Fernando Magellan (c. 1480 - 1521) - an outstanding Portuguese navigator who made the first trip around the world. Opened the whole coast South America south of La Plata, the strait named after him, the Patagonian Cordillera, was the first to circumnavigate America from the south, crossing the Pacific Ocean, discovering the islands of Guam and Roth. He proved the existence of a single world ocean and provided practical proof sphericity of the earth. The two galaxies closest to Earth, the Magellanic Clouds, bear his name.

Fernand Magallans, who became known to the whole world as Fernando Magellan, was born around 1480 in the city of Sabros, the Portuguese province of Traz osh Leontis, in the family of an impoverished knight from the Magalans family. In 1490, the father managed to attach his son to the court of King Juan II, where he was brought up and educated at the expense of the treasury, and two years later became the page of Queen Leonora.

Later, Fernand was enrolled in the Naval Order and, being naval officer, as part of the squadron of the Viceroy of India, Francisco d "Almeida, went to India. Later, the young officer participated in an expedition to the Malay Peninsula, on a campaign in Morocco, where he was seriously wounded in the leg. Then he achievement list enriched by service in So-fale, which by that time had become one of the Portuguese military fortifications on the way from Lisbon to India. In 1509, Magallans took part in the defeat of the Venetian-Egyptian squadron at Diu, and in 1510 he was seriously wounded again during the assault on Calicut (Kozhikode). He understood his services to the crown and on his return in 1512 or 1513 to Lisbon he asked the king for a promotion. Having been refused, the offended Magallans decided to move to Spain, which he did in 1517.

Back in Portugal, remembering the impressions received in the East Indies, Magellan began to study cosmography and marine sciences, and also wrote the book Description of the Kingdoms, Coasts, Harbors and Islands of India. In Spain, he met the Portuguese astronomer Ruy Faleiro. Together they made a plan: sailing west, reach the Moluccas, which at that time were under Portuguese rule and were the main source of spices for Lisbon. Naturally, the Portuguese stood guard over their interests and arrested any foreign ship that appeared in their controlled waters.

Companions believed that the islands lie in that part of the Earth, which, according to the famous papal bull of 1493, Inter cetera, belongs to Spain. In order not to arouse the suspicions of the Portuguese, it was necessary to penetrate them western way, passing from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the passage, which, according to Magellan, is located south of Brazil. With this plan, they and Faleiro in March 1518 turned to the Council of the Indies, demanding for themselves, in case of success of the enterprise, the same rights and advantages that Columbus stipulated. After lengthy negotiations, the project was accepted, and Charles I (aka Charles V of Germany) undertook to equip 5 ships and allocate supplies for two years. In the event of the discovery of new lands, companions were given the right to become their rulers. They received 20% of the income. In this case, the rights were to be inherited. But soon Faleiro, citing a bad horoscope, refused to participate in the expedition. Thus, Magellan became its sole leader and organizer.

On September 20, 1519, the Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepción, Victoria and Santiago ships left San Lucar at the mouth of the Guadalquivir, with 293 crew members and 26 more non-staff members on board. Among them was Antonio Pigafetta, who became the chronicler of the expedition. Flagship"Trinidad" was defined.

The description of sailing exists in many variants. It is widely known about the fires along the shores of the land, called Fiery (more correctly, the "Land of Fire" - Tierra del Fuego), why the Pacific Ocean became the Pacific, and the Patagonians have a name that means "big-footed" in translation, about the discovery of the Magellanic Clouds (expedition made discoveries not only on earth, but also in heaven), etc. In a brief summary, the route of the expedition is as follows.

On September 26, the flotilla approached the Canary Islands, on November 29 it reached the bay of Rio de Janeiro, and on January 10, 1520, the mouth of La Plata, extreme point then known coast. From here, Magellan sent the Santiago upstream to check if the passage to the South Sea was located here. After the return of the ship, the expedition moved south, and the crossings were only given and as close to land as possible so as not to miss the strait.

