Fernand Magellan: first voyage around the world. Fernand Magellan - report message

Decor elements 19.10.2019
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Fernand Magellan a short biography of the Portuguese and Spanish navigator is set out in this article.

Fernand Magellan short biography

Fernand Magellan's years of life: 1480 — 1521

Was born in 1480 year, probably in the village of Sabroza, Portugal.

The parents of the future sailor died quite early, leaving the boy in the care of the royal court. This allowed a noble but poor descendant of an ancient noble family to graduate from an elite nautical school for those times at Cape Sagres.

Having received an excellent education, Magellan is sent to serve in the navy, and in the period from 1505 to 1513 he is promoted to the rank of captain. Despite the displayed courage, Fernand was sent to the reserve due to a false denunciation. Unable to withstand the unjust resentment, he renounced Portuguese citizenship in 1517 and moved to Spain. Upon arrival, Magellan offered the Spanish king Charles I an experiment unusual for that time, which could glorify the Spanish crown. The essence of the proposal was to organize the first circumnavigation of the world.

After that, preparations began for the expedition. It was decided to send a flotilla of five ships: Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepcion, Victoria, Santiago. September 20, 1519 they hit the road. The team circled the eastern coast of South America.

In March 1520, some of the sailors expressed a desire to return to Spain, but Magellan overcame the impending rebellion. In May 1520, the ship "Santiago" was lost, so the expedition continued on four ships. And in September, Fernando Magellan, together with the flotilla, passed the strait, later named Magellan. Immediately after this, the ship "San Antonio" returned to Spain.

Then the team passed the Pacific Ocean for more than three months. During all this time, there was not a single storm, which is why Magellan called the ocean the Pacific. Arriving in the spring of 1521 to the islands (later called Philippine), Magellan decided to subordinate the population to the Spanish king.

The expedition anchored off Mactan Island. Here, in a clash with local tribes, their leader Lapu-Lapu April 27, 1521 Fernand Magellan was killed.

Without him, the remaining ships of the flotilla reached the Moluccas, where they bought spices. Two ships left the islands - "Trinidad" and "Victoria". The first went east, but was forced to return to the Molucco Islands, where he was captured by the Portuguese on the orders of the king, who called Magellan a deserter. Only the vessel "Victoria" returned home, circumnavigating Africa.

So the first round the world trip was made, as a result of which 4 out of 5 ships did not return, but the way to the Spice Islands was found.

Fernand Magellan (Magellanche) (c. 1480-1521) - one of the greatest navigators, Portuguese, made the first trip around the world.

From 1505 to 1512 the traveler was part of the team of the expedition to the Indian Ocean, in which he twice reached Malacca (Malaysia). He drew up a plan to sail westward to the Moluccas (Malay Archipelago), but the king of Portugal did not approve it.

In 1517, having failed to achieve a well-deserved promotion in his homeland, he invited the Spaniards to complete Columbus's journey to the west in search of the Spice Islands, circling Brazil from the south. This project was adopted by the King of Spain.

In September 1519, Magellan's first and last expedition began. It was attended by 5 ships. It began with the Spanish port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. In January 1520, having reached the mouth of the La Plata, the sailors moved southward off the eastern coast of South America. This unknown land was named Patagonia. At the same time, San Matias and San Jorke were discovered. During the wintering period at the harbor of San Julian, a riot broke out on 3 ships, but was immediately suppressed by the captain.

In August 1520, the strait was discovered, which was named after the navigator. The Tierra del Fuego archipelago was discovered on the southern side of the strait.

In November 1520, Magellan reached the ocean, which the team named the Pacific. The traveler hoped to be off the coast of Asia in a few days. But that was a mistake: another 3 months had to go to it, full of terrible hardships: the sailors ate leather, sawdust and rats. Having covered over 9000 miles without stopping anywhere, they managed to land only on the southernmost of the Mariana Islands - Guam.

From here the expedition came to the Philippines. Local residents, understanding the Malay interpreter, appreciated the ship's artillery and agreed to be baptized. But Magellan, out of absurd stupidity, decided to help the leader who had converted to Christianity in the war with his pagan neighbors, was wounded by javelins during disembarkation and finished off by the natives. In the battle on the island of Cebu on April 21, 1521, 8 sailors were killed, including the captain himself.

