Remember how Neil Amstrong uttered a famous phrase, calling his first step on the lunar surface a giant leap for mankind? But long before him, such feats were performed by great travelers of the Middle Ages. For example, the discoveries of Magellan became a real revolution in the representation of people about their planet and made them doubt the inviolability of the dogmas of the Catholic Church. So who was the man who proved that the Earth is round, discovered where the Strait of Magellan is on the map? What consequences did his discoveries have for the development of science? To find answers to these questions, it is worth getting acquainted with historical facts, most of which are known thanks to Antonio Pigafetta - the Italian navigator who participated in the first round-the-world trip.
Fernand Magellan: biography
Unfortunately, today no one can say exactly where the famous traveler was born , the first of the Europeans to go around the South American continent. However, most researchers believe that this event occurred on October 17, 1480 in Porto or in Sabroz. At the same time, according to historical documents, as a teenager, Fernand served as a page for Queen Leonora of Avis, therefore it is assumed that he was of noble origin.
When Magellan was 25 years old, he was sent to India as part of the squadron Francisco Almeida. After serving the prescribed 5 years, Fernan is trying to return to his homeland, but by chance he is forced to stay in India, where he seeks the favor of the colonial authorities and gains great authority among the military. Thus, the future great traveler appears in Lisbon only in 1512. And participates in the war with Morocco, during which, through his unauthorized actions, provokes the wrath of King Manuel the First. During an audience, Magellan asks the monarch for permission to go on a sea expedition, but is refused. At the same time, Manuel the First makes it clear that he would not mind if he would serve another overlord. Interestingly, if the king of Portugal knew that the future discoveries of Magellan would glorify Spain, would he give him similar advice?
What preceded the first trip around the world
The insulted Magellan leaves his homeland and goes to Spain, buys a house in Seville, marries, he gives birth to a son. Having acquired useful contacts, Magellan turns to the Chamber of Contracts organization, which finances marine expeditions, but they refuse to allocate money for his project to find the western route to the Spice Islands. At the same time, Juan de Aranda is showing personal interest, demanding 1/8 of the possible profits, and the King of Spain, Charles the First, gives permission to equip five ships. Now you know who Magellan was before his famous journey. What he discovered will be described later.
Magellan World Travel : Expected Economic Benefits
Although the discovery of America by Columbus made Spain a superpower, the main goal of this expedition, namely the achievement of the coast of India by the Western route, was not achieved. But this promised enormous economic benefits! In particular, in this way it would be proved that the famous Spice Islands, which departed Portugal under the Treaty of Tordesillas, are located in the "Spanish" South Sea. In turn, this meant that the expected discoveries of Magellan could significantly expand the possession of Charles the First and end the Portuguese monopoly on the trade in spices, which were then worth its weight in gold.
Travel to Brazil and Patagonia
The heroic sea saga of Magellan began on September 20, 1519, when 5 vessels, equipped with food for 2 years in advance, left San Lucar. In total, up to 280 people took part in the expedition, 100 of which were equipped as soldiers. In addition, the ships were equipped with 10 guns and 50 arquebuses. The main ship, the Trinidad, and the Santiago caravel were driven by Magellan himself and another Portuguese, Juan Serran. The other three ships went on a campaign under the leadership of high-class Spanish hidalgo, who agreed to rebel if it seemed to them that Commander Fernan had gone astray.
Having overcome the Atlantic Ocean with great difficulty, on November 29, the Magellan expedition reached the coast of Brazil and began to explore the coast of La Plata, hoping that this is the strait through which you can reach the "South Sea". Convinced of the fallacy of this assumption, the squadron proceeded further south along the coast of the South American continent and, meeting penguins along the road, mistook them for the natives. Wandering continued until the end of March 1420, when Magellan decided to stand for the winter and cut down the crew rations. During the winter, the Spaniards met with locals who walked by wrapping hay on their feet. And they called them Patagonians (big-footed), and their country Patagonia.
Strait of Magellan
October 21, 1520 ships of the expedition are at a narrow strait. The ships "San Antonio" and "Concepcion" are sent for reconnaissance, which miraculously manage to avoid death during a sudden crash. However, as they say, there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped. At the moment when the wave carried the ship to the shore, they fell into a narrow passage, studies of which showed that it had salt water, and the lot did not reach the shore. Both ships return to Magellan and report the good news that the sea route to the "South Sea" has been found, and after many years it is designated as the Strait of Magellan on the world map. Unfortunately, this discovery neither at that historical moment, nor centuries later could bring any benefit to humanity from an economic point of view, since this route is extremely long and dangerous for shipping. However, he gave a huge impetus to the development of sciences such as cartography and geography.
