Ferdinand Magellan's expedition circumnavigated the globe. The history of travel around the world: from Magellan to Picard. Magellan Fernand: short biography

The man under whose leadership the first trip around the world took place was Ferdinand Magellan. From the very beginning, when before sailing part of the command staff (primarily sailors) refused to serve the Portuguese, it became obvious that this circumnavigation will be extremely difficult.

The beginning of a trip around the world. Magellan's Path

On August 10, 1519, 5 ships left the port of Seville and set off on a voyage, the goals of which were based only on Magellan’s intuition. In those days, no one believed that the Earth was round, and naturally, this caused great concern among the sailors, because as they moved further and further from the port, their fear of never returning home grew stronger.

The expedition included the following ships: “Trinidad” (under the command of Magellan, the head of the expedition), “Santo Antonio”, “Concepcion”, “Sant Iago” and the carrack Victoria (later one of the two ships that returned back).

The most interesting thing for you!

The first clash of interests occurred near the Canary Islands, when Magellan, without warning or agreement with other captains, slightly changed course. Juan de Cartagena (captain of the Santo Antonio) harshly criticized Magellan, and after Fernand refused to go back to his previous course, he began to persuade the officers and sailors. Having learned about this, the head of the expedition called the rebel to him, and in the presence of other officers he ordered him to be shackled and thrown into the hold.

One of the passengers on the first trip around the world was Antonio Pifaghetta, a man who described all the adventures in his diary. It is thanks to him that we know such exact facts of the expedition. It should be noted that riots have always been a great danger, for example, the sailing ship Bounty became famous thanks to the mutiny against its captain William Bligh.

However, fate decreed otherwise for Bly; he still managed to become a hero in the service of Horatio Nelson. Magellan's circumnavigation of the world predates the year of Admiral Nelson's birth by about 200 years.

The hardships of circumnavigation for sailors and officers

Meanwhile, some officers and sailors began to express open dissatisfaction with the voyage, they called a riot demanding they return back to Spain. Ferdinand Magellan was determined and put an end to the uprising by force. The captain of the Victoria (one of the instigators) was killed. Seeing Magellan’s determination, no one else contradicted him, but the next night 2 ships voluntarily tried to sail home. The plan failed and both captains, once on the deck of the Trinidad, were put on trial and shot.

Having survived the winter, the ships set off back on the same course, the trip around the world continued - Magellan was sure that a strait existed in South America. And he was not mistaken. On October 21, the squadron reached the cape (now called Cape Virgenes), which turned out to be a strait. The fleet traveled through the strait for 22 days. This time was enough for the captain of the ship "Santo Antonio" to disappear from sight and go back to Spain. Coming out of the strait, the sailing ships entered the Pacific Ocean for the first time. By the way, the name of the ocean was invented by Magellan, since during 4 months of difficult passage along it, the ships never got caught in a storm. However, in fact, the ocean is not so quiet; James Cook, who visited these waters more than once 250 years later, was not happy with it.

Having emerged from the strait, the squadron of discoverers moved into the unknown, where the round-the-world journey lasted for 4 months of continuous wanderings across the ocean, without encountering a single piece of land (not counting 2 islands that turned out to be deserted). 4 months is a very good indicator for those times, but the fastest clipper of Thermopylae could cover this distance in less than a month, and Cutty Sark, by the way, too. At the beginning of March 1521, the pioneers saw inhabited islands on the horizon, which Magellan later named Landrones and Vorovskiye.

Circumnavigation: half way completed

So, for the first time in history, sailors crossed the Pacific Ocean and found themselves on inhabited islands. In this regard, the trip around the world began to bear fruit. There, not only fresh water supplies were replenished, but also food supplies, for which the sailors exchanged all sorts of small things with the natives. But the behavior of the tribe's inhabitants forced them to quickly leave these islands. After 7 days of sailing, Magellan found new islands, which today are known to us as the Philippine Islands.

On the San Lazaro Archipelago (as the Philippine Islands were first called), travelers met natives with whom they began to establish trade relations. Magellan became such good friends with the Rajah of the tribe that he decided to help this new vassal of Spain in solving a problem. As the Raja explained, neighboring islands another Raja of the tribe refused to pay tribute and he does not know what to do.

Ferdinand Magellan ordered preparations for military operations on a neighboring piece of land. It was this battle that would be the last for the head of the expedition; the trip around the world would end without him... On the island of Mactan (the enemy’s island), he lined up his soldiers in 2 columns and began to fire at the natives. However, nothing worked for him: the bullets only pierced the shields of the natives and sometimes affected limbs. Seeing this situation, the local population began to defend themselves even more vigorously and began to throw spears at the captain.

Then Magellan ordered their houses to be burned in order to put pressure on fear, but this maneuver only angered the natives more and they took more closely to their goal. For about an hour, the Spaniards fought off the spears with all their might, until the strongest onslaught on the captain bore fruit: when they saw Magellan’s position, the natives pounced on him and instantly threw stones and spears at him. Until his last breath, he watched his people and waited until they all left the island on boats. The Portuguese was killed on April 27, 1521, when he was 41 years old. Magellan, with his trip around the world, proved the great hypothesis and thereby changed the world.

The Spaniards failed to obtain the body. In addition, a surprise awaited the sailors on the island of the friendly Rajah. One of the natives lied to his master and reported on an impending attack on the island. The Raja summoned the officers from the ship to his home and brutally massacred the 26 crew members there. Having learned about the massacre, the acting captain of the ships ordered to come closer to the village and shoot it with cannons.

Ferdinand Magellan (Fernand de Magalhães)- a Portuguese (Spanish) navigator who circumnavigated the Earth on his ship "Victoria", and, as official history says, he was the first to do so. One strait was even named after him.
So Ferdinand Magellan was the man who commanded the first expedition that made the first circumnavigation of the Earth. One thing you need to understand is that only official versions and the sources that have reached us, there may have been expeditions before. But the only historically confirmed trip around the world was Ferdinand Magellan.
Around the World Expedition prepared for several years and on September 20, 1519, a squadron consisting of 5 ships and 256 people, led by Magellan, left the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda (the mouth of the Guadalquivir River) and moved in the direction South America and on November 29 the squadron reached the coast of Brazil.
On March 6, 1521, the squadron sighted the island of Guam, the largest island of 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. There is no point in writing about the details of Magellan’s presence on the island; they say that most of the story is fiction.
Next was today's Philippines, where on April 7, 1521, the flotilla entered the port of Cebu Island, Philippines.
On April 27, on the island of Mactan in the Philippines, Magellan died at the hands of rebel Filipinos.
Next were the Moluccas and the possible purchase of spices.
Only the ship "Victoria" under the leadership of Juan Sebastian Elcano made it back, which with difficulty rounded the cape Good Hope and then for two months she went straight to the northwest along the African coast to Spain.
And on September 6, 1522, “Victoria” finally 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 ship Trinidad were taken to Spain. Then the crew members of the Victoria ship, who were captured by the Portuguese during a forced stop in July on the Cape Verde Islands in Portugal, were ransomed and returned.

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 simply went for spices: pepper, cinnamon and others growing on the Moluccas Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
But there is a more sensible reasoning on this matter: at that time bronze had value, and it, in turn, cannot be obtained without tin, which is why Ferdinand Magellan went fishing. He sailed not only to the Moluccas, but also to Malaysia, where there was tin in the beach sands on the coast. There was also tin ore in Yemen and Singapore. Therefore, according to another version of historians, this reason for the trip was more rational than, for example, spices.

