without meaning, especially considering the future modest 20% of the profits.

The months that followed were like a slow and purposeful climb up the long staircase state apparatus, with successive penetration into higher and higher apartments. At the beginning of 1518, Aranda arranged an audience for Magellan with Emperor Charles in Valladolid. The arguments of the Portuguese and his actual companion Faleiro were convincing, especially since he claimed that the Moluccas, according to his calculations, were only a few hundred miles from Spanish Panama. Karl was inspired and on March 8, 1518 signed a decree on preparations for the expedition.

Magellan and Faleyru were appointed its leaders with the ranks of captain generals. At their disposal were to provide 5 ships with crews - about 250 people. In addition, the Portuguese were promised a one-fifth profit from the enterprise. Preparations began shortly after the signing of the decree, but continued for a very long time. There were several reasons. First of all, it was unstable funding. Secondly, many were not delighted by the fact that the Portuguese were appointed the leaders of such a large-scale project, with whose homeland Spain had very difficult relations. Thirdly, feeling themselves in the role of specialists whose opinion was ignored, the seniors from the Council of the Indies began to sabotage the preparations for the expedition.

We must not forget about the rolled up army of suppliers and contractors, who improved their own well-being to the best of their ability by supplying not quite high-quality provisions, equipment and materials. All the ships preparing to sail turned out to be, by an "unfortunate accident", by no means new. The Portuguese authorities also sabotaged the event as best they could. At the court of King Manuel I, the issue of the murder of Magellan was even seriously discussed, but this idea was prudently abandoned. The astronomer Faleiro, the navigator's companion, sensing what kind of winds were beginning to blow into the still unstretched sails of the caravels, considered it good to play madness and stay on the shore. Juan de Cartagena was appointed to the place of Magellan's deputy, with whom there would still be a lot of trouble, including a rebellion.

Despite all the obstacles, the preparations continued. The soul of the whole enterprise was Ferdinand Magellan. He chose the 100-ton Trinidad as his flagship. In addition to him, the squadron included the 120-ton San Antonio (Captain Juan de Cartagena, part-time royal controller of the expedition), the 90-ton Concepcion (Captain Gaspar Quesada), the 85-ton Victoria (Luis Mendoza) and the smallest, 75-ton "Santiago" (under the command of Juan Serano). The personnel of the crews was 293 people, including 26 people who were taken on board over the state. One of them, the Italian nobleman Antonio Pigafetta, would later detailed description odyssey.

The exact number of sailors is still a matter of controversy. Some of the sailors were Portuguese - a necessary measure, since their Spanish colleagues were in no hurry to join the crews. There were also representatives of other nationalities. Provisions were loaded onto the ships at the rate of two years of navigation and a certain amount of goods for trade with the natives. In addition, in case of bad relations with the local population, there were 70 ship cannons, 50 arquebuses, crossbows and about a hundred sets of armor.

On August 10, 1519, the squadron left the moorings of Seville and descended along the Guadalquivir River to the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Here, in anticipation of favorable winds, five caravels stood for almost a month. Magellan had something to do - already at the first stage of the campaign, part of the food turned out to be spoiled, and he had to be hastily replaced. Finally, on Tuesday, September 20, 1519, the squadron left the coast of Spain and headed southwest. None of the pioneers on board had any idea how long their journey would be.

Atlantic and conspiracy

Six days after sailing, the flotilla arrived in Tenerife on canary islands and stood there for almost a week, replenishing water and provisions. Here Magellan received two unpleasant ones. The first of them, brought by a caravel that had come from Spain, was sent to the captain-general by his friends, who reported that the captains of Cartagena, Mendoza and Quesada had conspired to remove Magellan from command of the expedition due to the fact that he was a Portuguese, and with resistance kill him. The second news came from a supplier of salted cod: the King of Portugal sent two squadrons to the Atlantic to intercept Magellan's ships.

The first news made it necessary to strengthen the observation of the unreliable Spaniards, the second forced us to change the route and go across the ocean somewhat south of the intended route, which lengthened the already not a small path. Magellan laid a new course along the coast of Africa. Subsequently, it turned out that the news about the Portuguese squadrons turned out to be false. The flotilla was moving south instead of west as planned, to the bewilderment of the Spanish captains, who were already irritated by the mere fact of his command. Toward the end of October - beginning of November, discontent reached its climax.

The first to lose their nerve was Juan de Cartagena, the captain of the San Antonio. By order of Magellan, the ships of his flotilla were to approach the flagship Trinidad daily and report on the situation. During this procedure, Cartagena did not call his superior "Captain-General", as is customary, but simply "Captain". The captain of the San Antonio did not react to the remark about the need to follow the charter. The situation heated up. A few days later, Magellan gathered his captains aboard the flagship. Cartagena began to shout and demand an explanation from the leader of the expedition why the flotilla was heading in the wrong direction. In response, Magellan, well aware of the mood among some of his subordinates, grabbed the captain of the San Antonio by the collar and declared him a rebel, ordering him to be put under arrest. Instead, a relative of Magellan, the Portuguese Alvar Mishkita, was appointed captain. However, Cartagena was sent under arrest not to the flagship, but to the Concepción, where the conditions of detention were quite mild.

Soon the flotilla left the calm and moved to the shores of South America. On November 29, 1519, the Spanish ships finally spotted the much-desired land. In an effort to avoid meeting with the Portuguese, Magellan led his ships along the coast to the south and on December 13 anchored in the bay of Rio de Janeiro. After resting the tired crews and celebrating Christmas, the expedition moved further south, trying to find the coveted strait into the South Sea.

rebellion

In January of the new 1520, Magellan's ships reached the mouth of the huge La Plata River, discovered in 1516 by Juan de Solis. The Portuguese assumed that the desired strait could be somewhere in local waters. The smallest and fastest ship of the expedition, the Santiago, was sent for reconnaissance. Returning, Captain Juan Serano reported that no strait could be found.