Islands of Tierra del Fuego discovered by Magellan
To the south of the discovered strait, the expedition members saw the land on which lights lit up at night. Magellan mistakenly suggested that this was the northern tip of Terra Australis Incognita - the southern mainland - and called it Tierra del Fuego. As it turned out later, it was an archipelago consisting of 40 thousand islands and islets. Thus, to the questions: “What did Fernand Magellan do?”, “What did he discover?” You can rightfully call Tierra del Fuego as an answer. Today everyone knows that the archipelago separates the Strait of Magellan from the mainland, and on the largest of its islands - Isla Grande - is the southernmost city on the planet - Ushuaia.
Discovery of the Mariana Islands
After breaking the strait in 38 days, the expedition ships sailed into the ocean and sailed about 17,000 km to the first uninhabited island that they met on their way. The sailors were surprised, because before that it was assumed that America was located off the coast of Asia. Then Magellan realized that he had revealed to the world the true relationship between land and ocean waters, and also gave people an idea of the size of the Earth. It was not possible to cling to the ground, and they continued their journey until they reached the island of Guam, which belongs to the group of the Mariana Islands. It turned out that the locals had no idea about private property, and therefore tried to carry away from the ships any objects that came into their hands. That is why the Spaniards called the Landrones Islands, which translates as thieves. There, travelers stocked up on food and fresh water and continued on their way.
Discovery of the Philippine Islands
Since it was obvious that the expedition was already in the Eastern Hemisphere, Magellan, fearing meetings with the Portuguese, sought to stay away from the waters where the shipping lanes passed. Soon his ships reached unknown islands. It was decided to call them the archipelago of St. Lazarus, and later they were renamed the Philippine Islands. Homonkh was chosen for landing, therefore, when answering the question: “What is the name of the first island discovered by Magellan in Asia?”, It should be pointed to it.
Death of a traveler
Today everyone knows what land Magellan discovered. However, few know the details of his death.
So, how did the person who was the first of the people able to go around the South American continent met death? It all started with the fact that the leader of the island of Mactan refused to submit to the ruler of the neighboring island Cebu Humabon, who swore allegiance to the Spanish crown and even was baptized, along with his family and close nobles. Magellan decided to show the locals that Europeans value and protect their vassals, and went to pacify the rebellious Mactans. However, he did not calculate that the natives, who had time to study the methods of warfare by Europeans, no longer regarded them as celestials. In addition, the military expedition of Magellan was poorly prepared, and the Spaniards did not calculate that their ships could not get close enough to the shore. Almost immediately after the start of the battle, Magellan’s army was dealt a lot of damage, because the native soldiers were aiming spears at the legs of Spanish soldiers who were unprotected with armor, and when they tried to get to their ships, they began to finish them off with arrows. The same fate befell Commander Fernand, who, wishing to cover his retreating comrades-in-arms, remained to fight in the water with a handful of loyal warriors, but was first wounded in the face, and then punctured with spear tips. So died one of the greatest travelers in the history of mankind. However, he forever inscribed his name in the annals of world history, and today every student knows which strait Magellan discovered.
The fate of the sailors of the expedition
The death of Magellan and his eight associates undermined the prestige of the Spaniards in the eyes of the natives. Therefore, Humabonu decides to get rid of the aliens and arranges a dinner party, during which he deals with a significant part of the commanders. The rest have to flee. Finally, when they reached the Spice Islands, the surviving members of the Magellan expedition purchased goods and set off on the return trip when they learned that the Portuguese king had declared Magellan a deserter and ordered his ships to be detained. At that time, only two ships remained afloat, whose commanders decide to go home in different ways. So the ship "Trinidad" is captured by the Portuguese, and his crew members end their lives in hard labor in India. The fate of those who go to Spain on the Victoria, under the command of Juan Elcanto, through the Cape of Good Hope, is quite different. At the cost of incredible efforts, they managed to get to Seville. Thus, before answering the questions: “Who is Magellan?”, “What has discovered?”, It is worth considering. After all, the fact that he is called the first traveler who has circumnavigated the world is not entirely true. Moreover, he never set himself such a goal, since his only desire was to find the western path by which spices could be brought to Spain and profit from it.
Fernand Magellan: what he discovered
Such a short life, only 40 years long, but what brilliant results! It is such thoughts that arise when you read the story of the journey that Magellan made. What did you discover? The famous strait named after him, Tierra del Fuego, the Mariana and Philippine Islands. And most importantly, Magellan proved that from Europe to Asia you can get not only around Africa, but also moving westward.