Map of Ferdinand Magellan's voyage around the world 1519 -1522

A modern copy of Ferdinand Magellan's ship "Victoria"

BBC documentary in the best traditions about the journey of Ferdinand Magellan

Search for the western sea route to India and Magellan

In those years when they made geographical discoveries along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the Spaniards undertook voyages in other directions. The Portuguese, who penetrated the Malay Archipelago, were amazed to hear about the appearance of the Spaniards in the Moluccas. The brave navigator who brought Spanish ships into these seas by the western route was the Portuguese Ferdinand Magellaens (circa 1480-1521). His surname was given the form Magellan by the Spaniards. He served in the squadron Albuquerque during the conquest of Malacca, then participated in the Portuguese campaigns against the Berbers, was wounded in the knee by a spear and from this wound remained lame for life. Offended that King Emmanuel refused to give him an increase in his salary, he transferred from the Portuguese service to the Spanish one. Magellan believed that it was necessary to look for a sea route to India, sailing from southern shores South America. They say that the idea of ​​such a voyage was aroused in Magellan by a map Behaima, which he saw in the archives of the royal treasury and on which a strait was drawn, which, according to Beheim, existed in the southern part of the New World. They also say that Magellan’s conversations with Francisco Serrano, a Portuguese who visited the Moluccas, helped strengthen this idea. But Columbus had long argued that there should be a strait between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, similar to the one that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus was looking for this strait in the Caribbean Sea, Cabot on the northern edge of America; Cortez in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ferdinand Magellan. Portrait by an unknown artist of the 17th century

In 1515, the Spanish sailor Diaz Solis sailed along eastern shore South America to 34 degrees south latitude, entered the wide mouth of La Plata, sailed up the river, believing that this was the strait he was looking for. Coming ashore with several companions, he was killed by savages in sight of the caravels. The sailors swam back in horror. Magellan continued the work begun by Solis. It was all the more tempting because there was an erroneous assumption regarding the Pacific Ocean: at that time it was thought that the southern end of America was not very far from the Malay Archipelago and that between Asia and South America there were islands on which there was a lot of gold, expensive stones and pearls.

Ferdinand Magellan. Traveling across the world

Magellan concluded an agreement with the Spanish government on March 22, 1518, which provided him and his companion Falero (also Portuguese) with the positions of rulers and part of the income of those lands that would be discovered by them. Magellan and Falero went to Seville to lobby for Fonseca to quickly equip the squadron for the voyage. The Spanish authorities placed her at their disposal for two years. The squadron was to consist of 5 ships with 234 sailors. The Portuguese king was annoyed at the Spanish government, which concluded such a treaty with people whom he considered traitors; he sent them promises and threats, trying to dissuade them from the expedition. Fonseca and other Spaniards in Seville were unhappy that foreigners were given such important rights. Portuguese sailors who wanted to participate in the expedition were refused. Falero was so bored with the troubles that he abandoned his intention, and the troubles were left in the hands of Magellan alone. During the first period of his voyage, Magellan had to experience great trouble from his subordinates. Juan Cartagena, appointed commander of one of the ships, began to intrigue against Magellan, and persuaded the other two captains to do the same; they demanded that Magellan relinquish command of the squadron. But he took strict measures and suppressed the rebellion raised by these intriguers.

Monument to Ferdinand Magellan in Punta Arenas, Chile

Discovery of the Strait of Magellan

Following along the eastern coast of South America, Magellan passed the mouth of La Plata and continued his voyage to the south. At the mouth of the Santa Cruz River, at 50 degrees south latitude, one of the ships ran aground (May 22, 1520). In this area, Magellan and his companions saw very tall natives; they lived in leather huts that looked like tents. The Spaniards went ashore, covered with snow; but these savages (Patagonians) showed such hostility towards foreigners that the Spaniards hastily returned to the ships and sailed on. The sailors began to demand that the squadron sail east to Madagascar and India. But Magellan landed the two main rebels ashore and announced that he would look for a strait leading to the Pacific Ocean, even if he had to continue sailing to 75 degrees south latitude. Having sailed another three or four degrees, the squadron entered the bay on October 21 (1520), which expanded as it followed it to the west. Magellan's squadron sailed to the cape, now called Cape Troward, and the navigators saw a wide area of ​​​​water in front of them. The long, winding path along which they sailed turned out not to be a bay, but the strait they were looking for.

In this strait, which received the name of Magellan, westerly winds blow. Given its length and the numerous turns it makes, sailing in its direction from east to west is still a difficult task. One must be amazed at the courage and skill of Magellan, who walked this then unknown path.

Magellan's voyage in the Pacific Ocean

One of the ships of the squadron, sent by Magellan to inspect the shores, turned back and disappeared from sight. Magellan waited for him for several days, but, realizing that he had sailed to Spain, he ordered him to sail further. The sailors were afraid to sail to unknown places, but did not dare to resist their energetic boss; To the remark that food supplies may not be available until the squadron sails to some place where new ones can be obtained, Magellan replied: “Even if I have to eat rigging straps, I will fulfill my promise to the emperor.” The squadron sailed on November 27 to the western end of the strait; the sailors enthusiastically greeted the sea that opened before them. Magellan continued sailing along the coast north to 48 degrees south latitude; from there he took a direction to the northwest.

The squadron walked for a long time along the latitudes between the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, but it so happened that it did not see any of the many archipelagos of the Pacific Ocean, and it seemed like an endless water desert. Having crossed the equator, reaching 13 degrees north latitude, Magellan and his companions finally saw the islands; it was March 6, 1521. Naked olive-skinned natives boldly climbed onto the ships and stole everything they could find; they were driven away, but they returned. The Spaniards therefore called their archipelago the Islands of Thieves, Ladrones. During the four months of voyage, Magellan and his sailors saw nothing but sky and water, had no food except crackers, worn out by worms, crumbling into powder; they were delighted to find coconuts, yams and sugar cane on these islands.

At the end of March 1521 the squadron sailed to Philippine Islands. Magellan stopped here to give rest to the tired sailors. The princes and people received the Spaniards friendly and treated them. One of the princes of the island of Cebu was baptized and recognized the Spanish king as his sovereign. Several hundred of his subjects were baptized along with the prince.

Magellan demanded that the other princes obey the one who was baptized; some of them did not agree to this. Magellan began to burn the villages of the resisting princes; they and their warriors sailed to small island Mactan. He put 50 sailors on three boats and sailed to Mactan, hoping to easily defeat the numerous natives. But in the battle with them, Magellan was hit in the head by a spear and fell dead (April 27, 1521). Along with him, the captain of one of the ships, Crestoval Ravelo, and six sailors were killed.

Death of Magellan. 19th century drawing

The rest of Magellan's companions managed to board the boats and returned to Cebu. The baptized prince became bolder. Continuing to pretend to be a friend of the Spaniards, on May 1 he invited the chestnuts and other chiefs to dinner. They came to him, there were 24 of them. The prince's warriors suddenly attacked Magellan's companions and killed them all with a painful death. With the groans of their dying comrades and the joyful cry of the natives, the rest of Magellan’s companions, of whom there were only 100 people, sailed away on two ships, setting the third one on fire. They went ashore several times on the islands of Mandanao and Palawan, then sailed to Bruni Harbor on Borneo island. The Raja of that area, a Muslim, wanted to exterminate them, but they managed to sail away and in November came to the Moluccas Islands and anchored off Tidori.

Swimming Elcano

One of Magellan's assistants, Juan Sebastian Elcano, captain of the Victoria, the one of the two ships that was less damaged than the other, took a cargo of cloves and at the end of the year continued sailing towards the island of Timor, from there in May (1522) he came to the Cape Good Hope. On this route, 15 Spaniards and 6 Timorese they took with them died of starvation, so that only 30 people remained on the ship. Having rounded the Cape of Good Hope, Elcano came to the Cape Verde Islands. The Portuguese arrested 12 of the surviving sailors Magellan and Elcano there, considering it a violation of the rights of Portugal that the Spaniards had penetrated the Malay Archipelago. Elcano barely escaped persecution. Finally, on September 6, 1522, he, with 13 Europeans and 3 Asians, entered the San Lucar harbor and went with the surviving Christians to Seville to give thanks to God in the cathedral church for the happy completion of the first circumnavigation of the world. The death of Magellan initially gave Elcano the glory of being the first man to circumnavigate the world. His coat of arms included an image of the globe.

Monument to Juan Sebastian Elcano in his homeland (Basque Country)

Four years later (in 1526), ​​a new squadron under the command of Garcia Loayza and Elcano passed through the Strait of Magellan; one of her caravels rounded the southern end of the New World, Cape Horn. The Spaniards arrived in the Moluccas. Both squadron commanders died during this voyage. The Portuguese, who built a fort on the most important of the Moluccas, Ternate, and subjugated the Muslim princes of the archipelago, argued that, along the line of demarcation, it was located in that half of the ocean that belonged exclusively to them and that the Spaniards had no right to sail there. The dispute lasted for several years. In 1529, Emperor Charles V recognized the Moluccas as belonging to the King of Portugal, receiving from him 350,000 ducats for this concession.

The Moluccas remained the last conquest of the Portuguese in the southeast. The Philippines, discovered by the Spanish squadron, was conquered by the Spaniards.

Magellan's voyage resolved the issue of a western sea route to Southeast Asia. Circumnavigation soon became commonplace; many islands were discovered in the Pacific Ocean; but their position was indicated incorrectly on maps for a long time due to the inaccuracy of the then means of determining geographic longitude.