Only two ships came from Magellan's expedition to the Moluccan island of Tidore, and only one "Victoria", led by Juan Sebastian Elcano (del Cano), went further west, passing Cape Good Hope, and, with a team of 18 people, reached Spain ...

Of the 237 sailors, 219 died and deserted. The Philippines was named after King Philip II of Spain and Portugal.

Option 2

The Portuguese, as well as the Spanish future traveler and navigator Fernand Magellan, was born into the family of an impoverished knight in 1480 on November 20. He was born in Portugal, in a small village called Sabroza, but some sources indicate that this was the city of Porto. He was not the only child in the family; in addition to him, his parents had 4 more children. At the young age of 12, Magellan served the wife of his king, Leonora of Avissa.

Even at a young age, he was interested in astronomy, navigation, cosmography, and not in court ceremonies and fencing, like all his peers. He was a little withdrawn. Magellan held this position until his 24 years of age.

At 25, Fernand decides to volunteer for the navy. He departed with the fleet for 5 years, after he longed to return to his homeland, but due to circumstances, he had to stay in India. The navigator returned to Portugal only in 1512, despite all the dignity and courage shown during the battles, the meeting at home he was rendered rather cold.

While he and his colleagues pacified the uprising. Magellan was badly wounded in the leg, because of the injury, he remained lame at the same time, the navigator's relations with King Manuel deteriorated, since he voluntarily participated in pacifying the unrest.

In the next battle, he lost his stallion. He was ordered to guard the Moors' livestock. At this time, the traveler is denounced to the king, allegedly Fernand is selling these cattle, he decides to go to the king to give an explanation. But the Portuguese king only becomes more furious and sends him back. Relations with the king were completely ruined. After the incident, the navigator leaves the service and moves to his homeland.

There he decides to sail to Indonesia through the strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean and the then unexplored South Sea. During an audience with the king, he asks for permission to the expedition, but receives a harsh refusal, this was influenced by their litter, and the fact that the king did not see any benefit in the expedition.

Magellan decides to move to Spain. In 1917 he received permission from the Spanish king to conduct an expedition to the Molucco Islands.

Organization of the trip was difficult and lengthy, but despite the obstacles 09/20/1519 5 ships headed by Fernand set off.

It was difficult and unexplored, after the ships sailed the eastern coast of South America, part of the team wished to return to their homeland, but Magellan managed to calm the people down. Later, one of the ships was lost, but the journey did not stop and continued on 4 ships. In 1520, in September, a strait was found, which they successfully passed. Then 3 ships continued the journey, since 1 returned to its homeland.

The traveler's ships took over 3 months to cross the ocean. So over time, they got to the now-called Philippine Islands. There, provisions were replenished, which the travelers did not have at all.

On the same islands, there was a conflict with the local leader. And during the battle, Fernand Magellan was killed, this happened on April 27, 1521.

The journey continued without him, the ships reached the original goal of the expedition about. Molucco, many spices were purchased from the islands. 2 ships were able to leave the island. Only one reached Spain, the second was captured by the Portuguese.

Thanks to the journey of Magellan, it was proved that the earth has a spherical shape. He also found that there is a single world ocean.

Magellan Report

Throughout the history of the globe, there have lived and still live many researchers and travelers who have discovered and studied a lot of useful things for us and for the future. But not a single person could pass or swim around the Earth once. True, up to a certain point. To be more precise, Fernand Magellan made his first trip around the world. How did it happen? And what did he manage to discover during this journey?

Who is Magellan?

An ordinary navigator and explorer, born in 1480. There is one inaccuracy: it is still unclear exactly in which city Magellan was born. It is known that his home country is Portugal. He had a wife - Maria Barbosa, and they had two children - Carlos and Rodrigo. He lived for 40 years, died in 1521 in the Philippines, before reaching the end of his expedition.

On his own free will he went to serve in the navy at the age of 25. After serving 5 years and receiving many merits and awards, Magellan decides to return to his homeland, and in 1512 he succeeds. Only Fernand was greeted without any praise. Then Magellan was wounded in the leg, as a result of which he had to retire.

