Magellan is the destination of the journey. Around the World at the Cost of Hundreds of Lives: Magellan's Last Voyage

Name: Ferdinand Magellan

State: Portugal, Spain

Field of activity: Navigator

Greatest Achievement: Made the world's first trip around the world.

Ferdinand Magellan was born on February 3, 1480, in Portugal. Magellan was an explorer and navigator. He organized the first trip around the world in Europe. The expedition of Magellan was the first indisputable proof that the Earth is round.

early years

Ferdinand Magellan was born in Porto (Portugal), in 1480. His parents belonged to a noble family and the young Magellan entered the service of the royal family at an early age. He was only 12 years old when he became the royal page of Leonora of Avisa. Magellan studied cartography, astronomy and celestial navigation since childhood.

Magellan entered the Portuguese Navy in 1505. He sailed to East Africa, then participated in the battles of Diu, during which Portugal won and defeated the Egyptian fleet. Fernand twice traveled to Malacca (Malaysia) and took part in the capture of the port by the Portuguese army.

He also participated in an expedition to the Moluccas, which at that time were called the Spice Islands. The spice trade in Magellan's Europe was very lucrative and highly competitive. The Moluccas have become the main source of the most valuable spices, such as cloves and nutmeg.

In 1513, Magellan was wounded in battle in North Africa, but the king took into account all his merits and helped him. In 1517 he traveled to Seville to enter the civil service in Spain.

Research for Spain

Spain and Portugal in the time of Magellan were major powers in great competition with each other. Both countries laid claim to the newly discovered regions of the Americas and the east. In 1494, Portugal and Spain concluded the Treaty of Tordesillas, defining spheres of influence for each power. Portugal could count on all territories from Brazil to the East Indies, and Spain on the western lands from Brazil to Cape Verde.

In essence, the treaty divided the globe into two halves between the two countries. The Spaniards had not yet had time to explore their half of the Earth, but they assumed that they could find part of the Spice Islands there. Magellan proposed to test this assumption by equipping an expedition to the west.

For the grandiose expedition of Magellan, other researchers have already paved the way. One of them was (1451-1506), who sailed west from the European coast to the Caribbean. Columbus misjudged the distance between Europe and the East Indies. He discovered America and the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean. After his voyage, many explorers became obsessed with finding a way across the Americas to the east to give Spain access to the Spice Islands. One such explorer was Magellan.

Round the world trip of Ferdinand Magellan

King Charles V of Spain (1500-1558) accepted Magellan's offer and on September 20, 1519 he was assigned to lead a flotilla of five ships. The flotilla was to head for the Atlantic.

Together with Magellan, his brother-in-law, Duarte Barbosa, also set sail. Arriving in Brazil, the flotilla headed along the South American coast to San Julian Bay, in Patagonia.

The explorers stayed there from March to August 1520. During this time, there was an attempt on the ships to mutiny against the captain, who was put down. Subsequently, however, the rebel ship Santiago was completely destroyed, and the rest of the ships took on board her crew.

Leaving San Julian, the flotilla headed south. On October 21, 1520, she entered the strait, which now bears the name of Magellan. On November 28, only three ships entered the Pacific Ocean. This was followed by a long voyage north across the Pacific Ocean. On March 6, 1521, the flotilla anchored in Guam.

Magellan headed east to Cebu (Philippines), where he tried to get help from the local government. Involuntarily, he was drawn into hostilities and killed in battle on April 27, 1521. Barbosa was also soon killed. The remaining crew was forced to destroy the Concepción (ship) and the great circumnavigation of the world was completed. The ship of Magellan - Victoria was led by the former rebel Juan Sebastian del Cano. He crossed the Indian Ocean and from the Cape of Good Hope finally returned to Seville on September 8, 1522. Meanwhile, Trinidad (ship) tried to return home through the Pacific Ocean. In the Moluccas, the crew was captured by the Portuguese and sent to prison. Only four of them were later able to return to Spain.