Marta Gumilevskaya

This map shows the route of the first circumnavigation. Of the five ships of Magellan he circumnavigated Earth only one - "Victoria".

On the sixth day of September 1522, a battered ship entered the Spanish harbor of San Lucar de Barrameda. Eighteen sailors staggered ashore, knelt down heavily and kissed the ground. People gathered around them. The Spaniards looked in surprise at the sailors, at the dilapidated ship, habitually whispering prayers and making the sign of the cross.
“Holy Mary,” quiet voices were heard, “who are these unfortunate people? I swear by Saint Jerome, they have forgotten the taste of food...”
And hands with bread, fruit, and new wine reached out to the sailors.
The sailors ate greedily and gave thanks; I laughed and tears flowed down their emaciated, overgrown cheeks. They won't be recognized? Have you forgotten about them? Is this any surprise? Holy Mary, how long has it been since they last saw the blessed shores of Spain! Oh, how long ago!
Having satisfied their first hunger, mortally tired, they returned to their decrepit ship, collapsed on the mats and immediately fell fast asleep.
And at this time the messenger was already spurring his horse. He rushed to Valladolid, to Don Carlos, King of Spain, with good news: Magellan's sailors had returned and, as a sign of the completed assignment, following the custom of knightly times, they want to return the glove to their king!
...Three years ago, on September 20, 1519, a mysterious flotilla of five ships set out on a long voyage from the same harbor of San Lucar de Barrameda. No one, except a very few, knew where she was going or what her goals were. The sailors were healthy and cheerful, the ships sparkled white, the royal standards and flags of the expedition fluttered merrily on the masts, and a fair wind filled the sails, shaded with the crosses of St. Iago, the patron saint of Spain.
Ahead was the flagship Trinidad with the head of the expedition, Admiral Fernand de Magellan. He was followed by the most big ship expedition "San Antonio", and it was led by the royal controller, a noble Spanish grandee, Juan de Cartagena. Then sailed the Concepcion with Gaspar de Quesada, also a Spaniard; The Spaniard also led the ship "Victoria", only the captain of the smallest "Santiago" was the Portuguese Juan Serrano.
Admiral Fernand Magalhães himself was Portuguese, as he was called in his homeland. But history remembers his other name, and the whole world knows him as Magellan. He is short, squat and walks with a limp - a trace of an old wound. He has a simple face with a dark beard, intelligent, penetrating eyes. For the glory of the Portuguese crown, he performed feats, and often his life hung by a thread. He was among the sailors of the Portuguese flotilla stationed in the roadstead of Malacca (present-day Singapore). The Portuguese came here under the guise of peaceful merchants, but in fact - for reconnaissance, in order to prepare for the capture of this most important harbor of the East. Concerned about the appearance of Europeans, the ruler of Malacca, outwardly cordial and hospitable, was going to surprise the flotilla. Almost at the last minute, Magellan’s courage and resourcefulness saved the Portuguese from complete defeat. Magellan fought at sea and on land, remained lame for the rest of his life, but received nothing for all his merits, and by the age of thirty-five he remained the same unknown poor man as when he first stepped onto the deck of a ship as a simple sailor.
Having stopped fighting and sailing, Magellan did not intend to live out his days in obscurity on the meager pension that the king awarded him.
Against!


Ferdinand Magellan.

An excellent, experienced sailor with excellent knowledge of the East, Magellan wanted to become the captain of one of those ships that often sailed from Portugal to the Indian Ocean. If, of course, there is the consent of His Majesty King Manuel.
But in this, as in many other things, the king denies his faithful servant. But he willingly agrees to his other request: to release Magellan from Portugal to any other country, if he wishes.
This is sad, there are no words. But, since this is the will of the king, Magellan has no choice. Now he is free and can devote all his time to developing a certain plan, which he apparently hatched back in those days when he sailed and fought in the East.
This plan was to reach the most remote and richest Moluccas - the Spice Islands - heading to them not by the usual route around Africa (as all Portuguese ships had sailed since the time of Vasco da Gama), but from the west. This is how Columbus at one time intended to go, but he unexpectedly stumbled upon a new continent. Magellan was confident that he would find a strait off the coast of this new continent - America, and then a closer route to the Moluccas would open. This was a plan for a trip around the world, because Magellan intended to return to his homeland by rounding the Cape of Good Hope.
To imagine the audacity of this plan, one must remember that at that time no one had yet succeeded in finding a strait off the coast of America, although many tried. Moreover, it was unknown where the new continent ended, whether it was connected to the Unknown Southern Land, which was still discussed ancient scientists. They also did not know about the existence of the Pacific Ocean, the largest on the globe; they only knew that the western shores of America were washed by some kind of sea, called the Southern Sea by the Spanish conquistadors, but no one swam in this sea, and they approached it by land, through the mountains of the Isthmus of Panama.
Magellan, having carefully studied all available by that time nautical charts and other materials, he was confident that he would achieve his goal if he managed to equip an expensive expedition. He cannot achieve this in his homeland - and Magellan leaves Portugal.
And here he is in Spain. Here he makes friends. Here he finds strong patrons. Here he marries the daughter of a Portuguese in the Spanish service, Diego Barbosa, who holds the important post of head of the arsenal. The Spaniards are interested in the plan of this stern, taciturn man. It's a good idea to get the Spice Islands before the Portuguese establish themselves there. Spain needs gold. The discovery of Columbus has not yet enriched her. The young king Charles I listens carefully to Magellan and appoints an unknown Portuguese nobleman as the head of an important secret expedition, grants him the title of admiral and blesses him for his feat.
Magellan prepared for the expedition long and carefully. He tried to provide for everything the crew might need; He himself compiled lists of food and equipment, monitored purchases and repairs of old ships that Spain supplied him with. It seemed that he had done everything humanly possible; he had nothing to reproach himself with. And yet, one concern weighed on him: the enmity of the arrogant Spaniards towards him, who could not come to terms with the idea that the head of the expedition was some Portuguese from a seedy noble family. Noble Spanish officers hated Magellan.
Magellan saw everything perfectly well, but these people were appointed by the king himself, he could not remove them and replace them with others. And he was silent, remaining outwardly calm and, as always, gloomy.
He remained just as calm when Canary Islands- the last stop in the Old World - he received an important letter sent after him, informing him that the Spanish captains were preparing a mutiny and Juan de Cartagena was at the head of the conspiracy.
It's too late... The expedition has set sail, and Magellan will not retreat. Fate threw an iron glove at his feet, and he picked it up. He accepts the challenge!
And the ships left the Canary Islands...


The noble knight Antonio Pigafetta kept his truthful records day after day.