Not losing confidence, Magellan moved further south. The climate gradually became more temperate - instead of the tropics originally encountered on the South American coast, now more and more deserted terrain was observed from ships. Occasionally coming across Indians with a rather primitive way of life did not know iron and, apparently, saw white people for the first time. Fearing to miss the strait, the flotilla moved along the coast, and anchored for the night. On February 13, 1520, in the bay of Bahia Blanca, the ships fell into an unprecedented thunderstorm, and the fires of St. Elmo were seen on the masts. Moving further south, the Europeans encountered large herds of penguins, which they mistook for tailless ducks.

The weather deteriorated, becoming increasingly stormy, the temperature dropped, and on March 31, having reached quiet bay, called San Julian (49 ° south latitude), Magellan decided to stay in it and spend the winter. Bearing in mind that the mood in his flotilla was far from calm, the captain-general placed his ships in the following way: four of them were in the bay, and the flagship Trinidad anchored at its entrance - just in case. There were good reasons for this - the search for a passage did not give results, there was uncertainty ahead, and Magellan's ill-wishers began to spread the opinion about the need to return to Spain.

April 1, Palm Sunday, a festive dinner was given on board the flagship Trinidad, to which the captains of the ships were invited. The captains of the Victoria and the Concepción did not appear. On the night of April 2, a mutiny began on the flotilla. Juan de Cartagena, who was in custody, was released. Without much difficulty, the Victoria and Concepción were captured. On the San Antonio, captain Alvaro Mishkita, appointed there by Magellan, was arrested. Only the small "Santiago" remained loyal to the commander of the expedition.

The balance of power, at first glance, was very unfavorable for the captain-general and his supporters. His two ships were opposed by three rebel ships. However, Magellan not only did not lose his head, but also showed determination. Soon a boat arrived at Trinidad with a letter for the leader of the expedition. The rebellious captains put up in it a whole mountain of accusations against Magellan, who, in their opinion, put the expedition on the brink of death. They were ready to submit to him again only as the first captain of equals, and not as a "captain-general", and then only if the flotilla immediately returned to Spain.

Magellan began to act immediately. Alguasil Gonzalo Gomez de Espinosa, devoted to Magellan, was sent to the Victoria with a letter to her captain Mendoza. Having reached the Victoria, he handed Mendoza a letter and a request from Magellan to come to the Trinidad for negotiations. When the rebel refused and crumpled up the message, Espinosa stabbed him to death with a dagger. The people accompanying the officer took possession of the Victoria, which soon anchored near the flagship and the Santiago. The situation for those wishing to return to Spain at all costs has deteriorated sharply.

At night, the San Antonio tried to break into the sea, but they were waiting for it. A volley of cannons was fired at the ship, and its deck was showered with crossbow arrows. The frightened sailors hurried to disarm the enraged Gaspar Quesada and surrendered. Juan de Cartagena, who was on the Concepción, decided not to play with fire and stopped resisting. Soon a court took place, which declared the leaders of the rebellion and their active accomplices (about 40 people) traitors and sentenced them to death. However, Magellan immediately pardoned them and replaced the execution with hard labor throughout the winter. Gaspar Quesada, who mortally wounded one of the officers loyal to Magellan, was beheaded, and the corpse was quartered. Former rebels were engaged in socially useful work in the form of chopping wood and pumping water from the holds. The pardoned Cartagena did not calm down and began to conduct counter-expeditionary agitation again. Magellan's patience this time turned out to be exhausted, and the royal controller was left on the shore of the bay, along with the priest who actively helped him in propaganda. Nothing is known about their fate.

Strait and Pacific Ocean

The rebellion was left behind, and the parking in the bay of San Julian continued. In early May, Magellan sent the Santiago south for reconnaissance, but in stormy weather it crashed on the rocks near the Santa Cruz River, killing one sailor. With great difficulty, the crew returned to the parking lot. Juan Serano, who lost his ship, was appointed captain of the Concepción. August 24, 1520 Magellan left the bay of San Julian and arrived at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River. There, in anticipation of good weather, the ships stood until mid-October. On October 18, the flotilla left the anchorage and moved south. Before leaving, Magellan informed his captains that he would look for a passage to the South Sea to 75 ° south latitude, and in case of failure, he would turn east and move to the Moluccas around the Cape of Good Hope.

On October 21, finally, a narrow passage was discovered leading deep into the mainland. The San Antonio and Concepción, sent for reconnaissance, fell into a storm, but were able to take refuge in the bay, from which, in turn, led new strait- further to the west. The scouts returned with news of a possible passage. Soon the flotilla, having entered the open strait, found itself in the intricacies of rocks and narrow passages. A few days later, near Dawson Island, Magellan noticed two channels: one went in a southeast direction, the other in a southwest direction. The Concepción and San Antonio were sent to the first, the boat to the second.

The boat returned three days later with good news: a large open water. Trinidad and Victoria entered the southwest channel and anchored for four days. Moving to their original parking lot, they found only the Concepción. The San Antonio is gone. A search that lasted several days yielded no results. Only later, the surviving members of the expedition, who returned to their homeland on the Victoria, learned about the fate of this ship. A mutiny led by officers broke out on board. Captain Mishkita, devoted to Magellan, was shackled, and the San Antonio turned back. In March 1521, he returned to Spain, where the rebels declared Magellan a traitor. At first they were believed: the wife of the captain-general was deprived of her allowance, and supervision was established for her. Magellan did not know all this - on November 28, 1520, his ships finally entered the Pacific Ocean.

Islands, natives and the death of Magellan

Juan Sebastian Elcano

A long voyage across the Pacific began. In an effort to quickly withdraw the ships from the cold latitudes, Magellan led them first strictly to the north, and after 15 days turned to the northwest. Overcoming such a vast water area lasted almost four months. The weather was good, which gave reason to call this ocean the Pacific. During the voyage, the crews experienced incredible difficulties associated with an acute shortage of provisions. Part of it deteriorated and became unusable. Scurvy raged, from which 19 people died. Ironically, the flotilla passed by islands and archipelagos, including inhabited ones, only twice landing on small uninhabited patches of land.

