Ask any schoolboy who Magellan is, and he will answer without hesitation that it was great navigator and traveller. Ask the same student a question: “What did Ferdinand Magellan discover?”, and again you will hear a quick answer: “The Strait of Magellan!”. However, not everyone will say that the Strait of Magellan was only a prelude to much more significant event, standing on a par with the discovery of America: the famous Portuguese was the first to enter Pacific Ocean and plotted it on the map (at least the small part that I managed to explore). Let's remember how it was.

A man born in his own time

That was the time of impudent people, not too burdened with pangs of conscience and moral issues. Reckless adventurers, little appreciating their own lives and even less those of others, plowed the oceans and seas of our planet in all directions. However, probably, it was precisely such personalities that were needed in the era of great campaigns and geographical discoveries. Ferdinand Magellan, no doubt, met all these requirements.

In 1480 (November 20) in the small Portuguese town of Sabrosa, an significant event, which locals did not attach any importance - the future was born famous navigator whose name will forever remain in the history of mankind.

At the age of 12, Fernand was sent to the royal court for page service, and at 25 he went on his first voyage. He spent seven turbulent years in sea ​​voyages, taking part in more than one battle. Then there was a military expedition to the shores of Morocco in order to bring the local ruler into submission. There Magellan was seriously wounded in one of the many fights. The memory of this wound remained for life in the form of a lameness. However, this did not cool the hot Portuguese a single gram. The tireless spirit of the adventurer pushed him to new travels and discoveries.

For more than a month, sailing through the mysterious strait continued. Having happily avoided all the dangers that are inevitable when passing through such places, on November 28, 1520, the thinned flotilla (4 ships out of 5 remained in service) entered the vast expanses of water. Thus, one of the greatest geographical discoveries was made - a new ocean was found, which the brave navigator dubbed the Pacific - in honor of the good weather accompanying sailors while sailing in its waters.

Epilogue

The way home was difficult. Only 18 people out of 256 managed to return to their native Spanish coast. 3 years after sailing, on September 6, 1522, the only surviving ship ("Victoria") entered the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

The legendary captain was not among the survivors. He died in an inter-tribal skirmish on the island of Guam. Magellan sided with one of the leaders of the island natives and, as they say, died a heroic death in battle. However, for people of such a warehouse, this is a natural end. Death in bed is not their option. Having accomplished all that was due, the great commander completed his life path as he was supposed to, in a mortal battle with the enemy.

In conclusion, we can say that life similar personalities has always been and will be an example for humanity. Courage, courage, unshakable fortitude - these are the qualities that allowed these people to rise above the crowd and accomplish great deeds.

The exact date of birth of the great navigator and discoverer Ferdinand Magellan is a mystery to researchers. The date of baptism has not been preserved. Thanks to several letters from the impoverished nobleman Magalhaes (Fernand's father), accidentally preserved in the papers of his descendants, only the year of birth is known - 1480. still in search trade routes in , but not yet opened New World. Fernand's childhood passed in a Spartan setting. In addition to the noble name and numerous relatives, the Magalhães had nothing. If it were not for the father's service - the position of commandant of a small fortress was neither monetary nor prestigious - one would have to ask for favors from the king or go to butlers to aristocrats. In addition to Fernand, there were four more hungry mouths in the house of a poor knightly family. Therefore, well-fed children in the family were quite rare. Childhood - dark page biographies of Ferdinand Magellan little information about him has been preserved.

Youth

In 1492, Father Magalhaes cleaned the family weapons, put on a state-owned suit and went to work on how to attach his eldest son to the royal court. The troubles ended successfully: Fernand managed to be recorded as pages to the queen. The position is "easy", giving excellent opportunities for career development. And the 12-year-old son of a poor knight enters the court service. Twelve years of service at court had no effect on future fate Fernan Magalhaes. Their job responsibilities he performed well, but no more. Everything free time this strange page spent in military exercises and reading books from royal library. More than anything, Fernand wanted to become a sailor, a traveler, a conqueror of new lands. When Fernando Magellan was 24 years old, he was the oldest page of the Queen. Further stay in this "boyish" position was impossible. Hastily dedicating Fernand as a squire, the king offers the young "squire" to serve his homeland on one of the ships leaving for India. Do I need to say that Fernand was happy?