Among the few friends of Magellan, faithful and devoted to him, was the Italian Antonio Pigafetta, whom both Magellan and his companions called Antonio Lombardo. The noble knight Pigafetta was never a sailor. But he had long dreamed of long voyages, of wonderful unknown lands and was happy when chance helped him learn about Magellan’s mysterious expedition and get on his flagship ship. Antonio Pigafetta kept notes day after day, and now we know the details of this tragic and famous voyage, the details are truthful and impartial.
Meanwhile, the ships, having left the Canary Islands, were heading south. The flagship Trinidad sailed ahead, as always, followed by the other four ships in a certain order. By order of Magellan, at the end of the day's watch, all ships approached the flagship and reported to the admiral about the events of the day. And each time the captains were obliged to begin their report with the same words, from which the blood boiled in the veins of the arrogant Spaniards: “God bless you, Señor Admiral, and the helmsmen, and the entire honorable company.”
Soon the Spaniards began to openly grumble: they were outraged not only by the report, but also by the fact that Magellan, without saying a word to anyone, changed course. After all, it was assumed that after the Canary Islands the expedition would sail west. Why are they going south? And Juan de Cartagena directly asked the admiral about this. In response, he heard a short and adamant: “Your duty is to follow my flag during the day and my lantern at night.” In other words: swim and don't reason!
Then the offended Cartagena, disregarding Magellan's order, stopped giving a report. He entrusted this to his subordinates. And when Magellan sternly asked him why he allowed himself such freedom, Cartagena boldly replied that he did not consider it important.
And Magellan again, as had happened many times before, remained silent. He was waiting in the wings.
And when this hour, in his opinion, had come, during a council in his cabin he himself challenged Cartagena to a quarrel and unexpectedly, in front of everyone, declared him under arrest. Everyone was dumbfounded from surprise. No one dared to object or defend Cartagena.
This is how the first battle was fought.
Meanwhile, the weather was not favorable for sailing. The ships found themselves in a zone of severe storms, rain was pouring, and nasty winds were blowing. During thunderstorms, St. Elmo's lights often flashed on the masts - harmless discharges of atmospheric electricity, well known to superstitious sailors. On one particularly stormy night, a large plume was blazing on the mainmast. At the end he flashed a blinding light. The sailors decided that their last hour had come, but the storm immediately subsided.
Finally Magellan gave the order to turn west. And soon the sailors approached blessed Brazil. Here they were rewarded for all their hardships. They feasted on delicious, unfamiliar fruits, admired the wonders of Brazilian nature - motley, bright parrots, small yellow monkeys with manes comically similar to those of a lion. Life in Brazil was calm and pleasant, and everyone was sad when the admiral ordered the sails to be raised.
Magellan was in a hurry. He was full of impatience, although he did not show it with a single gesture. He had good reason to hurry. He expected to find a strait at forty degrees south latitude. And that's why. Thinking over his plan, he had a long conversation with the sailors who had returned from long voyages, sat in a secret archive at royal palace, reading the captains' reports, looking at old maps. There he came across a map by the German cartographer Martin Beheim, where the strait was indicated at forty degrees south latitude. The sailors wrote that it was wide and full of water, but they could not pass it to the end and were forced to return. That is why Magellan was in a hurry to leave Brazil. He hoped that he would soon be able to enter the Southern Sea, which washes the western shores of the mainland, and set a course for the Spice Islands.
But the day when the expedition reached the coveted forty degrees was one of the most difficult for Magellan. Yes, Magellan saw a high-water channel, only the channel turned out to be the mouth of a huge river, then not yet mapped, but now known as La Plata. The blow was heavy. But Magellan did not admit to anyone how terrible his disappointment was. And he decided to follow further south, along the unknown shores of the mainland. And time was already approaching winter. People are tired. There was a murmur. The sailors demanded that Magellan turn back. Winter on unfamiliar shores frightened them.
However, Magellan was adamant. What’s the matter, noble lords, he said. What's your fear? There are plenty of fish in the sea, and forests on the shore. We are not in danger of hunger or cold. Victory and glory await us, but it is not easy. Do I need to remind you of the oath given to the king! You have to keep your word. The honor of an officer and a nobleman demands this!
And he found a convenient bay where he was going to wait out the winter. It was San Julian Bay, of ill memory, at forty-ninth degree south latitude. Magellan brought four ships into this bay, but as a precaution, the flagship Trinidad was placed at the very exit from the bay into the ocean.
On April 1, 1520, the day of the great Catholic holiday, Magellan ordered the crew to go ashore to hear mass. After the mass, the expedition officers were invited to the admiral for a festive dinner.
The day turned out to be particularly gloomy, heavy, dark clouds were swirling in the sky, and the wind was howling. It was also sad at the festive table of the silent, stern admiral. Magellan noted to himself: Mendoza and Quesada were not on the shore during the mass. They did not come to the admiral's cabin for lunch. It was a challenge. Magellan knew this. But he decided not to show his displeasure, remaining silent and gloomy as before and not taking precautions...
The next morning he was awakened earlier than usual by a loud knock on the door. It turns out that there was an uprising that night. The rebel captains captured three large ships: "San Antonio", "Concepcion" and "Victoria". Alzar Mishkit, a devotee of Magellan, who became captain of the San Antonio after the arrest of Cartagena, was wounded by the rebels, tied up, thrown into the hold and opened food warehouses for the sailors in order to attract them to their side. In the morning, the rebels were going to offer the admiral their conditions: he must immediately turn home to Spain!
Probably, everyone in Magellan’s place would have considered that the map was broken. What could he do with one little Santiago? Everyone, but not Magellan! And he goes to the greatest audacity. In full view of everyone, a boat with his faithful Gonzalo Gomez Espinosa and five sailors is moored to the side of the Victoria. Espinosa hands Luis Mendoza a note from the admiral: the admiral invites him to the flagship for negotiations. Mendoza smiles boldly, but... before he can say “no,” Gomez’s dagger pierces his throat, and Gomez’s companions snatch daggers from their belts. At the same time, a detachment of fifteen armed sailors with Duarte Barbosa, a relative of Magellan, at the head, ascends the ladder from nowhere to help them. Without meeting the slightest resistance, they rush towards the sails. And so "Victoria" swims up to the flagship and stands side by side with it, blocking the exit from the bay.
The blow was unexpected, bold, decisive. The rebels were confused, the rebels could not come to their senses. They tried to get past Trinidad, but as expected, none of this worked out. The rebels surrendered.
And on the gloomy shore the trial took place. These were difficult days for everyone. Even the rude sailors, thugs gathered from all over the world, were gloomy and confused. The trial took place in full. Magellan insisted on this; he remembered that he would have to give an account of everything in due time to Don Carlos, King of Spain.
The court unanimously makes a decision, recorded according to all the rules. The head of the conspiracy, Juan de Cartagena, and the priest Sanchez de la Reina, who incited the sailors to revolt, are sentenced to exile. They will remain here, on this gloomy shore, when the flotilla leaves it, and let the sky decide their fate. Mendoza is already dead, but Quesada is alive. He is sentenced to death by beheading. But who will decide to become an executioner? Everyone turns away, shuddering. And... Quesada's faithful servant, Luis Molino, sentenced to hanging, takes up the shameful ax. This saves his life. Magellan pardoned the remaining forty people. He didn't want to be too cruel, and besides, he needed people. There is a long way ahead, and there is nowhere to wait for help...
And the long days of winter weather dragged on, and there was no escape from the difficult memories, and bloody ghosts hovered over the gloomy bay. Yunga Juan de Cibuletta often mutters something in his sleep, jumps up, and wakes up. The noble knight Pigafetta is gloomy and thoughtful. He still keeps his notes every day. No matter how tragic the trial and the death penalty, but Magellan was right - this is what Pigafetta writes.
Winter delayed the expedition in San Julian Bay for five whole months. Without waiting for tolerable weather, Magellan sends the small Santiago on reconnaissance. During a storm, the ship dies. People were saved, but there was one less ship.


During the council, Magellan challenged Cartagena to a quarrel and unexpectedly, in front of everyone, declared him under arrest.

Finally, in August 1520, in the early spring of the southern hemisphere, the flotilla leaves the bay. And Cartagena and Pedro Sanchez, left on the shore, look in inexpressible anguish after the sailing ships... And no one will ever know what fate befell them on this wild shore.
Meanwhile, the flotilla reaches the mouth of the Santa Cruz River, where the poor Santiago perished; here again bad weather forced the ships to be delayed for two months. And before the expedition went any further. Magellan gathered the captains and helmsmen of the expedition in his cabin to inform them of his plans. He said he would continue south until he discovered the strait. If necessary, he would reach the 75th parallel and only then turn east to return to Spain. The officers listened to the order in grave silence. Nobody dared to object. The terrible events in San Julian Bay are too vivid in my memory.
And two days after this meeting, on October 21, 1520, the ships rounded a cape, and a narrow rocky passage immediately opened behind it. It does not at all resemble a strait, but Magellan cannot pass it without exploring it. And he sends "San Antonio" and "Concepcion" for reconnaissance. They must return no later than five days later. Magellan himself on the Trinidad, together with the Victoria, will be waiting for them with outside bays.
Before the scout ships had time to hide in the narrow passage, a storm arose. Magellan is gripped by mortal anxiety for those who are now there, among the rocky shores. Will they suffer the same fate as Santiago? Then it's over! He will not be able to continue sailing with Victoria alone.
So three days pass in terrible anxiety, and the fourth comes. And the storm roars, and Magellan’s ships, having weighed anchor, move away from the dangerous shore and rush about randomly, just to survive!
The day watch ends, the cabin boys beat off the bells and light the signal lights. But what is it? A column of black smoke rose above the narrow passage! Distress call? Magellan does not have time to move to the rescue, when both ships emerge from the passage - safe and sound, they are festively lit, firing from cannons! This is a salute to the glorious admiral!
The strait has been found!

The traitor Mendoza did not have time to say “no” when the dagger of the faithful Gomez pierced his throat.