On March 6, 1521, two big islands- Guam and Rota. The local population seemed friendly and thieving to the Europeans. A punitive expedition was landed on the shore, destroying several natives and setting fire to their settlement. A few days later, the flotilla reached the Philippine archipelago, which, however, was well known to Chinese sailors. On March 17, the ships anchored off the uninhabited island of Homonhom, where something like a field hospital was equipped for sick crew members. Fresh provisions, vegetables and fruits allowed people to quickly restore their strength, and the expedition continued on its way among the numerous islands.

On one of them, Magellan's slave Enrique, a Malay from Portuguese times, met people whose language he understood. The captain-general realized that the Spice Islands were somewhere nearby. On April 7, 1521, the ships reached the harbor of the city of Cebu on the island of the same name. Here the Europeans have already found a culture, although it is far behind them in technical terms. Items from China were found among local residents, and Arab merchants they met told a lot of interesting things about local lands which were well known to both the Arabs and the Chinese.

The Spanish ships made a huge impression on the islanders, and the ruler of Cebu, Raja Hubomon, on reflection, decided to surrender himself under the protection of distant Spain. To facilitate the process, he, his family and closest associates were baptized. Consolidating success and wanting to show the new allies the power of Europe, Magellan intervened in an internecine conflict with the ruler of the island of Mactan.

On the night of April 27, 1521, Magellan and 60 Europeans, together with the allied natives, set off in boats to the recalcitrant island. Because of the reefs, the ships could not come close to the shore and support the landing party with fire. Magellan's companions were met by superior forces - the natives showered the Europeans with arrows and put them to flight. Magellan himself, who covered the withdrawal, was killed. In addition to him, 8 more Spaniards were killed. The prestige of "patrons" has fallen dangerously low. Their authority simply collapsed after an unsuccessful attempt to redeem the body of Magellan from the natives who turned out to be not so accommodating. Dejected by the loss of the captain, the Spaniards decided to leave Cebu.

By this time, in exchange for fabrics and iron products, they managed to sell a large amount of spices. The local rajah, having learned about the intention of the "patrons" to leave, hospitably invited their commanders (the expedition was now commanded by Juan Serano and Magellan's brother-in-law Duarte Barbosa) to a farewell feast. The feast smoothly grew into a pre-planned massacre - all the guests were killed. This turn of events hastened the departure of the ships of the expedition, in the ranks of which 115 people remained, most of them were sick. The dilapidated "Concepción" was soon burned down, and only the "Trinidad" and "Victoria" remained on the run for the exhausted travelers.

Wandering for several months in waters unknown to them, in November 1521 the Spaniards finally reached the Moluccas, where they were able to buy spices in abundance, since the goods for exchange survived. Having reached the goal after long ordeals and difficulties, the surviving members of the expedition decided, for fidelity, to split up so that at least one of the ships reached Spanish territory. The hastily repaired Trinidad was to go to Panama under the command of Gonzalo Espinosa. The second, "Victoria" under the command of the Basque Juan Sebastian Elcano, was to return to Europe, following the route around the Cape of Good Hope. The fate of "Trinidad" was tragic. Stumbling along the way into a strip of headwinds, he was forced to return to the Moluccas and was captured by the Portuguese. Only a few of his crew, having survived prison and hard labor, returned to their homeland.

A replica of the Victoria Carrack built by the Czech navigator Rudolf Krautschneider

The path of the Victoria, which began on December 21, 1521, was long and dramatic. Initially, there were 60 crew members on board, including 13 Malays. May 20, 1522 "Victoria" rounded the Cape of Good Hope. By the time they were in the already familiar Atlantic, the Victoria's personnel had been reduced to 35 people. The situation with provisions was critical, and Elcano was forced to go to the Cape Verde Islands, which belonged to Lisbon, posing as the Portuguese. It turned out that, traveling from west to east, the sailors "lost" one day. The deception was revealed, and 13 sailors remained arrested on the shore.

September 6, 1522 "Victoria" reached the mouth of the Guadalquivir, having made a trip around the world. For some time, Magellan's record remained unbeaten, until this was done by a gentleman, a subject of Queen Elizabeth, whose expedition did not at all resemble a trading or scientific expedition.

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Contrary to popular belief, Ferdinand Magellan personally did not circumnavigate the globe, although he tried very hard. And even more so, he did not set himself the goal of making a round-the-world trip. Fernand purposefully went for spices - gold of the 16th century, and everything else was not interesting to him. He wanted to get to them by the shortest route, and, in his opinion, the direction to America was just that.

At first, Fernand tried to interest the Portuguese. The main argument was the Moluccas, where there were a lot of cheap spices. Magellan was there twice and knew firsthand about the commercial benefits of this flight, and he offered to get to them from the side of the newly discovered America. But the Portuguese king chose not to go into adventure and continue to use the classic, albeit dangerous route through the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Fernand went to Spain in search of a more accommodating king.

The Spaniard turned out to be receptive to the arguments of the sea wolf and gave the green light to the equipment of the expedition. September 20, 1519 - the historical date of the start of the round-the-world regatta led by Fernand Magellan - a flotilla of five ships and 256 people left the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

At Dawson Island, the strait divides into two channels, and Magellan again separates the flotilla. The San Antonio and the Concepción are heading southeast, the other two ships are left to rest, and a boat is heading southwest. Three days later the boat returns and the sailors report that they have seen the open sea. Soon the Conspecion returns, but there is no news from the San Antonio. November 28, 1520 Magellan's ships set sail. The journey through the strait took 38 days. For many years, Magellan will remain the only captain who passed the strait and did not lose a single ship.

Leaving the strait, Magellan walked north for 15 days, reaching 38 ° S, where he turned to the northwest, and on December 21, 1520, having reached 30 ° S, turned to the north-west. The flotilla passed through the Pacific Ocean for at least 17 thousand km. The expedition, not ready for such a transition, experienced enormous hardships.