Magellan's legacy

Economically, the Magellan project was a failure for Spain. Portugal, as a result of the division of the world, got a more advantageous part of the world in terms of resources. Spain miscalculated and did not gain access to the Moluccas. Magellan lost the flotilla, people and his own life. Despite this, his voyage was a major historical event, because it was the first proof that the Earth is a ball. Magellan's voyage is considered one of the most important explorations in the history of mankind.

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese and Spanish explorer who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. This message is a story about him and his great journey that turned the world upside down.

The life of a traveler before his discoveries

Brief facts from the biography:

1. F. Magellan was born in the Portuguese city of Sabrosa in 1480.
2. At the age of 12, the boy got the opportunity to serve as a page for the Portuguese queen. So from 1492 to 1504 he was part of the retinue at the royal court, where he received his education. He studied such sciences as astronomy, cosmography, navigation, geometry, and naval science. And here he learned about how important for Portugal the development of economic relations with other countries and the opening of new trade routes for their development.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, there was an active competitive struggle between Spain and Portugal for the seizure of land and the development of new sea routes. The winner received not only new territories and subjects, but also more opportunities to trade with different countries. Economic and trade relations with India and the Moluccas (in those days they were called the Spice Islands) were considered especially important because of the trade in spices.

In the Middle Ages spices were the most expensive commodity and brought fabulous profits to European merchants. Therefore, the issue of dominance in trade relations was of fundamental importance.

1. From 1505 to 1513, Magellan took part in naval battles and proved to be a brave warrior. For these qualities he was awarded the rank of sea captain. Probably, it was during this period, during numerous campaigns to the Indian shores, that Magellan had the idea that the path to India in an easterly direction was too long. Following the traditional route, which was established after, the sailors had to go around Africa, passing its western and eastern coasts and crossing the Arabian Sea. It took about 10 months for the whole journey one way. Magellan decided that perhaps it would be possible to shorten the distance if he went west. According to one version, then it was born the idea of ​​finding a strait in the South Sea. Neither Magellan nor other travelers of that time had any idea about the true size of the globe.
2. The idea of ​​finding a new trade route did not find support from the Portuguese king, and having resigned from service, Magellan went to live in Spain in 1517, where he joined the service of the Spanish king Charles 1. He was already 37 years old and from that moment in his biography traveler new great pages appear.

Expedition of Magellan

Having received the support of the Spanish king and funding from the Spanish budget, Magellan set about organizing the expedition. It took about 2 years to prepare for it.

In September 1519, a small flotilla consisting of 5 sailing ships and 256 sailors on them, left the Spanish port of San Lucaras and headed towards the Canary Islands. On December 13, 1519, sailors entered the bay of Banya Santa Lucia (Bay of Rio de Janeiro at the present time), previously discovered by the Portuguese.

Then the path continued along the coast of South America and in January 1520 the flotilla passed the land where Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, is today. Previously, this place was discovered by the Spanish explorer Juan Solis, who considered that there is a passage to the South Sea here.

In October 1520, the flotilla entered another unknown bay. The 2 ships sent for reconnaissance returned to the rest of the ships only a week later and reported that they had not been able to reach the end of the bay and that there was probably a sea strait in front of them. The expedition is on its way.

By the middle of November 1920, having overcome the narrow, winding strait strewn with rocks and shoals, the ships reach the ocean, which is not marked on any map.

Later this strait will be named after Magellan - the Strait of Magellan. The strait separates the continental part of South America and the islands of Tierra del Fuego and connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

The journey of Magellan and his team through the South Sea lasted for 98 days. During the journey, nature was favorable to the captain and he was lucky to pass this segment of the journey without storms, hurricanes and storms. That's why The navigator gave the South Sea a new name - the Pacific Ocean.

By the time the expedition reached the Mariana Islands, 13 thousand kilometers had already been covered. It was the world's first non-stop journey of this length.

Replenishing food supplies on about. Guam, in March 1521, the expedition moved on in search of the Moluccas, or the Spice Islands, as they were then called.