They spent the winter in San Julian Bay off the coast of Patagonia (49 ° S), where they entered on March 31. Here Magellan experienced a serious test. A riot broke out on three ships. The crews demanded to turn to the cape Good Hope and go to the Moluccas in the traditional way. The revolt was suppressed thanks to the determination of the admiral and the devotion of some of his companions. The rebellious captains were treated mercilessly: one was executed, the body of another, who died, was quartered, and the third was landed on a deserted shore along with a conspiring priest. But Magellan did not punish the sailors.

On August 24, wintering ended. The flotilla left San Julian Bay and moved further along the coast, and on October 21, 1520, the sailors saw the long-awaited strait leading to the west. But the admiral still doubted, fearing that another bay was in front of him, and sent forward two ships, which returned three days later with the news "that they had seen the cape and the open sea." They spent some more time in these waters, studying the narrow straits, channels and bays, and lost the San Antonio. Magellan never found out that the ship's crew rebelled, the captain was wounded and shackled, and then the ship was turned back to Spain. At home, the new arrivals accused the admiral of betrayal. Magellan's family was deprived of state benefits. His wife and children soon died in poverty.

The flotilla moved on along north coast Strait, which Magellan called the Patagonian (later on the maps it will be designated as Magellan), rounded Cape Froward (53 ° 54 "S) - the most south point mainland and for another five days it went through the strait, surrounded by gloomy high banks, the southern of which was Tierra del Fuego, and on November 28, 1520, the sailors saw open ocean. The passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, which Columbus was looking for in vain, was finally found.

The three remaining ships of the flotilla (except for the deserted San Antonio, lost the Santiago crashed on the rocks) first went north 100 km from the rocky coast, trying to leave the cold waters, in mid-December from about. Moga (38 ° 30 "S) turned to the northwest, and a little later - to the west-northwest. During the journey across the ocean, many islands were discovered, but inaccurate calculations do not allow them to be identified with any specific points on the map. But the discovery in early March of the islands of Guam and Rota, the southernmost of the Marianas and called by Magellan "The Robbers," can be considered proven. The islanders stole a boat from travelers, and Magellan, having landed with a detachment on the shore, burned several huts and several natives were killed.

From these islands, the flotilla moved west and on March 15, 1521, was near about. Samar (Philippines). They anchored off the neighboring island of Siargao, and later moved to the uninhabited Homonkhon. A week later, moving west, they arrived at about. Limasava, where Magellan's slave, the Malay Enrique, heard Malay speech. This meant that the travelers were somewhere near the Spice Islands, that is, they had completed their task.

Accompanied by a pilot, the ships moved to about. Cebu, where there was a major trading port and the residence of the Raja. Soon both the ruler and his family members converted to Christianity, and Magellan intervened in internecine war on about. Mantan. On the night of April 27, 1521, the admiral, accompanied by a small detachment, landed on the shore, where they were attacked by local residents. Here great navigator died under the blows of spears and cleavers, but "... he turned back all the time to see if we all had time to dive into the boats." This small touch, recorded by the devoted Pigafetta, says a lot about the personality of Ferdinand Magellan - not only a talented naval commander, but also a man who possessed rare hard times qualities. Together with the head of the expedition, eight more sailors died there.

Magellan's voyage was completed by Sebastian Elcano (del Cano). Under his leadership, two ships sent through North Kalimantan (Borneo) reached the Moluccas and bought spices there. Only Victoria was able to sail further. On it, diligently bypassing the paths laid by the Portuguese, Elcano crossed the southern part indian ocean, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and through the islands of Cape Verde September 7, 1522 arrived in the harbor of San Lucar.