During the voyage, the expedition reached 10 °C. and turned out to be noticeably north of the Moluccas, which she aspired to. Perhaps Magellan wanted to make sure that the South Sea discovered by Balboa was part of this ocean, or perhaps he was afraid of meeting with the Portuguese, which would have ended in failure for his battered expedition. On January 24, 1521, the sailors saw desert island(from the Tuamotu archipelago). There was no way to land on it. After 10 days, another island was discovered (in the Line archipelago). They also failed to land, but the expedition caught sharks for food.

On March 6, 1521, the flotilla saw the island of Guam from the group Mariana Islands. It was inhabited. Boats surrounded the flotilla, trading began. It soon became clear that the locals steal from the ships everything that comes to hand. When they stole the boat, the Europeans could not stand it. They landed on the island and burned the village of the islanders, killing 7 people in the process. After that, they took the boat and took fresh food. The islands were named Thieves (Landrones). As the flotilla left, the locals chased the ships in boats, throwing stones at them, but without much success.

A few days later, the Spaniards were the first of the Europeans to reach the Philippine Islands, which Magellan called the archipelago of St. Lazarus. Fearing new clashes, he is looking for an uninhabited island. On March 17, the Spaniards landed on Homonhom Island. The Pacific crossing is over. An infirmary was set up on the island of Homonhom, where all the sick were transferred. Fresh food quickly cured the sailors, and the flotilla set off for further way among the islands. On one of them, Magellan's slave Enrique, who was born in Sumatra, met people who spoke his language. The circle is closed. For the first time, a man circumnavigated the earth.

On April 7, 1521, the expedition entered the port of Cebu on the island of the same name. The places were civilized, and they even tried to take trade duties from the Europeans. The Spaniards refused to pay, and a Muslim merchant who happened to be in the city advised the Rajah not to fight the Europeans, and the demand was withdrawn.

A brisk trade began. For iron products, the islanders easily gave gold and products. Impressed by the strength of the Spaniards and their weapons, the ruler of the island, Raja Humabon, agrees to surrender himself under the protection of the Spanish king and is soon baptized under the name Carlos. Following him, his family is baptized, many representatives of the nobility and ordinary islanders. Patronizing the new Carlos Humabon, Magellan tried to bring as many local rulers under his authority.

One of the leaders of the island of Mactan Lapu-Lapu (Silapulapu) opposed the new order and was not going to surrender to the power of Humabon. Magellan organized a military expedition against him. He wanted to visually demonstrate the power of Spain to the locals. The battle turned out to be unprepared. Due to the shoal, ships and boats could not come close enough to effectively support the landing party with fire. During the stay of Europeans in Cebu, local residents had the opportunity to study European weapons and their weaknesses. They moved quickly, preventing the Europeans from aiming, and attacked the sailors in their unarmored legs. When the Spaniards began to retreat, Magellan was killed.

Nine Europeans died in the defeat, but the damage to reputation was enormous. In addition, the loss of an experienced leader immediately made itself felt. Juan Serran and Duarte Barbosa, who led the expedition, entered into negotiations with Lapu-Lapu offering him a ransom for Magellan's body, but he replied that the body would not be given out under any circumstances. The failure of the negotiations finally undermined the prestige of the Spaniards, and soon their ally Humabon lured them to dinner and massacred several dozen people, including almost the entire command staff. The ships had to leave quickly. Being almost at the target, the flotilla spent several months to reach the Moluccas.

Spices were purchased there, and the expedition was to set off on the return route. On the islands, the Spaniards learned that the Portuguese king had declared Magellan a deserter, so his ships were subject to capture. The courts were dilapidated. "Concepción" was previously abandoned by the crew and burned. Only two ships remained. "Trinidad" was repaired and went east to the Spanish possessions in Panama, and "Victoria" - west, bypassing Africa. "Trinidad" fell into a strip of headwinds, was forced to return to the Moluccas and was captured by the Portuguese. Most of his crew died in hard labor in India.

"Victoria" under the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano continued the route. The crew was replenished with a number of Malay islanders (almost all of them died on the road). The ship soon began to lack provisions (Pigafetta noted in his notes: “Except for rice and water, we didn’t have any food left; due to lack of salt, all meat products spoiled”), and part of the crew began to demand that the captain head for the Portuguese crown of Mozambique and surrender into the hands of the Portuguese. However, most of the sailors and Captain Elcano himself decided to try to sail to Spain at all costs. The Victoria hardly rounded the Cape of Good Hope and then went northwest along the African coast for two months without stopping.

On July 9, 1522, a worn-out ship with an exhausted crew approached the islands. Cape Verde, Portuguese possession. It was impossible not to make a stop here due to the extreme lack of drinking water and provisions. But after the arrest of 13 people who went for food, "Victoria" hastily moved on.

On September 6, 1522, the Victoria reached Spain, thus becoming the only ship of Magellan's flotilla to return victoriously to Seville. There were eighteen survivors on the ship. Later, in 1525, four more of the 55 crew members of the Trinidad were taken to Spain. Also, those members of the Victoria team who were captured by the Portuguese during a forced stop on the Cape Verde Islands were also redeemed from Portuguese captivity.

The sale of the cargo brought by the Victoria not only covered all the expenses of the expedition, but, despite the loss of 4 ships out of 5, made a significant profit. As for the ownership of the Moluccas, the Portuguese king believed in their belonging to Spain and bought them back for a huge sum of 350 thousand gold ducats. In 1523, the report of the imperial secretary Maximilian Transylvanus on the journey was published, and then detailed memoirs of one of the expedition members, the Venetian Antonio Pigafetta, were also published.

Test tasks.

