Among explorers of the modern era, Ferdinand Magellan who died 500 years ago is remembered along with Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci and Vasco da Gama as one of the most important. The reason is the claim that he was the first to travel around the world between 1519–1522.
But Magellan actually died while in the Philippines, due to an armed conflict with a local tribe on April 27, 1521, exactly 500 years ago. Therefore, although he led the expedition through half of the unexplored New World, and circumnavigated America for the first time, he was never able to return to his point of departure, Spain.
Captain Elkano completed the journey. But according to some evidence, the first person to technically complete the circumnavigation of the globe was a slave of Filipino origin who left his homeland with the expedition. Ferdinand Magellan was born Fernao de Magalhaes into a noble Portuguese family in 1480.
When he was young he was part of the royal court of Lisbon, but very soon he preferred to devote himself to long and dangerous journeys to Africa and the East, where Portuguese explorers were in search of a product that at the time guaranteed great profits: spices.
Accused of illegal trade, Magellan fled Portugal after quarreling with King Manuel I and found refuge in Charles V's Spain, which was also Portugal's main rival in naval expeditions. The idea of undertaking such a demanding journey was prompted by the need to find a new route to India but passing through the West.
It was hoped that it would be shorter and safer than the one around Africa, similar to the one planned by Columbus before he accidentally discovered a new continent. Charles gave him the opportunity to prove it by making available to him 5 ships, which left in 1519 from the Andalusian city of Sanlucar de Barrameda.
But the expedition would be accompanied from the beginning by problems, among them the most important were the Portuguese ships, sent by Manuel I to keep an eye on the Spanish mission, and any routes discovered by them. For a while they managed to stay behind Magellan's ships, but then lost sight of them.
The second problem was a major storm that caused a delay in the travel calendar, and consequently imposed a rationing of food supplies. And lastly there was the strained relationship between Magellan and most of the crew.
The sailors on board were mostly Spaniards, ex-convicts who had been released from prison, who had agreed to participate in the expedition in exchange for money, or people who had run away because of debts. But few of them were happy to be commanded by a Portuguese.
Especially Juan de Cartagena, who led one of the five ships, the "San Antonio", openly criticized Magellan, who reacted by arresting him and putting him in prison on board another ship called the "Vikstorias".
But Carthage did not surrender. In April 1520, he managed to escape from the ship "Victoria" and return aboard the ship "San Antonio", managing to incite the rebellion of the crew against Magellan. The captains of the ships "Conception" and "Viktoria" joined him, leaving Magellan in the minority.
The rebels sent a letter to Magellan, who was on board the ship "Trinidad", where they ordered him to accept defeat. Magellan retaliated by sending a man who shot the captain of the ship "Victoria", Luiz Mendoza, with a knife. After this act, Magellan's loyal crew went to the bedroom of the "Victoria" ship and neutralized the rebels.
The captain of the "Concepcion", Caspar de Quesada, was beheaded and his body dismembered to make an example to all those who intended to rebel. Meanwhile, the ship "Carthagena" was left to sink in the middle of the Pacific along with a priest, who was also one of the rebels.
In October the expedition lost another part. When the ship "San Antonio" was separating from the ship "Trinidad" to explore both sides of an island, the crew members forced the captain to desert and return to Spain.
Finally, the goal of bypassing the American continent, between the present-day territory of Chile and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in what is still known today as the Strait of Magellan, was only achieved by the remaining ships on November 28, after many attempts.
On the other hand, the weather conditions were so favorable that Magellan, the first European captain to arrive there, named what he thought was a sea as it is known today the "Pacific Sea". In March they reached the island of Guam. , where they finally managed to collect the necessary supplies, and then set off for the Philippine archipelago, where Magellan began the process of converting the local populations to Christianity.
A local leader who had converted to Christianity, Humabon, asked Magellan for support to fight against the chief of a tribe on the island of Mactan, Lapu–Lapu, who had refused to convert. Magellan agreed and attacked the Lapu-Lapu tribe with about 60 men, against about 1500 natives, believing in the superiority of their weapons.
During the fight, he was struck by a bamboo spear, and then struck by other warriors who killed him. His body was abandoned by the rest of the crew. After Magellan's death, the expedition continued, but without him. The ship "Victoria" managed to return to Spain only in 1522. / Il Post - Bota.al
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