In the service of the Portuguese crown

Stepping on the deck of one of the ships of the expedition of Francisco Almeida in 1495, Ferdinand Magellan could not even imagine that he would see his homeland again only after seven years. It all started with the subjugation of the restless inhabitants east coast Africa and construction naval bases Portuguese fleet. Already from the first battles, Magellan showed himself as a brave warrior and an intelligent organizer. The viceroy himself noticed him and brought him closer. After successfully capturing several cities in India, the expedition moves further east to gain a foothold in Malaysia and secure free passage for the Portuguese all the way to the Moluccas, where spices, so highly valued in Europe, are not even considered a valuable commodity. This campaign glorified Magalhaes and strengthened his authority both among the sailors and among the leaders of the expedition. The former page himself was wounded several times, once left for several days on a desert island, suffered a fever. Everything was nothing to him. He returned to Portugal, no longer a young man pampered by court life, but a warrior hardened in battles. Despite the most flattering recommendations of the Viceroy, Ferdinand Magellan was awarded the smallest pension imaginable at the time. It was assumed that all those who visited the "spicy east" over the years spent on the journey managed to make a solid fortune for themselves, which means that they do not need pensions. Alas, the former page, a descendant of an old, but impoverished family, did not make a fortune during the seven years of the expedition. Only at the request of more resourceful expedition comrades-in-arms does the king double his "squire's" pension. The pension did not give any chance for a decent existence and asks new service. In 1514, the Portuguese decided to get rid of the annoying Moors, who did not miss the opportunity to rob the ships of their northern neighbor passing by. Fernand goes to Morocco. After this company, his relationship with the king finally deteriorates. After another injury, when Magalhaes could no longer participate in the battles, he was instructed to guard the cattle stolen from the Moors. This position gave ample opportunities for theft: the Moors gladly redeemed their own cattle from the Portuguese officials. Fernand covered up trade with the enemy. At the same moment, a denunciation was drawn up against him, in which it was he who was accused of corruption. Upon learning of the absurd accusation, Magalhaes returns to Portugal without permission to justify himself before the king. The king does not accept his soldier and orders to urgently send him back. Despite the fact that the court acquitted Fernand, relations with the monarch were ruined forever.

Knight of the Spanish Crown

The Moroccan campaign had no effect on the contents of Ferdinand Magellan's wallet. His health no longer allows him to actively fight. There is only one thing left - to become the head and lead the squadron to rich lands. An appeal to the king with a proposal to organize a voyage to the Moluccas along a new "Spanish" route, through the New World, does not find support. The King of Portugal even allows Fernand to offer his services to other crowns, confident that no one will support this idea. Magalhaes leaves his homeland, this time for good. In Fernand Magellan (where his last name sounded exactly like that) he quickly finds like-minded people among the colony of the Portuguese, like him, who did not find a use for themselves in their homeland. The initially rejected idea of ​​sailing (through the West to the East) soon found the most ardent support among European merchants who wanted to snatch at least part of the income from the sale of spices from Portugal. And on September 20, 1519, it began, which will finally prove that the Earth has the shape of a ball. Led the expedition Ferdinand Magellan, biography which from that moment is recorded in detail, thanks to the same poor knight - Antonio Pigafetta - who took over the duties of the chronicler of the voyage. On the way to the coveted islands, Magellan had to endure several riots, the death of thirty participants in the voyage, and the betrayal of his comrades-in-arms. Along the way, the expedition explored the coast South America, opened the most difficult strait between the mainland and Tierra del Fuego, crossed the Pacific Ocean, opened ... When the goal was very close, Ferdinand Magellan died in battle with the rebellious inhabitants Philippine Islands. It happened on April 27, 1521, when the brave warrior from a glorious Portuguese family was 40 years old.