1. Ferdinand Magellan was

a) a Spaniard in the service of the King of Portugal

b) a Portuguese in the service of the King of Spain

c) an Italian in the service of the King of Spain

d) a Frenchman in the service of the King of Portugal

2. Strait connecting Atlantic Ocean with the Quiet, Ferdinand Magellan named

a) Drake Passage

b) the Strait of Magellan

c) the strait of All Saints

d) the Bering Strait

3. The expedition of Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigated the globe, moving all the time

a) from west to east

b) from east to west

c) right to left

d) left to right

4. First circumnavigation continued

a) 3 years

5. The name of the captain who first sailed his ship around the world was

a) Fernand

d) Alvarez

6. List the geographical objects in the order they were reached by the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan. Put the corresponding letters in the table.

a) Indian Ocean

b) Philippine Islands

c) equator

d) Pacific Ocean

Thematic workshop.

Here are five excerpts from the notes of Magellan's companion Antonio Pigafetta, which he made in the form of a letter to his patron, Signor Philippe de Villiers Lil Adan. Put them in the correct order and answer the questions.

a) On Wednesday, November 28, 1520, we got out of this strait and plunged into the open spaces Pacific sea. In continuation three months and for twenty days we were completely deprived of fresh food. We ate breadcrumbs, but those were no longer crackers, but breadcrumbs mixed with worms. We often ate sawdust.

b) We reached Mactan three hours before dawn. As soon as morning came, forty-nine of our people rushed into the water, which reached their hips. I had to swim a distance of over two crossbow shots before reaching the shore. Because of the underwater rocks, the boats could not come closer to the shore. When we reached the shore, the natives, numbering over 1,500 people, lined up in three detachments. Seeing us, they rushed at us with incredible shouts, two detachments fell on our flanks, and one from the front.

c) The captain fell face down, and immediately they threw iron and bamboo spears at him and began to strike with cleavers until they killed the true leader. He kept looking back to see if we all had time to get on the boats. Believing that he was dead, we, wounded, retreated as soon as possible to the boats, which immediately set off.

d) Your Excellency, the fame of such a noble captain will not be erased from memory today. Among other virtues, he was distinguished by such steadfastness in the greatest vicissitudes, which no one has ever possessed. He endured hunger better than anyone else, more unmistakable than anyone else in the world, he knew how to understand
in navigation charts. And that this is indeed the case is obvious to all, for no one else possessed such a gift and such thoughtfulness in the study of how to circumnavigate the world, which he almost did.

e) Having heard that in the city of Seville a detachment of five ships was equipped to extract spices in the Moluccas under the command of Captain-General Fernand de Magallans (Magellan), I went there from the city of Barcelona, ​​carrying with me a lot of well-wishing -telnyh letters. I spent three whole months in Seville, waiting, while the fleet in question was getting ready to sail, and when the time for departure finally arrived, the voyage began with exceedingly happy omens.

d

A

b

V

G

1. How many times did Magellan's expedition cross the equator?

The voyage was around the world, crossing the equator 4 times.

2. What in the above passages gives reason to consider the assessment given by Pigafetta to Ferdinand Magellan as fair?

He was a famous military man and sailor. Portuguese, managed to win the favor of the Spanish king. who allowed to collect round the world expedition. Spanish merchants gave money for the expedition, believing Magellan that the trip would be profitable. Suppressed the rebellion of the Spanish captains. He had authority among all the sailors of the expedition. Managed to calculate the path across the ocean. Found the strait connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He bravely fought and died in the battle with the natives. The expedition brought huge profits, many times greater than the costs.

Magellan strait - strait separating the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego and continental South America.

4. How many days did the voyage across the Pacific last?

Almost 4 months, about 111 days. On November 28, he went out with 3 ships to an unknown ocean (he called it Pacific because of the weather), and on March 15, the expedition approached the large Philippine archipelago.

Cartographic workshop.

Follow the path of the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan on the map and name the geographical objects through which he passed.

2 - Atlantic Ocean.

4 - Strait of all Saints.

5 - Pacific Ocean.

6 - Philippine Islands.

9 - Indian Ocean.

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)

Ask anyone, and he will tell you that the first person to circumnavigate the world was the Portuguese navigator and explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who died on Mactan Island (Philippines) during an armed skirmish with the natives (1521). The same is written in history books. Actually, this is a myth. After all, it turns out that one excludes the other.
Magellan managed to go only half way.

Primus circumdedisti me (you circumvented me first) - reads the Latin inscription on Juan Sebastian Elcano's coat of arms topped with a globe. Indeed, Elcano was the first person to circumnavigate the world.

The San Telmo Museum in San Sebastian houses Salaverria's painting "The Return of the Victoria". Eighteen emaciated people in white shrouds, with lighted candles in their hands, staggering down the ladder from the ship to the embankment of Seville. These are sailors from the only ship that returned to Spain from the entire flotilla of Magellan. In front is their captain, Juan Sebastian Elcano.

Much in the biography of Elcano has not yet been clarified. Oddly enough, the man who circumnavigated the globe for the first time did not attract the attention of artists and historians of his time. There is not even a reliable portrait of him, and of the documents written by him, only letters to the king, petitions and a will have survived.

Juan Sebastian Elcano was born in 1486 in Getaria, a small port town in the Basque Country, not far from San Sebastian. He early connected his own fate with the sea, making a “career” that was not uncommon for an enterprising person of that time - first changing his job as a fisherman to a smuggler, and later enrolling in the navy to avoid punishment for his too free attitude to laws and trade duties. Elcano took part in the Italian Wars and the Spanish military campaign in Algeria in 1509. Bask had mastered maritime business quite well in practice when he was a smuggler, but it was in the navy that Elcano received the “correct” education in the field of navigation and astronomy.

In 1510, Elcano, the owner and captain of a ship, took part in the siege of Tripoli. But the Spanish Treasury refused to pay Elcano the amount due for settlements with the crew. After leaving the military service, which never seriously attracted the young adventurer with low wages and the need to maintain discipline, Elcano decides to start new life in Seville. It seems to Basque that a bright future awaits him - in a new city for him, no one knows about his not entirely impeccable past, the navigator atoned for his guilt before the law in battles with the enemies of Spain, he has official papers that allow him to work as a captain on a merchant ship … But the trade enterprises, in which Elcano becomes a participant, turn out to be unprofitable as one.