Of the 256 people who left with Magellan, only eighteen went ashore, and all of them were exhausted to the extreme - according to an eyewitness, "thinner than the most starved horse." Here they had a hard time. Instead of honors, the team received a public repentance for one lost day (as a result of moving through time zones around the Earth in westbound). From the point of view of the church authorities, this could only happen as a result of breaking fasts. Elcano, however, received honors. He received a coat of arms depicting Earth with the inscription "You first circled around me", and a pension of five hundred ducats. Nobody remembered about Magellan. true role this wonderful person history was appreciated by posterity, and, unlike Columbus, it was never challenged. On the deserted shore about. Mantan, on the site where Magellan died, a monument was erected in the form of two cubes topped with a ball.

The voyage of Magellan revolutionized the concept of the Earth. After this journey, any attempts to deny the sphericity of the Earth completely ceased, it was proved that the World Ocean is one, ideas about the size of the planet were obtained, it was finally established that America is an independent continent, the coast of South America was studied with a length of about 3.5 thousand km, and a strait between two oceans, etc. All this would be more than enough for not one, but a dozen people. But these discoveries were inspired and made by one person - Ferdinand Magellan, whose deeds are rightly considered a feat accomplished for the benefit of all mankind.

Magellan's journey is described by his companion Antonio Pigafetta in the book Magellan's Journey, the manuscript of which he presented to the king. It has been repeatedly published and translated into all major European languages, including Russian. This translation came out in two editions in 1800 and 1950.

http://www.seapeace.ru/seafarers/captains/274.html

Ferdinand Magellan (Fernand de Magallans)- a Portuguese (Spanish) navigator who circled the Victoria on his ship around the Earth, and as he says official history did it first. One strait was even named after him.
So Ferdinand Magellan, a man, commanded the first expedition, which made the first round-the-world trip around the Earth. One thing needs to be understood, that only official versions and sources that have come down to us, there may have been expeditions before. But the historically confirmed round-the-world trip is only Ferdinand Magellan.
World expedition was preparing for several years and on September 20, 1519, a squadron consisting of 5 ships and 256 people, led by Magellan, left the port of Sanlucar de Barrameda (the mouth of the Guadalquivir River) and moved towards South America and on November 29 the squadron reached the coast of Brazil.
On March 6, 1521, the squadron saw the island of Guam big Island from the archipelago Mariana Islands, which now belongs to the United States, it is next to it that the deepest place on Earth is located - the Mariana Trench. At that time, the island was already inhabited. It makes no sense to write about the details of Magellan's presence on the island, they say that most of this story is fiction.
Next were today's Philippines, where on April 7, 1521, the flotilla entered the port of the island of Cebu, Philippines.
April 27 on the island of Mactan in the Philippines Magellan died at the hands of the rebellious Filipinos.
Next were the Moluccas and possible purchase spices.
Only the ship "Victoria" under the leadership of Juan Sebastian Elcano got back, which with difficulty rounded the Cape of Good Hope and then went straight northwest along the African coast to Spain for two months.
And on September 6, 1522, the Victoria nevertheless reached Spain, arriving in Seville. The only remaining ship had eighteen surviving crew members. Later, in 1525, four more of the 55 crew members of the Trinidad were taken to Spain. Then the crew members of the Victoria ship were ransomed and returned, who were captured by the Portuguese during a forced stop in July on the Cape Verde Islands in Portugal.

And the purpose of Magellan's journey, according to the stories of historians, was banal and simple, he did not want to be a discoverer or the first person to travel around the world, he just went for spices: pepper, cinnamon and others growing on the Moluccas in the Pacific Ocean.
But there is a more sensible reasoning about this at that time, bronze was of value, and it, in turn, cannot be obtained without tin, and Ferdinand Magellan went for fishing. He sailed not only to the Moluccas, but also to Malaysia, where there was tin on the coast in the beach sands. Also tin ore was in Yemen, Singapore. Therefore, according to another version of historians, this reason for traveling was more rational than, for example, spices.