Biography of Ferdinand Magellan inspired Stefan Zweig to create an entire novel. World cinema has so far ignored the life of the great navigator, which is strange in itself, because the biography of Ferdinand Magellan surpasses many Hollywood stories in richness, drama and unexpected twists.

This navigator is known for being the first in the history of mankind to be able to travel around the world, and also became the first European who was able to sail from Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

Youth

He was born in the spring of 1480 in Sabroz (Portugal), in a noble family. Very little is known about his family, even the position of his father has not been clarified. Also, almost nothing is known about his youth - only that he was for some time a page of the then queen.

mature years

In 1505, the Portuguese king sent another expedition to, in which Magellan also participated. In 1512, he returned to Portugal, however, having not received an appointment from the king for the service, he went to Spain, where he settled for some time in the city of Seville. There, he had the idea of ​​​​a trip around the world, which at first did not find support from the Spanish "Payment of Contracts", but was later approved.

Trip around the world

In total, the expedition had 5 ships that carried a two-year supply of food. Three ships commanded by three representatives of the aristocracy Spanish court, with which the Portuguese almost immediately began conflicts - primarily because of his origin, and also because he did not initiate them into the sailing route. The ships sailed on September 20, 1519. At the end of November, the expedition reached the Brazilian coast, and at the end of September - La Plata, where they began to look for the strait, which they unsuccessfully tried to find all winter, moving south. In May, one ship specially designed for reconnaissance was lost: it fell into a storm and crashed, although the sailors were almost not injured. Only on October 21, 1520, a narrow strait was found that led deep into the mainland. At Dawson Island, it was divided into two different channels, and the traveler decided to split the flotilla. After the news that the sailors from one of the ships saw the open sea, on November 28 the ships went to the ocean. In total, it took 38 days to cross the strait. After leaving the strait, the ships moved north and then northwest. Thus, they traveled at least 17,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean. They failed to reach the Moluccas, which the expedition initially sought, but in January 1521 they saw several uninhabited islands of the Tuamotu archipelago, which they could not land on. Only at the beginning of March did the expedition reach the island of Guam, which belonged to the group Mariana Islands. At first, trade began with the population, but then the Europeans noticed that the natives were stealing their supplies and things, landed on the shore and burned the village, took away the food and set sail. A few days later, the ships of the flotilla reached the Philippines (Magellan and his team became the first Europeans to land on them). In order to go ashore, we chose desert island. After the team replenished the food supply, the path among the islands continued. On one of the islands belonging to Fernando, the slave met people who spoke the same language as him. In April 1521, the Portuguese flotilla approached the island of Cebu, where they tried to take a fee from them, but the Spaniards refused to pay it. Trade began between locals and Europeans, and then the rajah of the island, impressed by the weapons of the Spaniards, decided to go under the auspices of the king of Spain, and was baptized himself, and also ordered his family to undergo the rite of baptism, local nobility and ordinary residents. Of course, Magellan supported the ruler, who took the name Carlos, and tried to help him subdue as many other petty rulers as possible. One of them fiercely resisted the new order, and Fernando decided to organize a military campaign against him. However, due to poor preparation the battle was lost, and during it Magellan himself was killed on April 27, 1521.

Ferdinand Magellan(port. Fernao de Magalhães, Spanish Fernando (Hernando) de Magallanes[(f)eɾ"nando ðe maɣa"ʎanes], lat. Ferdinandus Magellanus; spring 1480, Sabrosa, Traz-os-Montes region, Kingdom of Portugal - April 27, 1521, Mactan Island, Philippines) - Portuguese and Spanish navigator with the title of adelantado. He commanded the expedition that made the first known trip around the world. He opened the strait, later named after him, becoming the first European to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.

Biography

Youth

Magellan is Portuguese by birth. The place of his birth is debatable, the main authors indicate the city of Sabrosa as such, but he may have been born in the city of Porto. Little is also known about the family of the navigator, in particular, that she belonged to the nobility. It is assumed that his father was Rui or Rodrigo de Magalhaes, who at one time was the alcalde of the fortress of Aveiro. Mother of Alda de Mosquita (Mishkita). In addition to Magellan, they had four children. Nothing is known about their lives. In his youth, Magellan was a page of Queen Leonora of Avis, the wife of João II.