In 1517, in payment of debts, he sold the ship under his command to the Genoese bankers - and this trading operation determined his entire fate. The fact is that the owner of the sold ship was not Elcano himself, but the Spanish crown, and the Basque is expected to again have difficulties with the law, this time threatening him with the death penalty. At that time it was considered a serious crime. Knowing that the court would not take into account any excuses, Elcano fled to Seville, where it was easy to get lost, and then take refuge on any ship: in those days, the captains were least interested in the biographies of their people. In addition, there were many Elcano fellow countrymen in Seville, and one of them, Ibarolla, was well acquainted with Magellan. He helped Elcano to enlist in Magellan's flotilla. Having passed the exams and received beans as a sign of a good grade (those who did not pass received peas from the examination board), Elcano became the helmsman on the third largest ship in the flotilla, the Concepcione.

On September 20, 1519, Magellan's flotilla left the mouth of the Guadalquivir and headed for the coast of Brazil. In April 1520, when the ships settled down for the winter in the frosty and deserted bay of San Julian, the captains, dissatisfied with Magellan, mutinied. Elcano was drawn into it, not daring to disobey his commander - the captain of the "Concepción" Quesada.

Magellan vigorously and brutally suppressed the rebellion: Quesada and another of the leaders of the conspiracy were cut off their heads, the corpses were quartered and the mutilated remains were stumbled on poles. Captain Cartagena and one priest, also the instigator of the rebellion, Magellan ordered to be landed on the deserted shore of the bay, where they subsequently died. The remaining forty rebels, including Elcano, Magellan spared.

1. The first ever circumnavigation of the world

On November 28, 1520, the remaining three ships left the strait and in March 1521, after an unprecedentedly difficult passage through the Pacific Ocean, they approached the islands, which later became known as the Marianas. In the same month, Magellan discovered the Philippine Islands, and on April 27, 1521, he died in a skirmish with local residents on the island of Matan. Elcano, stricken with scurvy, did not participate in this skirmish. After the death of Magellan, Duarte Barbosa and Juan Serrano were elected captains of the flotilla. At the head of a small detachment, they went ashore to the Raja of Cebu and were treacherously killed. Fate again - for the umpteenth time - spared Elcano. Karvalyo became the head of the flotilla. But there were only 115 men left on the three ships; many of them are sick. Therefore, the Concepcion was burned in the strait between the islands of Cebu and Bohol; and his team moved to the other two ships - Victoria and Trinidad. Both ships wandered between the islands for a long time, until, finally, on November 8, 1521, they anchored off the island of Tidore, one of the "Spice Islands" - the Moluccas. Then, in general, it was decided to continue sailing on one ship - the Victoria, whose captain shortly before that was Elcano, and leave the Trinidad on the Moluccas. And Elcano managed to navigate his worm-eaten ship with a starving crew through the Indian Ocean and along the coast of Africa. A third of the team died, about a third was detained by the Portuguese, but still, on September 8, 1522, the Victoria entered the mouth of the Guadalquivir.

It was an unprecedented, unheard-of passage in the history of navigation. Contemporaries wrote that Elcano surpassed King Solomon, the Argonauts and the cunning Odysseus. The first ever circumnavigation of the world has been completed! The king granted the navigator an annual pension of 500 gold ducats and knighted Elcano. The coat of arms assigned to Elcano (since then del Cano) commemorated his voyage. The coat of arms depicted two cinnamon sticks framed with nutmeg and cloves, a golden padlock surmounted by a helmet. Above the helmet is a globe with a Latin inscription: "You were the first to circle me." And finally, by special decree, the king announced forgiveness to Elcano for selling the ship to a foreigner. But if it was quite simple to reward and forgive the brave captain, then it turned out to be more difficult to resolve all the controversial issues related to the fate of the Moluccas. The Spanish-Portuguese congress sat for a long time, but was never able to “divide” the islands located on the other side of the “earthly apple” between the two powerful powers. And the Spanish government decided not to delay sending a second expedition to the Moluccas.

2. Goodbye A Coruña

A Coruna was considered the safest port in Spain, which "could accommodate all the fleets of the world." The importance of the city increased even more when the Chamber of Indies was temporarily transferred here from Seville. This chamber made plans new expedition to the Moluccas, in order to finally establish Spanish domination on these islands. Elcano arrived in A Coruña full of bright hopes - he already saw himself as an admiral of the armada - and began to equip the flotilla. However, Charles I did not appoint Elcano as commander, but a certain Jofre de Loais, a participant in many naval battles, but completely unfamiliar with navigation. Elcano's pride was deeply wounded. In addition, the “highest refusal” came from the royal office to Elcano’s request for the payment of an annual pension granted to him of 500 gold ducats: the king ordered that this amount be paid only after returning from the expedition. So Elcano experienced the traditional ingratitude Spanish crown to famous sailors.

Before sailing, Elcano visited his native Getaria, where he, a renowned sailor, easily managed to recruit many volunteers to his ships: with a man who has bypassed the "earthly apple", you will not be lost even in the devil's mouth, the port brethren reasoned. At the beginning of the summer of 1525, Elcano brought his four ships to A Coruña and was appointed helmsman and deputy commander of the flotilla. In total, the flotilla consisted of seven ships and 450 crew members. There were no Portuguese on this expedition. last night before the departure of the flotilla in A Coruña it was very lively and solemn. At midnight on Mount Hercules, on the site of the ruins of a Roman lighthouse, a huge fire was lit. The city said goodbye to the sailors. The cries of the townspeople, who treated the sailors with wine from leather bottles, the sobs of women and the hymns of the pilgrims mixed with the sounds of the cheerful dance “La Muneira”. The sailors of the flotilla remembered this night for a long time. They went to another hemisphere, and now they faced a life full of dangers and hardships. For the last time, Elcano walked under the narrow archway of Puerto de San Miguel and descended the sixteen pink steps to the beach. These steps, already completely worn out, have survived to this day.