Magellan is here decided to subjugate the lands and the natives power of the Spanish king. Part of the population obeyed the newcomers Europeans, while the other part refused to recognize the authority of Spain. Then Magellan used force and with his team attacked the inhabitants of about. Mactan. He died in battle with the natives.

The leadership of the expedition and the surviving Spaniards was taken over by Sebastian Elcano, an experienced and brave sailor who had experience in leading the ship's crew.

For six months, the remnants of the flotilla plowed the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and in November 1521 the ships of the expedition reached the Spice Islands. In December 1521, the only remaining ship from the flotilla, loaded with spices and spices, heads west and heads home. He has to go 15,000 kilometers: the Indian and part of the Atlantic Ocean - to the Strait of Gibraltar.

In Spain, the expedition was no longer expected to return. However, in September 1522, the ship entered the Spanish port of Sant Lucar.

Thus ended the great campaign, as a result of which for the first time it was possible to circumnavigate the earth under sail. Despite the fact that Magellan himself, the initiator and ideological inspirer of the campaign, did not live to see the triumphant end of the expedition, his undertaking was of great importance for the further development of science.

The results of the expedition of Magellan:

• Of all European travelers, he was the first to cross the Pacific Ocean.
• The world's first documented circumnavigation was made.
• As a result of the expedition, it was proved that:
  1. The earth has a spherical shape, since constantly adhering to the western direction, the expedition returned to Spain already from the east.
  2. The earth is covered not by separate reservoirs, but by a single World Ocean, washing the land and occupying the ocean with much larger areas than expected.
• A previously unknown strait was discovered connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, which was later named the Strait of Magellan.
• New islands were discovered, later named after him.

Fernand Magellan (Fernand de Magalhaes) - (born November 20, 1480 - death April 27, 1521)

What did Magellan Ferdinand discover?

The outstanding Portuguese navigator Magellan Fernand, his expedition made the first ever circumnavigation of the world, which involved the search for a western route to the Moluccas. This proved the existence of a single world ocean and provided practical proof of the spherical shape of the Earth. Magellan discovered the entire coast of South America south of La Plata, circled the continent from the south, discovered the strait, which was named after him, and the Patagonian Cordillera; first crossed the Pacific Ocean.

Biography of Ferdinand Magellan

Among the people who made global upheavals in the minds of people and the development of mankind, travelers could also play a significant role. The most striking figure of them is the Portuguese Fernand de Magalhaes, who became known to the whole world under the Spanishized name of Fernand Magellan.

Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1470 in the locality of Sabrosa, in the remote northeastern province of Portugal, Traz os Leontes. His family belonged to a noble but impoverished knightly family and was respected at court. It was not in vain that King João II of Fernand's father, Pedro Ruy de Magalhães, appointed senior alcalde * of the strategically important harbor of Aveiro.

(* Alcalde is a judicial or municipal official who had executive power. His main task was to maintain public order).

Education

Connections at court made it possible for the alcalde in 1492 to attach his eldest son as a page to Queen Eleanor. So, Fernand received the right to be brought up in the royal residence. There, in addition to the knightly arts - horseback riding, fencing, falconry - he was able to master astronomy, navigation and cartography. At the Portuguese court, these items have been mandatory for young courtiers since the time of Prince Henry the Navigator. It was they who had to go on long-distance sea expeditions with the aim of conquering and discovering new lands. No wonder their lessons were observed by King Manuel himself, who replaced Juan on the throne.

The ambitious Fernand became seriously interested in navigation. In an effort to stay away from palace intrigues, in 1504 he asked the king to let him go to India under the leadership of the Viceroy of India, Francisco de Almeida, and, having received consent, left Lisbon in the spring of 1505.

Career of Magalhaes the Navigator

Almeida's expedition was purely military in nature and had the goal of subduing the recalcitrant Muslim rulers from Sofala to Hormuz and from Cochin to Bab el-Mandeb. Muslim fortifications had to be wiped off the face of the earth and Portuguese fortresses had to be built in their place.