Ferdinand Magellan's round-the-world map 1519-1522

Modern copy of the ship "Victoria" by Ferdinand Magellan

BBC documentary in the best tradition of the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan

The family of the Portuguese knight de Magalhaishna was distinguished by great modesty. Father served as the commandant of the fortress, additional income did not have. In order to feed five children, it was often necessary to bring home the leftovers from the dinner of the fortress garrison. In order to arrange the future of at least the eldest, by hook or by crook, through numerous humiliations and requests, Magalhaes arranged for Fernand to the royal pages. During the service he received an excellent education, made acquaintances and connections, but, as life showed, he could not use anything. It's all about the character: Magellan (as his last name sounded in which he served most of his life) did not know how to cunning and intrigue, he was distinguished by real chivalrous honesty and directness. Such qualities led to the fact that he had few friends at the Portuguese court, but the enemies multiplied quickly. The age of the page is short. Usually those who were with the person of the queen received appointments to other court posts. With Fernando Magellan it turned out differently: he was invited to try his luck on sea expeditions. The thing is that after returning, the ships were sent almost every week. The journey was not safe, few returned. In addition, there was a catastrophic shortage of sailors. It got to the point that at the helm there were people who did not quite imagine what "right" and what "left" was. Magellan was offered to go on a trip as a "supernumerary" officer, on the condition that half of the wealth he obtained during the trip would remain with him (the other half - taxes, table pay and a berth on the ship). There was no way out and the former page goes on his first sea voyage.

Soldier of the Portuguese King

The romantic times of the pioneers quickly passed. Exploration was replaced by the seizure of land. Now no one was looking for an alliance with the natives, because the path was known and mapped. It's a cruel time. Expeditions sought wealth, built fortified fortresses and captured cities. Magellan's journey to India and South East Asia dragged on for seven long years. He took part in the seizure of the lands of East Africa, built a city in Mozambique, fought in India and reached. All this time he served honestly, fought bravely and for enough a short time gained authority, enjoyed the confidence of the Viceroy and the commanders of large squadrons. During one of the operations, as a result of which large group Portuguese sailors were left without a ship, and lifeboats only enough for half of the unfortunates, he turned out to be the only nobleman who agreed to wait with the commoners for the second voyage, which prevented the sailors from revolting. The Indian-Asian company did not pass without a trace for his health: he was wounded several times, one of the wounds made him lame for life. The only thing Magellan failed to do was to get rich. He tried to engage in trade in India, at first even successfully - he even managed to lend a rather substantial amount to one nobleman (although he returned it with a scandal, through the court). But all attempts to improve their financial situation turned into disaster. Warriors are rarely successful businessmen. In 1512, the navigator, now experienced and knowledgeable, returned to his homeland. He is 32 years old, limping and again in need of funds. The Royal Treasurer assigns him a pension, the smallest that is assigned to the nobles for military merit. The appointed maintenance was so humiliatingly small that the Treasury itself soon doubles it, which, of course, does not improve the position of Ferdinand Magellan. During the absence of Magellan, his family has changed a lot. The country prospered - the spices and riches of the East made it so. A beggarly pension makes Ferdinand Magellan again go to military service, this time in Morocco. Strengthened Portugal expanded its spheres of influence. The navigator fought gloriously, but the wound and loss of a horse in battle led to the fact that he was instructed to guard the cattle stolen from the Moors. The position is safe and very profitable: strict accounting was not kept, and the Moors were ready to redeem their cattle. Magellan stopped theft, made enemies. Soon the navigator was charged with stealing and selling livestock to the enemy. Even before the trial, Ferdinand Magellan decides to personally come to the king and justify himself. His visit was unheard of insolence. The king was not only unhappy, he was furious: his officer was leaving the battlefield without orders! Magellan sent back to Morocco. The court acquitted him, but relations with the monarch are ruined forever.

To Spain for a dream

After the Moroccan company, traveler Magellan continues to actively look for a way to improve his financial situation, become famous and take his rightful place at court. Diligently studying the experience of the Spanish conquerors, consulting with astronomers and captains, Fernando Magellan gradually begins to understand that the path to the Spice Islands is shorter if you sail to the West, in the footsteps of the Spanish conquistadors.