In the ancient sailing directions, where the strait, called by Magellan the Strait of All Saints, but renamed by grateful descendants to Magellan, is marked, there are warning inscriptions: “There are never blessed seasons here”; "Here the northern winds blow from all four corners of the world."
The way it is. It is gloomy, deserted, deserted here. Only day and night fires burn on the shore. Magellan called these places Tierra del Fuego. He did not see a single person on the shore and did not know that these fires were an unquenchable fire maintained by the Indians.
The ships carefully made their way through narrow passages among a complex labyrinth of channels, until they finally reached the western shores of the mainland, washed by the waters of the unknown South Sea. And here everything was magically transformed. The wind died down. The sun was shining. Clean springs sparkled among the grass, and in one river there were so many sardines that the sailors called it the Sardine River. And far, far away, a huge sea stretched out to the very horizon. Magellan called it Quiet, it was so calm, so pleasing to the eye, so joyful to the soul.
We should have sailed on without wasting time, but we had to linger, waiting for the San Antonio sent for reconnaissance with Captain Mishkita, Magellan’s faithful friend. Six days passed, and the ship still did not return. Then Magellan left a lit lantern and a note in the appointed place, which said that the flotilla had gone to sea and would follow such and such a course, and Magellan’s three ships weighed anchor.
Meanwhile, the San Antonio sailed with all the haste of which it was capable, in the other direction, to the shores of Spain. The mutinous sailors displaced Alvar's loyal Mishkita, tied him up, threw him into the hold and deserted. Returning to Spain, they slandered Magellan, saying that he treacherously killed noble Spaniards in order to transfer command to his compatriots. They kept silent about the opening of the strait, as well as about the fact that they took with them the main supplies of food stored in the vast holds of the San Antonio. However, the judges did not take the words of the deserters into confidence and postponed the consideration of the case until the others returned. Mishkita, however, like all the rebels, they threw into prison, and Magellan’s wife and young sons were not allowed to leave Seville.
Magellan, knowing nothing about black treason and despite hunger, continues his great work. It was a terrible voyage. Lonely in the boundless expanse of the ocean, the ships flew forward in wonderful weather, with a fair wind, but horror and death reigned on the ships. All that was left of the crackers was crumbs mixed with worms and rat droppings. Sailors tore off the cowhide sheathing from the rigging, soaked it in water and chewed it. They ate sawdust, ate rats... However, rats were considered a delicacy. The scurvy began.
...For more than three months, the sailors saw nothing but water and sky, ate almost nothing, and drank rotten water. And they rushed forward and forward! And when the first island finally appeared, they fell into despair: it turned out to be so barren and deserted. But then the watchman shouted from his barrel on the high mast that he could see the ground again. It was an island... And then the second... Both were green, cheerful, these were the islands, now known as the Marianas. What happiness: people lived on both, here you can stock up on food and fresh water! But the inhabitants of the island, carefree, cheerful savages, who sailed up to the ship in their boats with slanting sails made of palm leaves, quickly and deftly climbed onto Magellan’s ships and began to carry absolutely everything that was not screwed, nailed or locked. They even managed to steal the boat in front of everyone! And Magellan, after an unpleasant skirmish with them, had to get out of here before everything was stolen. And he named these islands Ladrones, which means Thieves!


It was a terrible voyage - hunger and death reigned on the ships.

Finally, the sailors approached a beautiful flowering land, uninhabited, but rich in unprecedented fruits and clean, transparent springs. Magellan ordered the sick to be taken ashore, looked after them himself, gave them coconut juice to drink: healthy sailors hunted wild pigs, and the specter of hunger receded...
When the sick recovered and the healthy rested, Magellan ordered the sails to be raised. And now the ships are sailing among the luxurious, unknown islands - Magellan called them Philippine. The local residents, still unfamiliar with the Europeans, greeted the Spaniards cordially and affably, and Magellan willingly maintained friendship with them.
Magellan was happy! In addition to the Moluccas, he found completely unknown islands - they will undoubtedly adorn the Spanish crown. Happiness, so little known to Magellan, filled him to the brim. And on this happy take-off the life of the great navigator was cut short. It ended absurdly, in an unnecessary skirmish with a prince on a tiny island. This prince did not want to obey his powerful neighbor - the Sultan big island Cebu. And the Sultan asked Magellan for help. Magellan considered it important to help him, he was confident in the strength of Spanish weapons...
And died in a skirmish. It was April 27, 1521.


The life of the great navigator was cut short absurdly, in a skirmish on a small island.

The admiral fell, to the great sorrow of his friends, to the great misfortune of the entire expedition, without completing it. And Antonio Pigafetta, grieving the loss, wrote in his diary:
“Among other virtues, he was distinguished by steadfastness in the greatest vicissitudes, which no one else possessed. He endured hunger better than all the others, more accurately than anyone else in the world, he knew how to understand navigational maps. And the fact that this is so and is, in fact, obvious to everyone, for no one else had such a gift and such thoughtfulness in researching how to circumnavigate the world, which he almost accomplished!
No admiral. And misfortunes haunt the orphaned expedition. The Sultan of the island of Cebu, because of whom Magellan got involved in an unnecessary skirmish, decided to attack the Spaniards, seize their goods, ships and kill people. Duarte Barbosa, brother of Magellan's wife, Juan Serrano and many other sailors became victims of the insidious plan.
The survivors wandered for a long time among the tangle of islands on the outskirts of the Pacific Ocean until they reached the treasured Moluccas. By that time, out of two hundred and sixty-five crew members, one hundred and fifteen remained. This was not enough for three ships. One of them, “Concepcion,” had to be burned. On the island of Tidore, the sailors bought spices and filled the Victoria's hold with them. The flagship "Trinidad" and "Victoria" were planning to sail together to the Cape of Good Hope. But unexpectedly, a strong leak was discovered on the Trinidad. The ships had to separate. "Trinidad" with captain Gomez Espinosa and the crew (fifty-seven sailors) after repairs set off for the shores Central America, into Spanish possessions, but did not get there, and turned back. The fate of the sailors was terrible. They were captured by the Portuguese, and only a few years later Gomez de Espinosa and three sailors, having experienced beggary and prison, returned to Spain. And the rest were never destined to see their native land.
But Juan Sebastian del Cano, who was among the rebels in San Julian Bay and forgiven by Magellan, will bring the expedition to the end!
Justice requires recognizing that del Cano was a good sailor, decisive and courageous. The Portuguese heard that Magellan's sailors had reached the Moluccas, and the King of Portugal ordered that Spanish ships should not be allowed to pass around the Cape of Good Hope under any circumstances. Del Cano found out about this. And he carefully made his way in a roundabout way, without entering the harbor, avoiding a fatal meeting with the Portuguese. Meanwhile, he needed food and fresh water. Hunger began again on the ship. The sailors were sick, dying, and out of forty-seven people, thirty-one were left. The situation was hopeless, and del Cano had to take a risk. He entered the harbor of one of the Cape Verde islands and sent a boat with sailors ashore, strictly forbidding them to say who they were and where they were coming from. The boat is scurrying back and forth, the Victoria sailors are happy, anticipating a hearty meal, and suddenly during the last voyage something happened and the boat was delayed. Del Cano, fearing exposure, hastily raises the sails, leaving people, a boat, and food on the shore. Only after some time, at the request of the Spanish king, these sailors were released to their homeland.
Meanwhile, Antonio Pigafetta painfully reflects on one strange incident that occurred on the Cape Verde Islands. The sailors who went ashore reported that it was Thursday, but according to the Pigafetta calendar it was still Wednesday. Miracles! What, was he mistaken? Pigafetta checks with navigator Alba, who also took notes. No, Alba’s is also Wednesday. What's the matter? No one could understand this. However, all of them had no time to unravel the secrets. The weather is bad, there are storms; There are few people left, and we have to carry out two or three watches in a row. And when the familiar shores of San Lucar de Barrameda appeared, the sailors could not believe that they were at home, that without fear they could go ashore, they could fall to the ground, they could fall asleep in a calm, happy sleep.
Eighteen exhausted sailors are sleeping. They sleep soundly, without dreams. Antonio Pigafetta sleeps; he does not yet know what the greatest discovery he has made. It turns out that the lost day in his calendar opened scientists secret nature, which no one suspected: our Earth is not only a ball, which was proven by Magellan’s expedition and which was, in fact, known in ancient times, but this ball is still in constant motion around its axis. That is why, moving all the time to the west, sailors and pilots repeat one day in their logbooks twice in a row when they cross the international date line. And, on the contrary, with continuous movement towards the sun, to the east, one day is thrown out of the calendar. Now this is a well-known truth, but in those days it was a great discovery!
Yes, Magellan's voyage revealed new truths to the world. But fate remained unkind to Magellan himself for a long time.
Del Cano, the captain of the only surviving ship of the expedition, did not bother to inform Spain that he owed his victory primarily to Magellan. After all, Magellan accomplished the main thing, Magellan found the strait and did not retreat in the face of hunger and death. And the laurels of the winner went to del Cano alone. Pigafetta is outraged by this, and in his short story about the great voyage, as a form of protest, he does not mention a word about the one who led the Victoria from the Moluccas to Spain.
In two days, a tug will bring the tired ship Victoria from San Lucar de Barrameda to Seville harbor. Eighteen sailors in long white shirts, with lit candles in their hands, will come ashore. They will go to the church of Santa Maria de la Victoria, where they once took the oath of allegiance under the shadow of the royal silk standard. In the clothes of repentant sinners, they will give thanks to the Virgin Mary for their miraculous salvation. And the streets of Seville will be crowded with people. But where is the admiral's wife? She passed away. Her sons also died; Magellan never saw the younger one.
The sailors will enter under the arches of the temple. Here three years ago they were all together - two hundred and sixty-five people. Eighteen returned...
...In the meantime, the exhausted sailors sleep in the happy, sound sleep of tired people. And the messenger spurs his horse. He rushes to Valladolid to Don Carlos, King of Spain, with good news: the sailors of Ferdinand Magellan have returned and, as a sign of the completed assignment, following the custom of knightly times, they want to hand over the glove to their king... But many of their comrades are not with them... Nor is the glorious Admiral, Knight of the Order of Santiago, noble lord Fernand de Magellan...