3. Misfortunes of the chief helmsman

The powerful, well-armed flotilla of Loaysa put to sea on July 24, 1525. According to the royal instructions, and Loaisa had fifty-three in total, the flotilla was to follow the path of Magellan, but avoid his mistakes. But neither Elcano - the king's chief adviser, nor the king himself foresaw that this would be the last expedition sent through the Strait of Magellan. It was the Loaisa expedition that was destined to prove that this was not the most profitable way. And all subsequent expeditions to Asia departed from the Pacific ports of New Spain (Mexico).

July 26 vessels rounded Cape Finisterre. On August 18, the ships were caught in a severe storm. On the admiral's ship, the mainmast was broken, but two carpenters sent by Elcano, risking their lives, nevertheless got there in a small boat. While the mast was being repaired, the flagship collided with the Parral, breaking its mizzen mast. Swimming was very difficult. There was a lack of fresh water and provisions. Who knows what the fate of the expedition would have been if on October 20 the lookout had not seen the island of Annobón in the Gulf of Guinea on the horizon. The island was deserted - only a few skeletons lay under a tree on which a strange inscription was carved: "Here lies the unfortunate Juan Ruiz, killed because he deserved it." Superstitious sailors saw this as a formidable omen. The ships hastily filled with water, stocked up with provisions. On this occasion, the captains and officers of the flotilla were summoned to a festive dinner with the admiral, which almost ended tragically.

A huge fish of an unknown breed was served on the table. According to Urdaneta, Elcano's page and chronicler of the expedition, some sailors, "who tasted the meat of this fish, which had teeth like a big dog, got so sick in their stomachs that they thought they would not survive." Soon the whole flotilla left the shores of the inhospitable Annobon. From here, Loaysa decided to sail to the coast of Brazil. And from that moment on, the Sancti Espiritus, Elcano's ship, began a streak of misfortune. Without having time to set the sails, the Sancti Espiritus almost collided with the admiral's ship, and then generally lagged behind the flotilla for some time. At latitude 31º, after a strong storm, the admiral's ship disappeared from sight. Elcano assumed command of the remaining vessels. Then the San Gabriel separated from the flotilla. The remaining five ships searched for the admiral's ship for three days. The search was unsuccessful, and Elcano ordered to move on to the Strait of Magellan.

On January 12, the ships stopped at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River, and since neither the admiral's ship nor the San Gabriel came here, Elcano convened a council. Knowing from the experience of the previous voyage that this was an excellent anchorage, he suggested waiting for both ships, as was the instructions. However, the officers, who were eager to enter the strait as soon as possible, advised leaving only the Santiago pinnace at the mouth of the river, burying in a jar under a cross on an island a message that the ships were headed for the Strait of Magellan. On the morning of January 14, the flotilla weighed anchor. But what Elcano took for a strait turned out to be the mouth of the Gallegos River, five or six miles from the strait. Urdaneta, who despite his admiration for Elcano. retained the ability to be critical of his decisions, writes that such a mistake by Elcano struck him very much. On the same day they approached the real entrance to the strait and anchored at the Cape of the Eleven Thousand Holy Virgins.

An exact copy of the ship "Victoria"
.

At night, a terrible storm hit the flotilla. Raging waves flooded the ship to the middle of the masts, and it barely kept on four anchors. Elcano realized that all was lost. His only thought now was to save the team. He ordered the ship to be grounded. Panic broke out on the Sancti Espiritus. Several soldiers and sailors rushed into the water in horror; all drowned except one who managed to make it to shore. Then the rest crossed to the shore. Managed to save some of the provisions. However, at night the storm broke out with the same force and finally smashed the Sancti Espiritus. For Elcano - captain, first circumnavigator and the main helmsman of the expedition - the crash, especially through his fault, was a big blow. Never before has Elcano been in such a difficult position. When the storm finally subsided, the captains of other ships sent a boat for Elcano, offering him to lead them through the Strait of Magellan, since he had been here before. Elcano agreed, but took only Urdaneta with him. He left the rest of the sailors on the shore ...

But failures did not leave the exhausted flotilla. From the very beginning, one of the ships almost ran into the rocks, and only the determination of Elcano saved the ship. After some time, Elcano sent Urdaneta with a group of sailors for the sailors left on the shore. Soon, Urdaneta's group ran out of provisions. It was very cold at night, and people were forced to burrow up to their necks in the sand, which also did not warm much. On the fourth day, Urdaneta and his companions approached the sailors dying on the shore from hunger and cold, and on the same day, the Loaysa ship, the San Gabriel, and the Santiago pinnass entered the mouth of the strait. On January 20, they joined the rest of the ships of the flotilla.

JUAN SEBASTIAN ELCANO
.

On February 5, a severe storm broke out again. The Elcano ship took refuge in the strait, and the San Lesmes was driven further south by the storm, to 54 ° 50 ′ south latitude, that is, it approached the very tip of Tierra del Fuego. Not a single ship went south in those days. A little more, and the expedition would be able to open the way around Cape Horn. After the storm, it turned out that the admiral's ship was aground, and Loaysa and the crew left the ship. Elcano immediately sent a group of the best sailors to help the admiral. On the same day, the Anunsiada deserted. The captain of the ship de Vera decided to independently get to the Moluccas past the Cape of Good Hope. The Anunciad has gone missing. A few days later, the San Gabriel also deserted. The remaining ships returned to the mouth of the Santa Cruz River, where the sailors began to repair the admiral's ship, which was badly battered by storms. Under other conditions, it would have had to be left altogether, but now that the flotilla has lost three largest ship this could no longer be afforded. Elcano, who, on his return to Spain, criticized Magellan for having lingered at the mouth of this river for seven weeks, now he himself was forced to spend five weeks here. At the end of March, somehow patched up ships again headed for the Strait of Magellan. The expedition now included only the admiral's ship, two caravels and a pinnace.