Seeking an audience with the king, he hoped for support and funding for a profitable expedition. The king refused. Firstly, the Portuguese were not going to fight the Spaniards, and in the event of organizing a voyage to the New World, a clash of interests was inevitable, and secondly, why finance a risky venture if the proven route to Asia around Africa already brings fabulous profits. Magellan was not needed by the king. Moreover, the monarch himself officially allowed the navigator to offer his services to other monarchs. Nothing more connected Magellan with Portugal, he moved to Spain. By this time, a whole colony of the Portuguese had formed in Spain, who for one reason or another left their homeland. Here, in 1518, Ferdinand Magellan finally marries, his son is born. But the project of reaching the Spice Islands through the West is increasingly gripping the Portuguese.

The report of Ferdinand Magellan to the Spanish "Chamber of Contracts", which was involved in the financing of sea expeditions, did not impress, his project was rejected. Further developments quite fit into a scheme that is understandable and so familiar to us: the author of the project is invited to his place by one of the heads of the chamber, a certain Juan de Aranda - an aristocrat and nobleman. De Aranda's offer is this - in exchange for 20% of the profits from the expedition, support for the project from the "chamber" is guaranteed. Longing for the sea, Magellan does not bargain. The project of finding a way to the Spice Islands is presented to the king. Presented "correctly", and therefore supported by the monarch. Thanks to the active intervention of Magellan's ally, the astronomer Faler, the appetites of the noble corrupt official were significantly "tamed" and, under the terms of the contract, only an eighth of the net profit was intended for the purse of the aristocratic authorities.

Magellan's first circumnavigation of the world: from preparation to final

Training

By the time of preparation expeditions of Magellan, Europe knew Central and part of South America, it is known that the ocean is located behind the new lands (one of the Spanish expeditions crossed the Isthmus of Panama and saw the boundless waters of the new ocean), several expeditions were sent in search of a strait between the Atlantic and " South Sea", during one of them, a wide mouth of the La Plata River was discovered, which the researchers took for a strait. These expeditions did not bring profits, but they brought constant conflicts between Spain and Portugal. After the discovery of America, anticipating a conflict of interest between the two Catholic monarchies, the Pope divided the spheres of interest between the Spanish and Portuguese crowns: East - Portugal, West - Spain. But even the pope could not imagine that another path was possible - to the East through the West. main idea Fernando Magellan's project is to prove that the Spice Islands are closer to the New World, and not to Asia, which means that the source of spicy wealth is located in the sphere of influence of Spain, and not Portugal. Ferdinand Magellan did not even think of making a round-the-world trip. His tasks were connected with the search for a strait in South America, reaching the Spice Islands, purchasing these same spices and returning home by the same route. For the needs of Magellan's expedition, five large ships were equipped. There was no shortage of finances, since many European merchants actively participated in the organization of the enterprise, who had long dreamed of direct access to spices, bypassing the Portuguese. In Lisbon there was a fuss. Persistent, courageous and honest Ferdinand Magellan really could find new way to the Portuguese fiefdom in Asia. Intelligence tried its best: they just didn’t do anything to denigrate the valiant navigator! Fortunately, slander did not help, the expedition was carefully prepared. Everything would be great if it were not for the scandal... The Spaniards did not experience any enthusiasm for the fact that the Portuguese (enemy, competitor, defector) would be the leader of the voyage. In addition, Ferdinand Magellan, under the contract, was entitled to a fifth of all the income of the expedition, a twentieth of the income from all open lands, as well as the right to own a third of all open islands. The reward in the eyes of the Spaniards is simply monstrously huge! When Magellan's personal standard, similar to the Portuguese flag, was raised over the flagship, a riot broke out. Thanks to the composure of the expedition commander, as well as the support of the authorities, the rebellion was suppressed, but the rebels also had to make certain concessions: the number of Portuguese on the ships was limited to five sailors, the standard on the flagship was changed. And on September 20, 1519, Magellan's expedition set off to sea.