At that time, there was only one goal of the expeditions - to find the shortest routes to India, since there were islands on which various spices grew. They were valued like gold. So, in 1519, 256 people, led by Magellan and Serran, departed from San Lucaras. The journey has begun. The first thing Fernand managed to do was find a new archipelago. It was named Tierra del Fuego because the lights were constantly on at night. As Magellan thought, it was volcanoes that erupted, but in reality the Indians kindled fires. Then they found themselves in a new, untouched area of ​​the sea.

Magellan decided to call it the Pacific Ocean. This name was given due to the fact that it was completely calm at the time of the arrival of the expedition. And then the problems started. First, the supplies ran out, although the food was calculated for exactly 2 years, and only a few months had passed. Thanks to this, 21 people lost their lives. And then Magellan did not share something with the leader of one of the islands. Becoming overconfident, Magellan fought the tribe and was killed.

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In the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, Portugal launched a real maritime expansion. There were quite objective reasons for this: direct access to the sea made it possible to organize any expedition, and the best sailing ships in the world (caravels) gave a significant advantage over any other fleet. That is why this period of history is rich in outstanding travelers. One of these will be discussed in our article - this is Fernand Magellan, who was the first to manage to go around the Earth around. This man discovered that there is a sea route from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Moreover, the strait itself was named after him.

Brave Magellan: biography of the famous traveler

The merits of this brave man can hardly be overestimated: it was he who discovered, described and mapped the entire coast of South America, which stretches below La Plata, was the first to find the Patagonian Cordilleras (Andes Patagonicos), found a path around the mainland from the south, as well as a direct sea road across the Pacific Ocean to the islands of Guam and Rota. Not at all intending to become a sailor, he found his calling in heroic campaigns and great discoveries, for which he is remembered by descendants all over the world.

Interesting

The two nearest galaxies located in the immediate vicinity of the Milky Way, in which our solar system is located, are called the Magellanic Clouds (Large and Small). At the beginning of the fifteenth century, they bore the name of the Cape, but due to the fact that the famous navigator was guided by them, they used them for navigation as an alternative to the pole star, which is not visible in the Southern Hemisphere, after his death it was proposed to rename them. It is believed that after four billion years they will be absorbed by our galaxy, which in another billion, in turn, will become part of the Andromeda nebula.

Who proved in practice that the Earth is round

In the middle of the fifteenth century, the Portuguese opened a sea route to India, where all Europeans aspired. Vasco da Gama circled Africa for the first time and was able to reach the warm shores of Goa across the Indian Ocean, followed by a chain of followers. One of them was Fernand Magellan, who first went to India and reached Malacca twice - in 1509 and 1511. He wanted to move on, but the Portuguese king considered the huge spending on "exploration" inappropriate for the crown, and did not give money for the trip. Then the sailor turned to the ruler of Spain, who wanted to seize the idea of ​​naval domination into his own hands.

Understanding who Magellan is, one should briefly outline another interesting fact. Walking around the Earth in a circle, he proved the existence of a single World Ocean. In fact, this was direct evidence that the planet has a spherical shape. In a difficult and long journey, the sailors lost four out of five ships. And the leader of the expedition could not save his life either. However, his feat will never be forgotten by descendants.

The first years of the future traveler

Very little information has been preserved about the origin and family members of the future celebrity. Researchers suggest that Rodrigu or Rui Magalhaes (Spanish Magellan) was born in 1433 or later. Judging by the age of his son, he simply could not be older. In his youth, the man served as the Portuguese crown as commandant of the fortress of Aveiro, then he married a beautiful woman with an impeccable reputation Alde de Mishquita (Mosquito). She bore him five children.

According to some sources, on the seventeenth of October, and according to others, on the 20th of November 1480, a boy was born, who was named with the beautiful and melodic name of Fernand. The father's condition was deplorable, the work brought pitiful pennies, so the children from an early age got used to helping with the housework. The mother taught the offspring to write and read, but she could not give more in-depth knowledge.

Queen Eleanor's Page

At about twelve years old, the young tomboy was assigned to the page service, which brought additional income. He was taken to the court of the daughter of Fernando of Portugal, Duke of Viseu, and the wife of the August King of Portugal, João II, Leonora (Eleanor) of Aviz. The service was not easy, the queen was reputed to be strict, but fair, but she gave access to the most valuable wealth - books in the huge palace library.