Magalhaes took part in sea and land battles at Kilva, Sofal, Mombasa, Kannanur, Calicut, as well as in the sacking of these cities, and over time turned into a valiant warrior, experienced and accustomed to any cruelties and misadventures of his harsh era. He quickly gained a reputation as a brave captain, skilled in combat and navigation. At the same time, even then, concern for brothers in arms became one of the main features of the future pioneer of circumnavigations.

1509 - During the battles near Malacca, Magalhaes was able to become famous, almost single-handedly coming to the aid of a handful of his compatriots who were attacked by the Malays. He acted in the same nobility during his return from Malacca to India. At the head of only 5 people, Fernand hurried to the aid of the Portuguese caravel and helped to win.

At the very beginning of 1510, the career of Magalhaes the navigator almost came to an end: during the unsuccessful assault on Calicut, he was seriously wounded, and for the second time. The first wound, received during a campaign against Morocco, made him lame for the rest of his life. Dejected, Fernand decided to return to his homeland.

Magellan's route

In the spring, a small flotilla of three ships left Cochin for Portugal. On board one of the ships was Magalhaes. But this time he never made it home. A hundred miles from the Indian coast, two ships ran into the pitfalls of the dangerous Padua shoal and sank. The officers and distinguished passengers decided to return to India on the remaining ship, leaving their rootless companions without water and food on a narrow sandy shoal, for whom there was no place on the ship. Fernand refused to sail with them: nobility and high rank were a kind of guarantee that help could still be sent for those who remained. In the end, that is what happened. Two weeks later, the shipwrecked were rescued, and upon arrival in India, they everywhere talked about the extraordinary firmness of their patron, who managed, under difficult conditions, to arouse hope in people and strengthen stamina.

Fernand remained in India for some time. According to the documents, he boldly expressed his opinion in cases where other captains were silent. This, probably, could be the main reason for his disagreement with the new Viceroy Afonso de Albuquerque.

Portugal

Summer 1512 - Magalhaes returned to Portugal. This is evidenced by an entry in the pay slip of the royal court, according to which he was assigned a monthly royal pension of 1000 Portuguese reais. After 4 weeks, it was almost doubled, which may indicate that the merits of the valiant captain were recognized by the court.

During the war with the Moors of Azamora (modern Azemmour in Morocco), Fernand was appointed major, that is, he received a rather prestigious and profitable position. At his complete disposal were the prisoners and all the captured trophies. Fasting provided unlimited opportunities for personal enrichment, therefore Magalhaes had no shortage of ill-wishers.

After some time, he was unreasonably accused of organizing an attack by the Moors on a herd and allowing 400 heads of cattle to be stolen, receiving a lot of money for this. After some time, the charge was dropped, but the offended Fernand resigned.

Left without sufficient means of subsistence, the warrior known for his valor hoped for the mercy of the king. He asked Manuel to increase his pension by only 200 Portuguese reais. But the king did not like people with a strong character and, according to the chronicler Barrush, "... always had an aversion to him," and therefore refused. Indignant, Magalhaes secretly left his homeland in 1517 and moved to Spain.

Spain

Since that time, the history of an unprecedented sea voyage around the Earth begins, the sphericity of which was then only assumed. And the merit of its organization and implementation belongs entirely to Fernand Magalhaes, who from now on has become Ferdinand Magellan.

Later, King Manuel caught on and, with tenacity worthy of a better use, began to prevent Magellan from carrying out his plans. But the mistake could no longer be corrected, and Portugal, for the second time after history, lost the chance to benefit from the discoveries of its great sons, underestimating their potential.

"Moluccan Armada" - ships of Magellan

It is known that even in Portugal he carefully studied nautical charts, made acquaintances with sailors and dealt a lot with the problems of determining geographic longitude. All this helped him a lot in realizing his idea.