Magellan's ships sail into the Pacific Ocean

On September 6, 1522, a ship entered the Spanish port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, whose appearance indicated a long and difficult journey. This ship was called "Victoria". Those from local residents Those who had a good memory, not without some difficulty, recognized the arriving wanderer as one of the five ships of the expedition that sailed from this harbor almost three years ago. I remembered that it was commanded by a stubborn Portuguese, whose appointment to this position caused a lot of rumors. I think his name was Ferdinand Magellan. However, the residents of Sanlúcar de Barrameda did not see either the leader of the expedition or his numerous companions. Instead, they saw the battered Victoria and on board a handful of exhausted people who looked like the living dead.

The captain of the Victoria, Juan Sebastian Elcano, first of all sent a message to the royal residence of Valladolid about the return to Spain of one of the five ships of “fernand Magellan of blessed memory.” Two days later, the Victoria was towed to Seville, where the surviving 18 crew members, barefoot and holding candles, went to church to thank the Almighty for their, albeit not entirely safe, return. Juan Elcano was summoned to Valladolid, where he was received by the King of Spain and also the Holy Roman Emperor Charles. The monarch awarded the captain a coat of arms with an image of the earth and the inscription “You were the first to go around me.” Also, Elcano was granted an annual pension in the amount of 500 ducats, with the payment of which some difficulties arose - the state treasury was empty. However, the organizers of the expedition did not lose out, despite the fact that only one ship out of five returned home. The Victoria's holds were filled with rare and expensive overseas goods, the proceeds from the sale of which more than covered all the expenses of the expedition. Thus ended the first trip around the world.

Gold, spices and distant islands

European colonial expansion, which began in the 15th century, continued to gain momentum in the 16th. At the forefront of the race for colonial goods, which were fabulously expensive in the then Old World, were the powers of the Iberian Peninsula - Spain and Portugal. It was Lisbon who was the first to reach legendary India and begin to receive much-desired profits from it. Later, the Portuguese paved the way to the Moluccas, known in Europe as the Spice Islands.

At first glance, the successes of their neighbors on the peninsula also looked impressive. Having destroyed the last Muslim state in the Pyrenees, the Emirate of Granada, the Spaniards found themselves with untied hands and an empty treasury. The easiest way to solve the budget problem was to find a way to penetrate the rich eastern countries, which were talked about at that time at every self-respecting court. A temperamental and very persistent Genoese had long been swirling around the then royal couple, Their Majesties Ferdinand and Isabella. For some, his stubbornness caused irritation, for others, a condescending smile. However, Cristobal Colon (that was the name of this energetic man) found serious patrons, and the queen began to listen to his speeches. As a result, three caravels set off across the ocean, the voyage of which opened a new page in European history.

Returning in triumph, Colon, or, as he was called in Spain, Christopher Columbus, spoke a lot about the lands he had discovered. However, the amount of gold with which he accompanied his narratives was very limited. However, the credit of confidence received by the discoverer of what was then believed to be Indium was very high, and three more expeditions went overseas one after another. Number of islands and lands, discovered by Columbus overseas, everything increased, but the joy in Spain from these discoveries decreased. The amount of jewelry and other expensive goods brought to Europe was small; the local population was not at all eager to either meekly work for the white newcomers or convert to the bosom of the true church. Colorful tropical islands did not evoke lyrical moods among the proud and poor hidalgos, hardened in the merciless Moorish wars, who were only interested in gold.

It soon became clear that the lands discovered by Columbus were neither China nor the Indies, but represented a completely new continent. In addition, the successfully completed voyage of Vasco da Gama showed the last stubborn skeptics what real India is and how to reach it. The Spaniards' neighbors on the peninsula counted the growing profits and watched with a fair amount of irony as the Spaniards looked for wealth on picturesque, but from the point of view of that time, unprofitable islands. The Spanish treasury, like any other, needed replenishment. The victorious Moors had far-reaching plans. Turkish expansion in the eastern Mediterranean was gaining strength, a conflict was brewing with France over the Apennine Peninsula, and there were other matters in the ever-turbulent Europe. All this required money – and a lot of it.

And now, in high circles, again, as almost 30 years before, an energetic man appeared who claimed that he had a plan to get to the Spice Islands. And, like Christopher Columbus, he too was a foreigner. Moreover, the piquancy of the situation was added by the fact that until recently this generator of strategic ideas was in the service of competitors, that is, he was Portuguese. His name was Ferdinand Magellan.

Portuguese

Magellan was neither a projector nor an adventurer. By the time he began promoting his project in 1518, he was already an experienced navigator and a man versed in military affairs. He also possessed extensive knowledge and skills, which gave his words weight. Magellan was born in 1480 in Portugal, where his last name sounded like Magalhães, into an old aristocratic family with Norman roots. The boy, who lost his parents early, was assigned by his relatives as a page to Queen Leonora, the wife of King João II the Perfect. His court service continued with the new monarch Manuel I. Magellan was noticed due to his outstanding personal qualities, strength of character and good education.

The king allowed the young man to travel to the East with Francisco de Almeida, the first viceroy of the Portuguese possessions in India. Arriving in legendary India, Magellan found himself in the thick of political, military and economic events. For a long time, the de facto masters of the local waters, the Arab sailors were not at all delighted with the dangerous and determined competitors that had appeared. Future great navigator takes part in numerous battles with the Arabs. In one of these battles, he was wounded in the leg, which subsequently gave his gait a slight limp. In 1511, under the leadership of the now new governor Afonso de Albuquerque, Magellan took a direct part in the siege and capture of Malacca, which became one of the strongholds of Portuguese expansion in the East.

Seeing that local islands rich in spices that are fabulously expensive in Europe, the navigator gradually comes to the idea of ​​finding another way to regions abounding in various riches Indian Ocean. It was then that Magellan began to formulate the concept of a route to the East directly, across the Atlantic, since the route around Africa seemed longer and more dangerous. For this purpose, it was only necessary to find a strait located somewhere, according to the Portuguese, among the lands discovered by Columbus and his followers. So far no one had been able to find him, but Magellan was sure that he would be lucky.

All that was left to do was to persuade the king. But this is precisely where difficulties arose. Returning from the Portuguese possessions in the East, Magellan went to fight in Morocco in 1514. Due to an official incident, the Portuguese had the chance to present his project to the king. However, neither Manuel I nor his entourage were interested in Magellan’s ideas - the path to the Spice Islands around the Cape of Good Hope was considered dangerous, but proven, and the question of the existence of a mysterious strait between the Atlantic and the South Sea, recently discovered by de Balboa, was considered not so important. Relations between the Portuguese king and Magellan had long left much to be desired: twice he was denied petitions for the Highest Name - the last time it was a matter of “feed” money due to Magellan as a courtier.