For twelve years, Fernand regularly served, doing everything he was ordered to, at his leisure doing self-education and military exercises. From a young age, raving about sea voyages, the romance of storm winds and sails soaked in salty spray, he read the works of famous sailors.

However, it was necessary to remain in the position of a page page until the age of twenty-four - they paid a good salary, and it was possible to support the family. But this could no longer go on like this, the overgrown page had already become an eyesore, so the king hastily ordained the guy as squire and assigned him to the fleet, at the disposal of the then famous military navigator Francisco de Almeida. This was the height of Magellan's dreams.

Becoming a famous conqueror

In the ninety-eighth year, almost at the turn of the sixteenth century, a sea route to Indian lands was opened, therefore Portugal diligently sent more and more squadrons to conquer the East. Unlike the young Fernand, few wanted to go on risky long-term expeditions, and the recruited helmsmen often not only could not read, but could not even distinguish the right hand from the left. Therefore, it was customary to tie an onion to one side of the ship, and a head of garlic to the second, so that the captain could somehow manage the ship. But the ambitious and thirsty for adventure Magellan did not notice such trifles.

Almeida's expedition

For the first time boarding one of the ships of the armada in 1505, the young man could not even imagine that he would be able to see his native land only after seven long years. The expedition headed for the Cape of Good Hope, and then captured the Tanzanian town of Kilwa Kisivani and the Kenyan port of Mombasu. The first information that the young sailor showed himself well in the battle in Mozambique to suppress the uprisings dates back to the following year. After that, the expedition goes to the Indian shores, where the brave young man receives two rather dangerous wounds.

  • In February, during the battle of Diu, Magellan's ship takes on board the flagship of the opponents (the ruler of Kelikuta, the Egyptian Mamelukes and the Gujarat sultan). After that, Almeida drew attention to the fearless guy Fernand.
  • In September of the ninth year, the squadron, after waiting for reinforcements from the homeland, goes to capture Malacca in order to ensure full control over the entire spice trade in the Indian Ocean, and in the world. Here people were ambushed and only heroic efforts saved them from inevitable death.
  • Five years later, the squadron set off for their native shores, as the usual service life was ending, but in the Laccadives area they were caught by a storm. One of the ships sank, but the navigator Magellan himself managed to escape. It was impossible for everyone to sail on the same ship, so the sailors remained to wait for help. Fernand, the only nobleman among the commoners, agreed to lead the group. Help came in ten days, and instead of home, I had to go back to India, where in the 10th year of the sixteenth century the sailor managed to make good money. Judging by one of the surviving receipts, at this time he lent a friend two hundred gold cruzados - an amount unheard of at that time.
  • By the fall, the Portuguese from Albuquerque, who was appointed governor (viceroy) of India, first capture Goa, then almost immediately lose it. By that time, the traveler Magellan already has authority and even the most prominent persons of the country take into account his opinion. Apparently, he already had the position of captain, but information about this is unreliable.

In the summer of 1511, Fernand takes part in a military attack on Malacca. The expedition consisted of nineteen ships, one of which was definitely commanded by our character. After a lightning-fast battle, the city comes under the rule of the Portuguese crown. After that, under the command of Albuquerque, Magellan departs to the Moluccas. By July of the following year, the sailor returns to Portugal, where he receives the rank of naval major, as well as one thousand reais a month in retirement salary. These were pitiful pennies, on which it was hardly possible to live.

Emigration from Portugal

In the 14th year, Fernand sets out with an army on a campaign to Morocco, where an uprising broke out in the city of Azemmour. The riot was suppressed, but the man himself was wounded in the leg, after which he remained lame for life. In the colonies, strife and squabbles were constantly observed, this cup did not pass and Magellan, who was slandered, accused of bribery. The indignant major threw everything and went to Portugal, for which he got the king's disfavor. However, when he returned to Africa, he was unconditionally acquitted. After that, he decided to go on vacation and in a letter to the king asks him to increase his pension provision. He never received a response from the ruler.

Fernand Magellan planned a trip that would glorify him and allow him to earn money for a further comfortable life. He literally asked for an audience with Manuel I, who had recently ascended the throne, but he did not give permission for the expedition and did not allocate funds. Moreover, he suggested that the sailor find another ruler who would use his services. They say that after this the traveler renounced his Portuguese citizenship and took Spanish citizenship, but documentary evidence of this has not been preserved.