According to the papal bull Inter cetera of 1493, all new territories discovered to the east of the demarcation line established in 1494 belonged to Portugal, and to the west - to Spain. But the method of calculating geographic longitude, adopted at that time, did not allow for a clear demarcation of the Western Hemisphere. Therefore, Magellan, as well as his friend and assistant, the astrologer and cosmographer Ruy Faleiro, believed that the Moluccas should not belong to Portugal, but to Spain.

1518, March - they presented their project to the Council of the Indies. After lengthy negotiations, it was accepted, and the Spanish King Carlos I (aka Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) undertook to equip 5 ships and allocate supplies for 2 years. In the event of the discovery of new lands, companions were given the right to become their rulers. They also received 20% of the income. In this case, the rights were to be inherited.

Shortly before this significant event, serious changes took place in the life of Fernand. Arriving in Seville, he joined the colony of Portuguese emigrants. One of them, the commandant of the Alcazar of Seville, Diogo Barbosa, introduced the valiant captain into his family. His son Duarte became a close friend of Fernand, and his daughter Beatrice became his wife.

Magellan really did not want to leave his young, passionately loving wife and recently born son, but duty, ambition and the desire to provide for his family persistently called him to the sea. Could not stop him and the unfavorable astrological forecast made by Faleyru. But it was precisely because of this that Ruy refused to participate in the voyage, and Magellan became its sole leader and organizer.

Magellan's voyage around the world

In Seville, 5 ships were prepared - the flagship Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepción, Victoria and Santiago. On September 20, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan said goodbye to the pregnant Beatrice and the newborn Rodrigo on the pier and ordered to raise the anchor. They were not destined to see each other again.

The lists of a small flotilla included 265 people: commanders and helmsmen, boatswains, gunners, ordinary sailors, priests, carpenters, caulkers, coopers, soldiers and people who did not have specific duties. All this motley multinational crew (in addition to the Spaniards and the Portuguese there were also Italians, Germans, French, Flemings, Sicilians, British, Moors and Malays) had to be kept in obedience. And discontent began almost from the first weeks of sailing. Agents of the Portuguese king infiltrated the ships, and through the zeal of the Portuguese consul in Seville, Alvaris, the holds were partially filled with rotten flour, moldy crackers and rotten corned beef.

On September 26, sailors reached the Canary Islands, on October 3 headed for Brazil, and on December 13 they entered the bay of Rio de Janeiro. From here, travelers headed south along the South American coast in search of a passage to the "South Sea", while moving only during the day, so as not to miss it in the dark. 1520, March 31 - the ships entered the bay of San Julian off the coast of Patagonia for the winter.

rebellion

Ferdinand Magellan - suppression of the rebellion

Soon Magellan had to give the order to reduce the diet. But part of the crew opposed such a decision and began to demand a return to Spain, but received a decisive refusal. Then, during the celebration of Easter, the leaders of the rebels, taking advantage of the fact that the bulk of the crews went ashore, were able to capture three ships.

Magellan decided to use force and cunning. He sent several loyal people to the Victoria with a letter to the rebellious treasurer Luis de Mendoza. He was stabbed while reading the letter, and the crew offered no resistance. The next day, two rebellious captains, Gaspar de Quesada and Juan de Cartagena, tried to withdraw their ships from the bay, but the Trinidad, Santiago and Victoria recaptured from the rebels blocked their path. The San Antonio surrendered without resistance. Quesada, who commanded them, was immediately arrested, and after some time Cartagena was also captured.

By order of Ferdinand Magellan, the dead body of Mendoza was quartered, Quesada was cut off his head, and Cartagena and the traitor priest Pedro Sanchez de la Reina were left on the shore. But the rebellious sailors did not suffer. They were given life, mainly because they were needed for ship work.