Considering himself insulted, the Portuguese decided to try his luck in neighboring Spain. Having asked King Manuel to relieve him of his official duties, Magellan moved to Seville in the fall of 1517. The famous Portuguese astronomer Rui Faleiro arrived in Spain with him. Meanwhile, the young Charles I, who was the grandson of the famous Ferdinand through the female line, ascended the Spanish throne. On the male side, the young monarch was the grandson of Maximilian I of Habsburg. Soon Charles becomes Holy Roman Emperor under the name Charles V. He was ambitious and full of various political projects, so Magellan's initiative could come in handy.

Magellan arrived in Seville and immediately began to act. Together with Faleiro, they appeared at the nearby Council of the Indies, an institution dealing with newly discovered territories and colonies, and stated that, according to their accurate calculations, the Moluccas, the main source of spices for Portugal, were located, contrary to the agreement signed between the two monarchies through the mediation of the Pope. agreement in Tordesillas, in the territory allocated to Spain. So the “oversight” that has arisen needs to be corrected.

Subsequently, fortunately for the Portuguese, it turned out that Faleiro was mistaken. In the meantime, local authorities in colonial and trade affairs listened to the fiery speeches of the Portuguese emigrant with skepticism, advising them to look for listeners in other places. And yet, one of the leaders of this serious organization named Juan de Aranda decided to personally talk with the Portuguese and, after some thought, found his arguments not without meaning, especially considering the future modest 20% of the profit.

The following months resembled a slow and deliberate climb up the long staircase of the state apparatus, with successive penetration into increasingly higher apartments. At the beginning of 1518, Aranda arranged an audience for Magellan with Emperor Charles in Valladolid. The arguments of the Portuguese and his actual companion Faleiro were convincing, especially since he argued that the Moluccas, according to his calculations, were only a few hundred miles from Spanish Panama. Charles was inspired and on March 8, 1518 he signed a decree on preparations for the expedition.

Magellan and Faleiro were appointed its leaders with the rank of captain general. They were supposed to have 5 ships with crews - about 250 people - at their disposal. In addition, the Portuguese were promised a profit from the enterprise in the amount of one fifth. Preparations began soon after the decree was signed, but continued for a very long time. There were several reasons. First of all, it was unstable financing. Secondly, many were not delighted by the fact that the Portuguese, with whose homeland Spain had very difficult relations, were appointed leaders of such a large-scale project. Thirdly, feeling like specialists whose opinions were ignored, the lords from the Council of the Indies began to sabotage preparations for the expedition.

We must not forget about the army of suppliers and contractors who rolled up their sleeves and improved their own well-being to the best of their ability by supplying substandard food, equipment and materials. All the ships preparing to sail turned out to be by “an unfortunate accident” not new at all. The Portuguese authorities also sabotaged the event as best they could. At the court of King Manuel I, the issue of assassinating Magellan was even seriously discussed, but this idea was wisely abandoned. The navigator's companion, the astronomer Faleiro, sensing the winds that were beginning to blow into the still unstretched sails of the caravels, considered it best to play mad and stay on the shore. Juan de Cartagena was appointed to replace Magellan, with whom there would still be a lot of trouble, including a rebellion.

Despite all the obstacles, preparations continued. The soul of the entire enterprise was Ferdinand Magellan. He chose the 100-ton Trinidad as his flagship. In addition to it, the squadron included the 120-ton "San Antonio" (Captain Juan de Cartagena, part-time royal controller of the expedition), the 90-ton "Concepcion" (Captain Gaspar Quezada), the 85-ton "Victoria" (Luis Mendoza) and the smallest, 75-ton "Santiago" (under the command of Juan Serano). The crew consisted of 293 people, including 26 people who were taken on board in excess of the staff. One of them, the Italian nobleman Antonio Pigafetta, would later make up detailed description odyssey.

The exact number of participants in the voyage is still controversial. Some of the sailors were Portuguese - a necessary measure, since their Spanish colleagues were in no hurry to enroll in the crews. There were representatives of other nationalities as well. The ships were loaded with provisions for two years of voyage and a certain amount of goods for trade with the natives. In addition, in case of bad relations with the local population, there were 70 ship cannons, 50 arquebuses, crossbows and about a hundred sets of armor.

On August 10, 1519, the squadron left the piers of Seville and descended along the Guadalquivir River to the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Here, waiting for favorable winds, five caravels stood for almost a month. Magellan had something to do - already at the first stage of the campaign, part of the food turned out to be spoiled, and it had to be hastily replaced. Finally, on Tuesday, September 20, 1519, the squadron left the shores of Spain and headed southwest. None of the pioneers on board suspected how long their journey would be.

Atlantic and conspiracy

Six days after sailing, the flotilla arrived in Tenerife in the Canary Islands and stayed there for almost a week, replenishing water and provisions. Here Magellan received two unpleasant ones. The first of them, brought by a caravel that came from Spain, was sent to the captain-general by his friends, who reported that captains Cartagena, Mendoza and Quesada had formed a conspiracy, the purpose of which was to remove Magellan from command of the expedition due to the fact that he was Portuguese, and with resistance kill him. The second news came from the supplier of salted cod: the king of Portugal sent two squadrons to the Atlantic to intercept Magellan's ships.

The first news caused the need to strengthen surveillance of the unreliable Spaniards, the second forced us to change the route and go across the ocean somewhat south of the intended route, which lengthened the already considerable journey. Magellan set a new course along the coast of Africa. It subsequently turned out that the news about the Portuguese squadrons turned out to be false. The flotilla moved south rather than west as planned, causing confusion among the Spanish captains, already irritated by the very fact of his command. Towards the end of October - beginning of November, discontent reached its climax.

The first to lose his nerve was Juan de Cartagena, captain of San Antonio. By order of Magellan, the ships of his flotilla were to approach the flagship Trinidad every day and report on the situation. During this procedure, Cartagena called his superior not “captain general,” as expected, but simply “captain.” The San Antonio captain did not respond to the remark about the need to follow the charter. The situation became tense. A few days later, Magellan gathered his captains aboard his flagship. Cartagena began to shout and demand an explanation from the expedition leader why the flotilla was taking the wrong course. In response, Magellan, well aware of the mood among some of his subordinates, grabbed the captain of the San Antonio by the collar and declared him a rebel, ordering him to be placed under arrest. Instead, Magellan's relative, the Portuguese Alvaro Mishkita, was appointed captain. However, Cartagena was sent under arrest not to the flagship, but to the Concepcion, where the conditions of detention were quite mild.

Soon the flotilla left the calm zone and moved towards the shores of South America. On November 29, 1519, Spanish ships finally spotted the much-desired land. In an effort to avoid meeting the Portuguese, Magellan sailed his ships along the coast to the south and on December 13 dropped anchor in the bay of Rio de Janeiro. After giving rest to the tired crews and celebrating Christmas, the expedition moved further south, trying to find the treasured strait in the South Sea.

Mutiny

In January of the new year 1520, Magellan's ships reached the mouth of the huge La Plata River, discovered in 1516 by Juan de Solis. The Portuguese assumed that the desired strait could be located somewhere in local waters. The smallest and fastest ship of the expedition, the Santiago, was sent for reconnaissance. Upon returning, Captain Juan Serano reported that no strait could be found.

Not losing confidence, Magellan moved further south. The climate gradually became more moderate - instead of the tropics originally encountered on the South American coast, ships now observed increasingly deserted terrain. The occasional Indians with a rather primitive way of life did not know iron and, apparently, saw white people for the first time. Fearing that they would miss the strait, the flotilla moved along the coast and anchored at night. On February 13, 1520, in the bay of Bahia Blanca, the ships were caught in an unprecedented thunderstorm, and the lights of St. Elmo were seen on the masts. Moving further south, the Europeans met large herds of penguins, which they mistook for tailless ducks.

The weather deteriorated, increasingly becoming stormy, the temperature dropped, and on March 31, having reached a quiet bay called San Julian (49° south latitude), Magellan decided to stay there and spend the winter. Not forgetting that the mood in his flotilla was far from calm, the captain-general positioned his ships as follows: four of them were in the bay, and the flagship Trinidad anchored at its entrance - just in case. There were good reasons for this - the search for a passage did not yield results, there was uncertainty ahead, and Magellan’s ill-wishers began to spread the opinion of the need to return to Spain.