In 1498 the Portuguese discovered sea ​​route to India. Following Vasco da Gama, squadron after squadron began to be sent from Portugal to conquer the east. In 1505, when the squadron of Viceroy Francisco Almeida was sent, sailors were no longer enough. Some helmsmen did not know which was right and which was left. Then garlic was tied to the starboard side of the ship, and onions were tied to the left side according to the “hay-straw” principle. Magellan also participated in this expedition as a sobersalinte (supernumerary warrior).

India

Passing the cape Good Hope, the expedition begins fighting from the capture of Kilva and Mombasa, then it follows to India. Magellan is always on the expedition, but for the first time his name is mentioned at the Battle of Kannanur. In 1506, Magellan participated in the suppression of unrest, built Mozambique, after which he again ended up in India, where he was wounded twice.

At the Battle of Diu, the ship carrying Magellan broke through the formation and boarded the enemy's flagship.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese come to the conclusion that in order to completely control the spice trade, they need to capture the port of Malacca. In 1509, Siqueira's squadron arrives in India, which is to make the first voyage to Malacca. The Viceroy of India adds a fifth to the four ships of Siqueira, on which Magellan and his friend (possibly a relative) Francisco Serran are sailing.

On September 11, 1509, the Portuguese entered Malacca. was originally concluded trade agreement between the Portuguese and local authorities, but conflict broke out a few weeks later. According to some reports, the Arabs were to blame, fearing that the Portuguese would seize all trade, according to others, the Portuguese themselves provoked it. But everyone agrees that the attack on the Europeans happened unexpectedly. A significant part of the sailors was on the shore on business or on leave. Almost all the boats were on the shore. At that time, many Malays arrived on the ships, ostensibly for inspection.

The most experienced captain, Garcia de Sousa, realized that the situation was becoming dangerous, and sent Magellan to warn the flagship of a possible attack. Magellan arrived on the flagship and managed to warn Siqueira. When the Malays gave the signal, the Portuguese were already prepared and in a quick fight threw the enemies on board from the ships, and then, cutting off the anchor ropes, repelled the attack of a suitable enemy flotilla. But the sailors who were on the shore were almost all killed or captured. Only a small group of the Portuguese, including Serran, made their way to the shore. All their boats were captured, they were saved only thanks to Magellan, who approached the shore on a boat.

The usual five-year term for the Portuguese in India was coming to an end, and Magellan went on one of the fleets to Portugal. Two ships, on one of which Magellan sailed, crashed on the Padua Bank off the Laccadive Islands. The teams escaped on a small island. Part of the crew had to go on the remaining boats for help, part - to stay on the island. It so happened that all the officers were among those leaving on the boats, and only the sailors remained on the island. This caused outrage from the team and fears that they would not return for ordinary people. Magellan was the only noble who agreed to stay on the island, and thereby reassured the team. Apparently, at that time his authority was already quite high.

After 10 days they were rescued, and Magellan returned to India, where, obviously, he engaged in trade, since it is known that in 1510 he lent 200 crusades to one merchant, which they did not return to him, and he managed to sue them only after 6 years.

During these years, the Portuguese capture Goa, lose it, and prepare for a new campaign against the city. For solutions important issue whether to use for attack merchant ships, Viceroy of Albuquerque convenes a 16-member council. Among them is Magellan, who until relatively recently was only simple soldier, and in the time described became a man whose opinion the Viceroy reckoned with. Most likely, he was already a captain. He, like most of the council members, is in favor of merchant ships not participating in a military campaign, but going to Europe so as not to miss the monsoon. Warships go alone and capture Goa.

In the middle of 1511, Magellan participates in the campaign of 19 ships to Malacca. The city was taken and passed under the rule of Portugal.