Strait of Magellan

Soon the squadron, which lost the Santiago during reconnaissance, moved further south. But the betrayals didn't stop there. On November 1, when the squadron was already moving through the desired strait, later called Magellanic, helmsman Ishteban Gomish, taking advantage of the fact that his ship was out of sight from the rest of the ships, captured the San Antonio and fled to Spain. Magellan never found out about the betrayal, just as he did not know what a fatal role Gomis played in the fate of his family. Arriving in Spain, the deserter accused his captain-general of treason against the king. As a result, Beatrice and her children were placed under house arrest and interrogation. She was deprived of state benefits and left in severe need. Neither she nor her sons lived to see the return of the expedition. And Gomes for "outstanding services rendered to the flotilla of Magellan" was awarded a knighthood by the king.

Discovery of the Marianas

On November 28, the ships of Ferdinand Magellan entered the ocean, on which no European had yet sailed. The weather, fortunately, remained good, and the navigator named the Pacific Ocean. Crossing it, he walked at least 17 thousand km and discovered many small islands, but inaccurate calculations did not allow them to be identified with any specific points on the map. Only the discovery in early March 1521 of two inhabited islands, Guam and Rota, the southernmost of the Mariana Islands, is considered indisputable. Magellan called them Robbers. The islanders stole a boat from the sailors, and the captain-general, having landed with a detachment on the shore, burned several native huts.

This voyage lasted almost 4 months. Despite the absence of hurricanes characteristic of this area, people had a very hard time. They were forced to eat sugar dust mixed with worms, drink rotten water, eat cowhide, sawdust and ship rats. These creatures seemed to them almost a delicacy and were sold for half a ducat apiece.

The crew was tortured by scurvy, many people died. But Magellan continued to confidently lead the squadron forward and somehow, on a proposal to return, he said: “We will go forward, even if we had to eat all the cowhide.”

Discovery of the Philippine Islands

1521, March 15 - the expedition ended up near the island of Samar (Philippines), and a week later, moving still to the west, arrived at the island of Limasava, where the slave of Magellan, the Malay Enrique, heard his native speech. This meant that the travelers were somewhere near the Spice Islands, that is, they had almost completed their task.

And yet the navigator sought to reach the cherished islands. But he decided to stay for a while in order to convert the Filipinos to Christianity.

1521, April 7 - the flotilla anchored off the island of Cebu, where a large port and the residence of the rajah was located. The sincerely religious Magellan insisted that the islanders accept Christianity without counting on any material benefits, but, unwittingly, he convinced the natives that they could count on a benevolent attitude from the powerful Spanish king only if they renounced the old faith. and worship the cross.

On April 14, the ruler of Cebu Humabon decided to be baptized. The cunning raja, now called Carlos, enlisted the support of Magellan against his pagan enemies and, thus, in one day subjugated everyone who challenged his power. In addition, Humabon secured a promise that when Magellan returned to the Philippines at the head of a large fleet, he would make him the sole ruler of all the islands as a reward for being the first to convert to Christianity. Moreover, the rulers of the nearby islands were also brought to obedience. But the leader of one of these islands, Mactana, named Silapulapu, did not want to submit to Carlos Humabon. Then the navigator decided to use force.

Death of Magellan

Death of Magellan

1521, April 27 - 60 armed men in armor, with several small guns, boarded boats and headed for Mactan. They were accompanied by several hundred Humabon warriors. But luck turned away from the Spaniards. The captain-general underestimated the enemy, not in time remembering the history of the conquest of Mexico, when a handful of Spaniards were able to take over the whole country. In the battle with the warriors of Mactan, his battle-hardened companions were defeated, and the captain-general himself laid down his head. During the retreat to the boats, the natives overtook him in the water. Wounded in the arm and leg, the already lame Magellan fell. What happened next is eloquently described by the chronicler of the expedition, Antonio Pigafett:

“The captain fell face down, and immediately they threw iron and bamboo spears at him and began to strike with cleavers until they destroyed our mirror, our light, our joy and our true leader. He kept turning back to see if we all had time to dive into the boats ... "

The further fate of the sailors

Subsequent events testified to the correctness of Pigafetta, who called Magellan "the true leader." Apparently, only he could keep this greedy pack in check, ready at any time for betrayal.