Whatever it was, but soon after the above events, not only Magellan himself moved to Spain, but also other famous experienced sailors. If the Portuguese king did not want to spend more money on "dubious" discoveries, then the Spanish ruler, Charles V of Habsburg, who recently came to power, had a completely different opinion - he accepted famous sailors with open arms.

Personal life of Fernand Magellan and his main achievements

Somehow the traveler had enough money to scrape together the money to buy a house, and he settled in an open villa, from the courtyard of which the sea was always visible. It is believed that while still a page, he often sat for hours in the royal library and, among other papers, found maps belonging to the German sailor Martin Beichem. In these sketches, the Atlantic Ocean was connected to the then mysterious South Sea. This prompted the captain to quickly organize an expedition, promising the Spanish ruler a rich "harvest" of spices.

Wife and kids

The years of Fernand Magellan's life did not pass alone, despite his unprepossessing appearance. He did not look like an aristocrat, had dark skin, was stocky and short, but at the same time believed that appearance was not the main thing in a person. In Spain, he converges on a short leg with the chief of the arsenal Diego Barbosa, whose son (Duarte) also previously served in the Indian colonies. He would later become the first biographer of the traveler and write a detailed book about the trip around the world. In some sources, it is attributed to Fernand himself. Diego's daughter, young and beautiful Beatrice, became the wife of a sailor around 1517.

The marriage was happy, but short-lived. The spouse doted on her husband, caring, honest, courageous and kind. In the 18th, she gave birth to a boy, who was named after his grandfather Rodrigue. However, the baby did not live up to a year. Beatrice did not give up, she decided at all costs to give Fernand an heir, but fate decreed in its own way. During the second birth, both she and the child died, and Magellan was left without descendants.

Traveling around the world

However, in addition to the approval of the crown, allocated five ships and food for twenty-four meat, other funds were required, for example, for operating and unforeseen expenses. Therefore, Magellan decided to tell about his plan in the "Chamber of Contracts" - a special messenger of the society, which was organizing such campaigns. One of the leaders of the chamber, Juan de Aranda, responded to the call, wanting to receive twenty percent of the profit. Having connected the astronomer's friend Rui Falere, we managed to somehow agree on one-eighth of all the income received. There is a written contract about this, certified by a notary.

  • At the end of September 19, the squadron, led by the Magelanian flagship "Trinidad", left the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda and went out to sea. Soon a quarrel broke out on one of the ships: the captain of the ship "San Antonio" Cartagena began to publicly demean the leader of the trip. Magellan grabbed the rebel and appointed his relative in his place.
  • By the end of November of the same year, the flotilla approached the shores of Brazil, and in December - to La Plata, where the strait was supposedly located. The ship "Santiago" entered it, but it turned out that it was only the mouth of a huge river. As a result, it turned out that this place was also the confluence of two rivers - Parana and Uruguay. Therefore, the ships began to slowly move southward along the coastline of the mainland.
  • On March 31, 20, the squadron hibernated in the bay of St. Julian (San Julian) - it was necessary to repair ships damaged by storms, replenish supplies and give people a rest. In May, Fernand sent out a more maneuverable Santiago for reconnaissance, but he got into a violent storm and crashed to pieces.
  • The attempts were abandoned until the next fall, and only in October, the Concepcion and San Antonio were sent for reconnaissance. The other two ships were caught in a violent storm, but withstood a difficult test. At the beginning of November, a large bay with a strait in it was found, and the joyful sailors returned to the main expedition with good news. The flotilla's journey through the strait took almost forty days, and Magellan himself for many years remained the only one who did not lose a single ship in this place. Coming out of the strait, the ships had to overcome more than seventeen thousand kilometers, which became an unusually difficult test for people who were completely unprepared for such a turn of events.
  • The expedition proceeded, deviating somewhat to the north from the sought-after Moluccas. Probably, Fernand did not want to collide with Portuguese ships, and perhaps he was just checking whether the South Sea connects with the Pacific Ocean. On January 24, 21st, the team saw the island for the first time, but could not land on it, but it turned out great to catch sharks to create a food supply. Soon after him, ours and another, and already on March 6, the ships reached Guam. Here the locals willingly joined in the trade, but on occasion they tried to steal everything that was lying badly. When they dragged the boat away, the sailors could not stand it. Seven people were killed and the Aboriginal village burned down. After that, the locals tried in vain to throw stones at the departing caravels.
  • In mid-March, Magellan was the first of all Europeans to swim to the Philippine Islands, which he called the Lazarevs. On the seventeenth, an infirmary was set up on the uninhabited island of Homonkhom.