Immediately after the capture of Malacca, Albuquerque sent an expedition of three ships to the Spice Islands. One of the three ships was commanded by Francisco Serran. Perhaps Magellan also participated in the expedition (sources differ). Serran's ship was in a disaster, and he himself escaped and settled on the island of Tidore, occupying high position from the local ruler.

Portugal

In July 1512, Magellan was already in Lisbon, where he was assigned a pension of 1000 reais per month (the smallest). Soon it rises to 1850 reais.

In 1514, he takes part in the fighting in Morocco near the city of Azemmour. In one battle he was wounded in the leg (he remained lame), in another a horse was killed under him. He was assigned to guard the cattle that had been taken from the Moors, but was soon accused of having secretly sold part of the booty to the Moors. Outraged, Magellan went to Portugal without permission to justify himself. With his unauthorized actions, he aroused the wrath of the king and was forced to return to his duty station. In Africa, the charges against him were dropped, he resigned and returned to his homeland. He asks the king to increase his pension, but is refused.

It is difficult to say when Magellan had an idea for a journey that would glorify him. Friend Serran wrote letters to Mollukk, from which it could be concluded that the Spice Islands were very far in the East and relatively close to America. In one of his response letters, Magellan hinted to him that he might soon arrive on these islands, "if not through Portugal, then through Castile". It is not known when this letter was written, but it is quite possible that even while Magellan was in Portugal. At this time, he studies the Portuguese maps available to him, talks with the captains.

During one of the audiences with Manuel I, Magellan asks to give him maritime service and set sail. The king refuses. Then he asks permission to offer his services to other states. The king permits. He doesn't need Magellan. Some sources claim that Magellan renounced the citizenship of Portugal, but documents about this have not been preserved. Soon a whole group of Portuguese sailors moved from Portugal to Spain.

Spain

Magellan settled in Seville, where he became close friends with the Portuguese emigrant Diego Barbosa, head of the arsenal. In late 1517 - early 1518 Magellan marries his daughter Beatrice. In February 1519, their son was born. Barbosa's son, Duarte Barbosa, like Magellan, used to serve in India. After the death of Magellan and Duarte Barbosa, a book will be published by Duarte Barbosa with a description of the countries of the South and South-East Asia: "Livro de Duarte Barbosa" ("The Book of Duarte Barbosa"). However, there are copies of this work in the archives, where Magellan is indicated by the author. This has different explanations. It is possible that these copies were presented to King Charles I under the name of Magellan in order to strengthen his authority. It is also likely that the book is a joint work of Magellan and Barbosa.

Magellan presents the idea of ​​his expedition to the Seville "Chamber of Contracts" (a department that organizes expeditions). He does not meet with support there, but Juan de Aranda, one of the leaders of the Chamber, makes contact with Magellan and promises him his support for 20% of future profits. Soon an associate of Magellan, astronomer Rui Falera, arrives in Spain. With his help, he manages to bargain for 1/8 of the profit due to Aranda. The contract was notarized. Soon Magellan presented his project to the leadership of Spain, and it was approved. The preparations for the expedition began.

Traveling across the world

Five ships were prepared for the expedition with a supply of food for two years. Magellan personally supervised the loading and packing of food, goods and equipment. Magellan commanded the Trinidad. The Santiago was commanded by Juan Serran, the brother of Francisco Serran, who was rescued by Magellan in Malacca. Three other ships were commanded by representatives of the Spanish nobility, with whom Magellan immediately began conflicts. The Spaniards did not like that the expedition was commanded by the Portuguese. In addition, Magellan hid the proposed route of navigation, and this caused discontent among the captains. The opposition was quite serious. Captain Mendoza was even given a special demand from the king to stop bickering and submit to Magellan. But already on canary islands Magellan received information that the Spanish captains agreed among themselves to remove him from his post if they consider that he interferes with them.