His successors failed to hold on to the positions they had won. The first thing they did was to deliver the bartered goods to the ships with feverish haste. Then one of the new leaders thoughtlessly insulted the Malay Enrique, and he persuaded Humabon to betrayal. The Raja lured some of the Spaniards into a trap and ordered them to be killed, and demanded a ransom for the surviving captain of the Concepción, Juan Serrau. Seeing him as a rival, Juan Carvalo, temporarily appointed commander of the flotilla, abandoned his comrade and ordered to raise the sails.

About 120 people survived. On three ships, by touch, often changing course, they nevertheless reached the Moluccas, destroying the worm-eaten Concepción along the way. Here they, not thinking about the possible danger from the local population, where the Spaniards were not very fond of, and the difficulties of the way home, rushed to buy spices. In the end, the Victoria, under the command of Esteban Elcano, left the Moluccas, and the heavily loaded Trinidad remained for repairs. Finally, his crew, who made an unsuccessful attempt to get to Panama, were captured. For a long time its members languished in prisons and plantations, first in the Moluccas and then in the Banda Islands. Later they were sent to India, where they lived on alms and were under the vigilant supervision of the authorities. Only five in 1527 were lucky enough to return to their homeland.

And the Victoria, under the command of Elcano, diligently bypassing the routes of the Portuguese ships, crossed the southern part of the Indian Ocean, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and through the Cape Verde Islands on September 8, 1522, arrived in the Spanish harbor of San Lucar. Of her crew, only 18 people survived (according to other sources - 30).

At home, the sailors had a hard time. Instead of honors, they got public repentance for one “lost” day (as a result of moving around the earth in time zones). From the point of view of the clergy, this could only happen as a result of breaking fasts.

Elcano, however, received honors. He received a coat of arms depicting the globe with the inscription "You were the first to travel around me" and a pension of 500 ducats. And no one remembered Magellan.

The true role of this remarkable man in history was able to appreciate the descendants, and, unlike Columbus, it has never been disputed. His voyage revolutionized the concept of the Earth. After this journey, any attempts to deny the sphericity of the planet completely ceased, it was proved that the world ocean is one, ideas were obtained about the true size of the globe, it was finally established that America is an independent continent, a strait was found between two oceans. And it is not for nothing that Stefan Zweig wrote in his book The Feat of Magellan: “Only he enriches mankind who helps him to know himself, who deepens his creative self-awareness. And in this sense, the feat accomplished by Magellan surpasses all the feats of his time.

(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 ....

Five ships led by "Victoria" went west to return home from the east - Magellan, like Columbus, believed that the earth was round.

More 17,000 km The traveler sailed along with his comrades the seas and oceans, where trials and many dangers awaited them.

Ferdinand Magellan discovered Europe unknown by that time Atlantic coast of South America. Thanks to the security system that the navigator came up with, his ships never lost each other in the sea.

Do you know, dear friend, that the name Pacific Ocean Ferdinand Magellan gave it? And not in vain. For four whole months of sailing by the ocean, not a single storm occurred.

The journey turned out to be much more difficult than Magellan expected. The crew was gripped by hunger and disease. Reaching in 1522nd previously unseen Philippine Islands, Magellan died in a fight with the natives.

The surviving crew hastily returned to the ships and continued to move west. Only two ships were destined to return home. In September 1522, she completed her round-the-world trip. "Victoria". arrived a little later and "Trinidad". The wealth brought by the sailors of this ship made it possible to fully compensate for the losses from the loss of other ships.

So, as you already guessed, Magellan and his associates proved that the earth is round and, having sailed to the west, one can return back from the east. Travelers also discovered that there are more oceans on the planet, and not land, as Columbus previously believed.

The journey of Magellan was of great importance for a better understanding of the world by mankind. Named after the famous navigator strait separating the mainland of South America from the islands of Tierra del Fuego.

The name of the traveler is also carried by two clusters of stars - Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.