On April 5, the ships entered the Strait of Magellan. Between the islands of Santa Maria and Santa Magdalena, another misfortune befell the admiral's ship. A cauldron of boiling tar caught fire, a fire broke out on the ship.

Panic broke out, many sailors rushed to the boat, ignoring Loaysa, who showered them with curses. The fire was still put out. The flotilla went further through the strait, along the banks of which at high mountain peaks, "so tall that they seemed to stretch to the very sky," lay eternal bluish snow. At night, the fires of the Patagonians burned on both sides of the strait. Elcano already knew these lights from the first voyage. On April 25, the ships weighed anchor from the San Jorge anchorage, where they replenished their water and firewood supplies, and again set off on a difficult voyage.

And where the waves of both oceans meet with a deafening roar, the storm again hit Loaisa's flotilla. The ships anchored in the bay of San Juan de Portalina. Mountains several thousand feet high rose on the shore of the bay. It was terribly cold, and “no clothes could warm us,” writes Urdaneta. Elcano was on the flagship all the time: Loaysa, having no relevant experience, completely relied on Elcano. The passage through the strait lasted forty-eight days - ten days more than Magellan's. On May 31, a strong northeast wind blew. The whole sky was covered with clouds. On the night of June 1-2, a storm broke out, the most terrible of the former so far, scattering all ships. Although the weather later improved, they were never to meet again. Elcano, with most of the crew of the Sancti Espiritus, was now on the admiral's ship, which had one hundred and twenty men. Two pumps did not have time to pump out water, they feared that the ship could sink at any moment. In general, the ocean was Great, but by no means Pacific.

4 Pilot Dies Admiral

The ship was sailing alone, neither sail nor island could be seen on the vast horizon. “Every day,” writes Urdaneta, “we waited for the end. Due to the fact that people moved to us from wrecked vessel, we are forced to cut rations. We worked hard and ate little. We had to endure great hardships and some of us died.” On July 30, Loaysa died. According to one of the expedition members, the cause of his death was a breakdown in spirit; he was so upset by the loss of the rest of the ships that he "became weaker and died." Loays did not forget to mention in the will of his chief helmsman: “I ask that Elcano be returned four barrels of white wine, which I owe him. The biscuits and other provisions that lie on my ship, the Santa Maria de la Victoria, shall be given to my nephew Alvaro de Loays, who must share them with Elcano. They say that by this time only rats remained on the ship. On the ship, many were ill with scurvy. Everywhere Elcano looked, everywhere he saw swollen pale faces and heard the groans of sailors.

Thirty people have died from scurvy since they left the channel. “They all died,” writes Urdaneta, “due to the fact that their gums were swollen and they could not eat anything. I saw a man whose gums were so swollen that he tore off pieces of meat as thick as a finger. The sailors had one hope - Elcano. They, in spite of everything, believed in his lucky star, although he was so ill that four days before the death of Loaysa he himself made a will. In honor of Elcano's assumption of the position of admiral - a position which he unsuccessfully sought two years ago - a cannon salute was given. But Elcano's strength was drying up. The day came when the admiral could no longer get up from his bunk. His relatives and faithful Urdaneta gathered in the cabin. By the flickering light of the candle, one could see how thin they were and how much they had suffered. Urdaneta kneels and touches the body of her dying master with one hand. The priest watches him closely. Finally, he raises his hand, and everyone present slowly falls to their knees. Elcano's wanderings are over...

“Monday, 6 August. The valiant lord Juan Sebastian de Elcano has died." So Urdaneta noted in his diary the death of the great navigator.

Four people lift the body of Juan Sebastian, wrapped in a shroud and tied to a plank. At a sign from the new admiral, they throw him into the sea. There was a splash, drowning out the priest's prayers.

MONUMENT IN HONOR OF ELCANO IN GETARIA
.

Exhausted by worms, tormented by storms and storms, the lone ship continued on its way. The team, according to Urdaneta, “was terribly exhausted and exhausted. Not a day went by that one of us didn't die.

Therefore, we decided that the best thing for us is to go to the Moluccas.” Thus, they abandoned the bold plan of Elcano, who was going to fulfill the dream of Columbus - to reach east coast Asia, following the shortest route from the west. “I am sure that if Elcano had not died, we would not have reached the Ladrone (Marian) Islands so soon, because his constant intention was to search for Chipansu (Japan),” writes Urdaneta. He clearly considered Elcano's plan too risky. But the man who for the first time circumnavigated the "earthly apple" did not know what fear was. But he also did not know that in three years Charles I would cede his “rights” to the Moluccas to Portugal for 350 thousand gold ducats. Of the entire Loaysa expedition, only two ships survived: the San Gabriel, which reached Spain after a two-year voyage, and the Santiago pinasse under the command of Guevara, which passed along the Pacific coast of South America to Mexico. Although Guevara saw only once the coast of South America, his voyage proved that the coast does not protrude far to the west anywhere and that South America has the shape of a triangle. This was the most important geographical discovery expeditions of Loaysa.

Getaria, in the homeland of Elcano, at the entrance to the church there is a stone slab, a half-erased inscription on which reads: “... the glorious captain Juan Sebastian del Cano, a native and resident of the noble and faithful city of Getaria, the first to circumnavigate the globe on the ship Victoria. In memory of the hero, this slab was erected in 1661 by Don Pedro de Etave y Asi, Knight of the Order of Calatrava. Pray for the repose of the soul of the one who first traveled around the world. And on the globe in the San Telmo Museum, the place where Elcano died is indicated - 157º west and 9º north latitude.

In the history books, Juan Sebastian Elcano undeservedly found himself in the shadow of the glory of Ferdinand Magellan, but he is remembered and revered in his homeland. The name Elcano is a training sailboat in the Spanish Navy. In the wheelhouse of the ship, you can see the coat of arms of Elcano, and the sailboat itself has already managed to carry out a dozen round-the-world expeditions.