On September 20, 1519, a flotilla led by Magellan left the port of Sanlucar de Barrameda (the mouth of the Guadalquivir River). Soon a conflict broke out on the squadron. The captain of the "San Antonio" Cartagena, who was the representative of the crown in navigation, during one of the reports defiantly violated the chain of command and began to call Magellan not "captain-general" (admiral), but simply "captain". Cartagena was the second person in the expedition, almost equal in status to the commander. For several days he continued to do so despite Magellan's remarks. Tom had to endure this until the captains of all the ships were called to the Trinidad to decide the fate of the criminal sailor. Forgetting, Cartagena again violated discipline, but this time he was not on his ship. Magellan personally grabbed him by the collar and declared him under arrest. Cartagena was allowed to be not on flagship, and on the ships of captains sympathizing with him. The commander of the "San Antonio" was a relative of Magellan Alvar Mishkita.

On November 29, the flotilla reached the coast of Brazil, and on December 26, 1519, La Plata, where they searched for the proposed strait. The Santiago was sent west, but soon returned with the message that this was not a strait, but the mouth of a giant river. The squadron began to slowly move south, exploring the coast. On this way, Europeans first saw penguins. The advance to the south was slow, the ships were hampered by storms, winter was approaching, but there was still no strait. March 31, 1520, having reached 49 °S. the flotilla winters in a bay called San Julián.

In May, Magellan sent the Santiago, led by João Serran, south to reconnoiter the area. Santa Cruz Bay was found 60 miles to the south. A few days later, in a storm, the ship lost control and crashed. The sailors, except for one person, escaped and ended up on the shore without food and supplies. They tried to return to the wintering grounds, but due to fatigue and exhaustion, they joined the main detachment only after a few weeks. The loss of a ship specially designed for reconnaissance, as well as the supplies on board, caused great damage to the expedition.

October 21 at 52°S the ships ended up at a narrow strait leading deep into the mainland. "San Antonio" and "Concepción" are sent to reconnaissance. Soon a storm hits, lasting two days. The sailors feared that the ships sent for reconnaissance were lost. And they, indeed, almost died, but when they were carried to the shore, a narrow passage opened in front of them, into which they entered. They ended up in a wide bay, followed by more straits and bays. The water remained salty all the time, and the lot very often did not reach the bottom. Both ships returned with good news about a possible strait.

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 Concepción 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. On the long 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 open South Sea of ​​​​Balboa was part of this ocean, or perhaps he was afraid of meeting with the Portuguese, which for his battered expedition would have ended in failure. On January 24, 1521, the sailors saw an uninhabited 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 Mariana Islands group. 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 seized 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.

Death

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 against him military expedition. 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 approach close quarters to effectively support the landing squad with fire. During the stay of Europeans in Cebu, local residents had the opportunity to study European weapons and their weak sides. 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.

Here is what the historiographer of the expedition, Antonio Pigafetta, wrote about the death of the admiral:

... The islanders followed us on our heels, fishing spears that had already been used once out of the water, and thus threw the same spear five or six times. Recognizing our admiral, they began to aim mainly at him; twice they had already succeeded in knocking the helmet off his head; he remained with a handful of men at his post, as befits a brave knight, not trying to continue the retreat, and so we fought for more than an hour, until one of the natives managed to wound the admiral in the face with a cane spear. Enraged, he immediately pierced the chest of the attacker with his spear, but it got stuck in the body of the slain; then the admiral tried to draw his sword, but he could no longer do it, since the enemies badly wounded him in right hand and she stopped working. Noticing this, the natives rushed at him in a crowd, and one of them wounded him in the left leg with a saber, so that he fell on his back. At the same moment, all the islanders pounced on him and began to stab him with spears and other weapons that they had. So they killed our mirror, our light, our consolation and our faithful leader.