First conflict among officers

In addition to the admiral of the squadron, a representative took part in the expedition royal family, and part-time captain of one of the ships - Juan de Cartagena. The Spanish nobles, who enjoyed the unlimited confidence of the king, immediately disliked Magellan and were only waiting for an excuse to "make a coup." The reason came quickly. Thoroughly and accurately knowing about the sea route of the Portuguese and their desire by all means to prevent the expedition to the Spice Islands, from canary islands led the squadron not to the American shores, but towards Africa. The change in the intended route angered de Cartagena and other Spanish officers. Suspecting the commander of treason, the Spanish captains refused to obey the admiral's orders. At one of the meetings there was a skirmish between Magellan and Cartagena, which ended in a fight. As a result, the scandalous Spaniard was removed from the post of captain of his ship and sent as a "passenger" to one of small ships. Seeing the determination and inflexibility of Magellan, the captains calmed down and hard way to the coast of Brazil passed relatively calmly.

La plata is not a strait

The first serious result of the expedition was the proof that the mouth of La Plata is not a strait. One of the ships of the squadron was sent for research, which returned with a message that as we move inland, the water becomes less and less salty. The message not only upset the sailors, it frightened many: knowing the admiral's perseverance, one could assume that the expedition would continue further, and then there was complete uncertainty ... The squadron turned south, exploring in detail any bay that could turn out to be a strait. Progress was hampered by constant storms, and the penguins encountered on the way (the Europeans saw them for the first time) added fear, like everything never seen before. At the end of March 1520, the squadron stopped to wait out the advancing southern hemisphere winter.

And again the riot

Taking advantage of the dissatisfaction of the sailors from the reduction of "stern" norms, the Spanish officers conspire. This time they act decisively and capture three ships. The captains of the rebels go so far as to kill one of the officers who refused to take part in the conspiracy. Ferdinand Magellan begins real war. With cunning he captures capital ship conspirators and blocks the other two ships. The conspirators are backtracking. The admiral arranges a trial for the rebels. The main ones - de Cartagena and one of the priests who actively called for the removal of the commander - were not executed. When the squadron moved further south, the two main rebels were left on the coast of Argentina, among penguins and rocks. These people have never been seen again.

Wintering

Winter brought the squadron its first losses: one of the ships intended for reconnaissance was wrecked. Scurvy and other diseases claimed about thirty lives. Magellan seeks to have trustworthy people become captains (in the end, the Portuguese became captains). During wintering, the members of the expedition were in contact with local residents. conceived several representatives of the natives to take on board and take to Europe. The Indians refused to visit the ships, and the Spaniards did not want to spoil relations with local people. I had to go for a trick: the natives were offered gifts, and when there were no longer enough hands to hold all the offerings, the Spaniards "gave" shackles, which they themselves put on the feet of naive Indians. Alas, not one of the five captured natives survived to Europe ...

Long awaited strait

These 38 days, during which the Strait of Magellan was first crossed, will go down in the history of navigation as an example of the art of navigation and the unparalleled courage of the great navigator. Not a single ship was lost, not a single ship was damaged during the most difficult transition. On November 28, 1520, a squadron of the three remaining ships entered the South Sea, which Ferdinand Magellan would soon call the Pacific Ocean. Why only three ships? It's all about cowardice and betrayal. When the strait was almost passed, on one of the ships, under the command of the Portuguese Mishkita, an uprising arose. The leader of the uprising - helmsman Gomes (also Portuguese) - managed to convince the team that the expedition had reached the end of the world and if they did not turn back, they would all die as one. The team believed the coward and, having arrested the captain, turned the ship back to Spain. Magellan himself and the rest of the participants were sure that the ship had died in the strait and mourned their comrades. And the comrades safely reached Spain and reported there about the "treason" of Ferdinand Magellan. The denunciation was drawn up so illiterately and stupidly that the authorities decided to arrest the entire team that returned without the consent of the admiral. Just in case, shadowing of the wife of the squadron commander was established.