Thus, the trip around the world was completed, and the circle was closed. On one of the islands of the archipelago, Fernand's slave Enrique from Sumatra met people who understand his dialect. It became clear that for the first time a man managed to go around the whole earth. At the beginning of April, the ships docked on the island of Cebu and began to trade. Impressed by the Spanish power of the Rajah, Carlos-Humabon decided to be baptized, baptized his entire family and people, passing under the citizenship of the crown. This caused discontent among neighbors, as well as inevitable civil strife and strife.

The last days of the captain general and honoring the memory of adelantado

Not everyone wanted Spanish domination. Therefore, the leader of the island of Mactan named Silapulapu (Lapu-Lapu) organized a fierce resistance. It is interesting that today this man is considered a national hero and a monument has even been erected to him. Then Magellan, supporting Humabon, decided to go against him with his ships and thereby show how powerful his country is.

However, it turned out the other way around, the cunning natives studied the capabilities of the invaders: they shot at the legs, and moved quickly, not allowing them to aim. The result was disastrous. During the retreat, Fernand was killed, stabbed to death and torn to pieces by several hundred angry savages. His body remained unburied.

Only upon the arrival of the remains of the expedition home was the service performed in his memory. The strait, which this great traveler found, has since become known as Magellanic. The seamount in the depths of the Pacific Ocean is named in the same way. There is a spacecraft with the same name, as well as a species of penguins.

The report on Magellan in geography can be supplemented with interesting facts. The reports about Magellan contain a lot of educational content.

Magellan Report

Portuguese and Spanish explorer.

The life of a traveler before his discoveries

  1. F. Magellan was born in the Portuguese city of Sabroza 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 learned how important it is for Portugal to develop economic relations with other countries and open new trade routes for their development.

In the 15-16 centuries, an active competition was going on 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 ties with India and the Moluccas (called the Spice Islands in those days) were considered especially important because of the spice trade.

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

  1. From 1505 to 1513 Magellan took part in sea battles and proved himself as 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 the eastern direction was too long. Following the traditional route, which was established after the campaign of Vasco da Gamma, mariners had to go around Africa, passing its western and eastern coasts and crossing the Arabian Sea. It took about 10 months for the entire journey to one side. Magellan decided that it might be possible to shorten the distance if he went west. According to one version, it was then that 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 the service, Magellan went to live in Spain in 1517, where he joined the service of the Spanish king Charles 1.

Magellan's expedition

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

In September 1519 little 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, the sailors entered the Banja Santa Lucia Bay (Rio de Janeiro Bay at the present time), previously discovered by the Portuguese.

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

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 starts its journey.

By the middle of November 1920, having overcome a narrow, winding and strewn with rocks and shoals, the ships come out to the ocean, 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.

For 98 days, the journey of Magellan and his team across the South Sea lasted. During the trip, nature was favorable to the captain and he was lucky to pass this segment of the way without storms, hurricanes and storms. So 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 travel of this length.

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

Here Magellan decided to subjugate the land and the natives the power of the Spanish king. Part of the population obeyed the newly arrived Europeans, while the other part refused to recognize the power of Spain. Then Magellan used force and with his team attacked the inhabitants of about. Mactan. In battle with the natives, he died.

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

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 ship left from the flotilla, loaded with spices and spices, headed west and headed 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 go around 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 completion of the expedition, his undertaking was of great importance for the further development of sciences.

The results of the Magellan expedition:

  • Of all European travelers, he was the first to cross the Pacific Ocean.
  • The world's first documented voyage around the world 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 from the east.
    2. The land is covered not by separate bodies of water, but by a single World Ocean, washing the land and occupying the ocean much larger areas than expected.
  • A previously unknown strait connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean, which was later named the Strait of Magellan, was discovered.
  • New islands were discovered, later named after him.