Named after Ferdinand Magellan

• Strait of Magellan
• Underwater Rise of Magellan in the Pacific Ocean, near the Marshall Islands
• Magellan ( spacecraft), 1990
• Magellanic penguin
• crater Magellan on the moon
• Galaxies Large and Small Magellanic Clouds

MAGELLAN (Magalhaes) Fernand born in the spring of 1480, in the locality of Sabrosa, province of Vila Real, Portugal, died April 27, 1521, Mactan Island, Philippines. Portuguese navigator who proved the sphericity of the Earth and the unity oceans, part discoverer Atlantic coast South America, the passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, first crossed by him. His expedition made the 1st circumnavigation of the world. In 1519-21 he led a Spanish expedition to search for western way to the Moluccas. Opened the entire coast of South. America south of La Plata, circled the continent from the south, discovered the strait named after him and the Patagonian Cordillera; first crossed the Pacific Ocean (1520), discovering Fr. Guam, and reached the Philippine Islands, where he was killed in a fight with the locals.
* * *
Carier start
The poor, but noble nobleman Magellan in 1492-1504 served as a page in the retinue of the Portuguese queen. Studied astronomy, navigation and cosmography. In 1505-13 he participated in naval battles with Arabs, Indians and Moors, showed himself brave warrior for which he received the rank of sea captain. Denied due to false accusation further increase in the service and, having resigned, Magellan moved to Spain in 1517. Entering the service of King Charles I, he proposed a project circumnavigation, accepted after a long haggling.

Opening of the strait between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
September 20, 1519 five small ships"Trinidad", "San Antonio", "Santiago", "Concepsion" and "Victoria" with a crew of 265 people went to sea. When crossing the Atlantic, Magellan used his signaling system, and the different types of ships of his flotilla never parted. At the end of December, he reached La Plata, explored the bay for about a month, but did not find a passage to the South Sea. February 2, 1520 Magellan went south along the Atlantic coast of South America, moving only during the day, so as not to miss the entrance to the strait. He began wintering on March 31 in a convenient bay at 49 ° south latitude. On the same night, a mutiny began on 3 ships, which was soon brutally suppressed by Magellan. Sent in the spring for reconnaissance, the Santiago ship crashed against the rocks, but the team was saved. October 21 entered a narrow winding strait, later named after Magellan. On the southern coast of the strait, sailors saw the fires of fires. Magellan called this land Tierra del Fuego. A month later, a small strait (550 km) was passed by three ships, the 4th ship "San Antonio" deserted and returned to Spain, where the captain slandered Magellan, accusing him of treason to the king.

First crossing of the Pacific Ocean
November 28 Magellan with the remaining three ships went to unknown ocean, rounding America from the south along the strait they opened. The weather, fortunately, remained good, and Magellan named the Pacific Ocean. For almost 4 months, a very difficult voyage continued, when people ate rusk dust mixed with worms, drank rotten water, ate cowhide, sawdust and ship rats. Starvation and scurvy set in, and many died. Magellan, although he was not tall, was distinguished by his great physical strength and self-confidence. Crossing the ocean, he traveled at least 17 thousand km, but met only two islets, one in the Tuamotu archipelago, the other in the Line group. He also discovered the two inhabited islands of Guam and Rota from the Mariana group. On March 15, the expedition approached the large Philippine archipelago. With the help of weapons, the decisive and courageous Magellan forced the ruler of the island of Cebu to submit to the Spanish king.

The death of Magellan and the end round the world expedition
In the role of the patron of the natives baptized by him, Magellan intervened in internecine war and was killed in a skirmish off Mactan Island. The ruler of Cebu invited part of the crew to a farewell feast, treacherously attacked the guests and killed 24 people. Only 115 people remained on three ships, there were not enough people, and the ship "Concepsion" had to be burned. For 4 months the ships wandered in search of spice islands. The Spaniards bought a lot of cloves, nutmeg, etc. cheaply from the island of Tidore and split up: the Victoria with captain Juan Elcano moved west around Africa, while the Trinidad, which needed repairs, remained. Captain Elcano, fearing a meeting with the Portuguese, kept much to the south. conventional ways. He was the first to pass in the central part of the Indian Ocean and, having discovered only the island of Amsterdam (near 38 ° south latitude), he proved that the “southern” mainland does not reach this latitude. September 6, 1522 "Victoria" with 18 people on board completed the "Circumnavigation", which lasted 1081 days. Later, 12 more crew members of the Victoria returned, and in 1526 five more from the Trinidad. The sale of brought spices more than covered all the costs of the expedition.