Pacific Ocean

Once in the "South Sea", the squadron covered about 15 thousand kilometers without encountering inhabited islands on its way. The team was starving: rats were used (for this delicacy they had to lay out half a ducat and not everyone could afford them), as well as leather lining of the sides and a match. The three-month transition exhausted the team. Starved along with everyone and Magellan. The island of Guam, inhabited by very friendly, but thieving natives, made it possible to replenish food supplies and fresh water. Light skirmish with local population, irritated by the impossibility of profiting from the fact that it lies badly on the alien ships, could not spoil the mood of the team, waiting for the main thing - the Spice Islands! Very soon, in April 1521, the Spaniards reached, on one of the islands, the slave of Magellan, a native of Sumatra, met people speaking his mother tongue. The earth turned out to be round!

tragic ending

In the Philippine archipelago, Magellan launched a stormy activity. Thanks to the unexpected support of Arab merchants (they dissuaded the local rulers from fighting the Spaniards), the expedition leader managed to persuade one of the rulers - Humabon - to convert to Christianity and become a vassal of the Spanish king. And when a new royal subject complains to the admiral about the disobedience of the neighboring rajah, Ferdinand Magellan undertakes to "solve" this problem. The battle was hot and unexpectedly difficult for the Spaniards. The natives weren't afraid firearms, the bullets barely pierced their wooden shields. They easily hit opponents by shooting them in the legs, not protected by armor. Was in a tough fight killed and Ferdinand Magellan. When the news of the admiral's death reached Humabon's ears, his attitude towards the "guests" changed dramatically. The surviving Spaniards almost had to flee.

The way home

The squadron's return journey was not easy. It was necessary to complete the journey:

• protect yourself from the Portuguese who were hunting for Magellan's expedition;
• reach the Moluccas "spicy" islands and purchase goods;

MAGELLAN(Portuguese Magalhaes, Spanish Magallanes) Fernan (spring 1480, Sabrosa area, Vila Real province, Portugal - April 27, 1521, Mactan Island, Philippines), Portuguese navigator, whose expedition made the first circumnavigation; part discoverer Atlantic coast South America, the passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, first crossed by him. Magellan proved the existence of a single world ocean and provided practical evidence of the sphericity of the Earth.

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 participated in naval battles with Arabs, Indians and Moors, showed himself brave warrior for which he received the rank sea ​​captain. Denied due to false accusation further increase in the service and, having resigned, Magellan moved to Spain in 1517. Having entered the service of King Charles I, he proposed a project for a circumnavigation, which was accepted after a long bargain.

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 crew 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 called 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 force and self-confidence. Crossing the ocean, he traveled at least 17 thousand km, but met only two islands - one in the Tuamotu archipelago, the other in the Line group. He also discovered two inhabited islands - 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 completion of the round-the-world expedition

In the role of the patron of the natives baptized by him, Magellan intervened in the internecine war and was killed in a skirmish near the island of Mactan. The ruler of Cebu invited part of the crew to a farewell feast, treacherously attacked the guests and killed 24 people. There were only 115 people left 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 cheaply a lot of cloves, nutmeg, etc. 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.

Magellan as an explorer and a person

Thus ended the first circumnavigation of the world, which proved the sphericity of the earth. For the first time, Europeans crossed the largest of the oceans - the Pacific, opening a passage from the Atlantic. The expedition found out that much of the earth's surface is occupied not by land, as Columbus and his contemporaries thought, but by oceans. The warlike and vain Magellan received many wounds, one of them made him lame. His son died in 1521. The wife, who gave birth to her second child dead, died in March 1522. A strait and two star clusters(Large and Small Magellanic Clouds), which were described by the historiographer and expedition member Antonio Pifachetta. The fate of Magellan, his daring feat is dedicated to the novel by S. Zweig "Magellan" (1938).