The message about Magellan can be used by students in grades 5, 6, 7.

The biography of Fernand Magellan begins with the fact that the future navigator was born in 1480, in the Portuguese city of Sabroza, in a not very noble family.

At twelve years old, he and his brother Diogo traveled to Lisbon to serve as pages at the court of Queen Leonora. There he learned about the intense competition that existed between Spain and Portugal to explore new sea routes and dominate the spice trade from the East Indies, in particular over the Moluccas (also called the Spice Islands).

In these young years, the young Fernando developed a craving for the maritime business. Magellan's first journey took place in 1505, when he and his brother got on a ship bound for India. Since then, for seven years, he participated in expeditions to India and Africa and was wounded in several battles.

In 1513, King Manuel sent a flotilla of five hundred ships to Morocco to challenge the Moroccan ruler, who refused to pay an annual tribute to the Portuguese treasury. Portuguese troops easily broke the enemy's resistance. In one of the battles, Magellan was seriously wounded in the leg and was left lame.

In those days, spices meant as much as oil does today. People were willing to pay huge sums of money for black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and garlic, because they helped preserve food in a time when there were no refrigerators. In addition, the spices fought off the smell of spoiled meat.

It was impossible to grow them in cold, arid Europe, so it was vital for Europeans to find the shortest route to the Moluccas. The eastern route has been known for a long time. Magellan was to pave the sea route from the west.

Magellan, a traveler who by that time had gained extensive experience in numerous campaigns, decided to turn to King Manuel to enlist support for a planned trip to the Moluccas along a new route. On several occasions, the king rejected his petitions. In 1517, the disappointed Magellan renounced Portuguese citizenship and moved to Spain to try his luck there. This act was already a small feat: Fernando had no connections in the country and practically did not speak Spanish.

There he met his fellow countryman and soon married his daughter. The Barbosa family, who had good connections at court, managed to get him permission to meet with the Spanish monarch. King Charles, who was only 18 at the time, was the great-grandson of the king who financed Columbus's expedition. He did not break the tradition, and Magellan's expedition received approval and much-needed funds.

Thus, Magellan's circumnavigation of the world set itself the task of bypassing the globe from the west. Fernand hoped that perhaps this path would be shorter. On August 10, 1519, five ships left the Spanish port. Magellan was on Trinidad, followed by San Antonio, Concepcion, Santiago and Victoria.

In September, the ships crossed the Atlantic Ocean, then known simply as the Ocean, and reached the shores of South America. They moved along the coast in the hope of finding a strait that would allow them to sail further west. One of the discoveries of Fernand Magellan after a year of wanderings was the strait, which was later named after him.

Leaving behind the strait, the travelers became the first Europeans to see a new ocean in front of them, which the fearless captain named "Pacifico", which meant "quiet." Now Magellan's path lay through completely unexplored waters. Then the Philippines was waiting for them, where he tried to conduct the activities of a preacher and made friends with the local population. At that moment, he was practically at the goal - the Moluccas were very close.

However, he allowed himself to be drawn into the battle of the local population with a tribe from a neighboring island. Believing that European weapons would help to win an easy victory, the great traveler went ahead of his army ... An arrow poisoned with poison put an end to Fernand Magellan's travel around the world and biography.

He died on April 27, 1521. The two remaining ships reached the Moluccas six months later. As a result, in 1522, only "Victoria" arrived in Spain, loaded to the brim with spices, but only with a couple of dozen people on board.

In search of fame and fortune, the daring trick of the traveler around the earth carried not only spices to Europeans. Fernand Magellan discovered a new ocean, the geographical knowledge of that time made a huge leap forward, and it was recognized that the earth was much larger than it seemed before. Magellan's circumnavigation route was deemed too long and dangerous to reach the Moluccas and was never used for trade again.

Why is it said that Magellan is the first person to travel around the world if he never returned to Spain? He is the first person to visit the Philippines from two sides: first arriving there through the Indian Ocean and later - across the Pacific and Atlantic.

The first person to make a round-the-world trip "from point A to point A" was his slave Enrique: he was born on one of the islands and was brought by Magellan to Spain, and a few years later he went with him on a famous journey, which eventually led him to home island.

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