On April 1, Palm Sunday, a festive dinner was given on board the flagship Trinidad, to which the captains of the ships were invited. The captains of "Victoria" and "Concepcion" did not appear. On the night of April 2, a mutiny began on the flotilla. Juan de Cartagena, who was in custody, was released. Victoria and Concepcion were captured without much difficulty. Captain Alvaru Mishkita, appointed there by Magellan, was arrested on the San Antonio. Only the small Santiago remained faithful to the commander of the expedition.

The balance of forces, at first glance, was very unfavorable for the captain-general and his supporters. His two ships were opposed by three rebel ships. However, Magellan not only did not lose his head, but also showed determination. Soon a boat arrived at the Trinidad with a letter for the leader of the expedition. The rebel captains brought a whole mountain of accusations against Magellan, who, in their opinion, brought the expedition to the brink of death. They were ready to submit to him again only as the first captain of equals, and not as a “captain general,” and then only if the flotilla immediately returned to Spain.

Magellan began to act immediately. Alguacil Gonzalo Gomez de Espinosa, a devotee of Magellan, was sent to the Victoria with a letter to her captain Mendoza. Having reached the Victoria, he handed Mendoza a letter and Magellan's request to come to Trinidad for negotiations. When the rebel refused and crumpled the message, Espinosa dealt him a fatal blow with a dagger. The people accompanying the officer took possession of the Victoria, which soon anchored near the flagship and the Santiago. The situation for those wishing to return to Spain at any cost has deteriorated sharply.

At night, "San Antonio" tried to break into the sea, but they were waiting for him. A salvo of cannons was fired at the ship, and its deck was showered with crossbow arrows. The frightened sailors hastened to disarm the enraged Gaspar Quesada and surrendered. Juan de Cartagena, who was on the Concepción, decided not to play with fire and stopped resisting. Soon a trial was held, which declared the leaders of the rebellion and their active accomplices (about 40 people) traitors and sentenced them to death. However, Magellan immediately pardoned them and replaced the execution with hard labor for the entire winter. Gaspar Quesada, who mortally wounded one of the officers loyal to Magellan, was beheaded and the corpse was quartered. Former rebels were engaged in socially useful work in the form of chopping wood and pumping water from the holds. The pardoned Cartagena did not calm down and began again to conduct counter-expeditionary agitation. This time Magellan’s patience was exhausted, and the royal controller was left on the shore of the bay along with the priest who was actively helping him in propaganda. Nothing is known about their fate.

Strait and Pacific Ocean

The mutiny was left behind, and the stay in San Julian Bay continued. In early May, Magellan sent the Santiago south for reconnaissance, but in stormy weather it crashed on the rocks near the Santa Cruz River, killing one sailor. With great difficulty, the crew returned to the parking lot. Juan Serano, who lost his ship, was appointed captain of the Concepción. On August 24, 1520, Magellan left San Julian Bay and arrived at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River. There, waiting for good weather, the ships remained until mid-October. On October 18, the flotilla left its anchorage and moved south. Before leaving, Magellan informed his captains that he would look for a passage to the South Sea to 75° south latitude, and if unsuccessful, he would turn east and move to the Moluccas around the Cape of Good Hope.

On October 21, a narrow passage leading deeper into the mainland was finally discovered. The San Antonio and Concepcion, sent on reconnaissance, were caught in a storm, but were able to take refuge in the bay, from which a new strait, in turn, led further to the west. The scouts returned with news of a possible passage. Soon the flotilla, having entered open strait, found herself in a tangle of rocks and narrow passages. A few days later, near Dawson Island, Magellan noticed two channels: one going in a southeast direction, the other in a southwest direction. The Concepcion and San Antonio were sent to the first, and the boat to the second.

The boat returned three days later with good news: large open water had been spotted. "Trinidad" and "Victoria" entered the southwest channel and remained at anchor for four days. Having moved to the previous parking lot, they found only “Concepcion”. San Antonio has disappeared. The search, which lasted several days, yielded no results. Only later, the surviving members of the expedition, who returned home on the Victoria, learned about the fate of this ship. A mutiny led by officers broke out on board. Captain Mishkita, loyal to Magellan, was shackled, and the San Antonio turned back. In March 1521 he returned to Spain, where the rebels declared Magellan a traitor. At first they believed them: the wife of the captain-general was deprived of her salary, and surveillance was established over her. Magellan did not know all this - on November 28, 1520, his ships finally entered the Pacific Ocean.

Islands, natives and the death of Magellan

Juan Sebastian Elcano

The long voyage began Pacific Ocean. In an effort to quickly get the ships out of the cold latitudes, Magellan led them first strictly north, and after 15 days he turned to the northwest. Overcoming such a vast water area lasted almost four months. The weather was good, which gave rise to calling this ocean the Pacific. During the voyage, the crews experienced incredible difficulties associated with an acute shortage of provisions. Part of it has deteriorated and become unusable. Scurvy was rampant, from which 19 people died. Ironically, the flotilla passed by islands and archipelagos, including inhabited ones, only landing on small uninhabited pieces of land twice.

On March 6, 1521, two were sighted big islands- Guam and Rota. The local population seemed friendly and thieving to the Europeans. A punitive expedition was landed on the shore, killing several natives and setting their settlement on fire. A few days later, the flotilla reached the Philippine archipelago, which, however, was well known to Chinese sailors. On March 17, the ships dropped anchor off desert island Khomonkhom, where something like a field hospital was equipped for sick crew members. Fresh provisions, vegetables and fruits allowed people to quickly restore their strength, and the expedition continued its journey among numerous islands.

On one of them, Magellan's slave from Portuguese times, the Malayan Enrique, met people whose language he understood. The captain general realized that the Spice Islands were somewhere nearby. On April 7, 1521, the ships reached the harbor of Cebu City on island of the same name. Here the Europeans had already found a culture, although it was far behind them in technical terms. Products from China were discovered among local residents, and the Arab merchants they met told a lot of interesting things about the local lands, which were well known to both the Arabs and the Chinese.

The Spanish ships made a huge impression on the islanders, and the ruler of Cebu, Rajah Hubomon, after thinking about it, decided to surrender under the protection of distant Spain. To facilitate the process, he, his family and his closest associates were baptized. Consolidating his success and wanting to show his new allies the power of the European Empire, Magellan intervened in an internecine conflict with the ruler of the island of Mactan.

On the night of April 27, 1521, Magellan and 60 Europeans, along with allied natives, set off in boats to the rebellious island. Because of the reefs, the ships were unable to come close to the shore and support the landing force with fire. Magellan's companions were met by superior forces - the natives showered the Europeans with arrows and put them to flight. Magellan himself, who was covering the retreat, was killed. Besides him, 8 more Spaniards died. The prestige of the “patrons” fell to dangerously low levels. Their authority simply collapsed after an unsuccessful attempt to buy Magellan’s body from the natives, who turned out to be not so accommodating. Dejected by the loss of the captain, the Spaniards decided to leave Cebu.

By this time, in exchange for fabrics and iron products, they managed to trade a large amount of spices. The local rajah, having learned of the “patrons’” intention to leave, hospitably invited their commanders (the expedition was now commanded by Juan Serano and Magellan’s brother-in-law Duarte Barbosa) to a farewell feast. The feast gradually developed into a massacre planned in advance - all the guests were killed. This turn of events accelerated the departure of the ships of the expedition, in the ranks of which 115 people remained, most of them were sick. The dilapidated "Concepcion" was soon burned, and only the "Trinidad" and "Victoria" remained on the move for the exhausted travelers.

After wandering for several months in waters unknown to them, in November 1521 the Spaniards finally reached the Moluccas, where they were able to purchase spices in abundance, since goods for exchange survived. Having reached their goal after much ordeal and difficulty, the surviving members of the expedition decided to split up to be sure, so that at least one of the ships would reach Spanish territory. The hastily repaired Trinidad was to sail to Panama under the command of Gonzalo Espinosa. The second, "Victoria" under the command of the Basque Juan Sebastian Elcano, was to return to Europe, taking a route around the Cape of Good Hope. The fate of Trinidad was tragic. Having encountered a strip of headwinds along the way, he was forced to return to the Moluccas and was captured by the Portuguese. Only a few of his crew, having survived prison and hard labor, returned to their homeland.

Replica of the Victoria karakka built by the Czech navigator Rudolf Krautschneider

The journey of the Victoria, which began on December 21, 1521, was long and dramatic. She initially had 60 crew on board, including 13 Malays. On May 20, 1522, the Victoria rounded the Cape of Good Hope. By the time they were in the already familiar Atlantic, Victoria’s personnel had been reduced to 35 people. The situation with provisions was critical, and Elcano was forced to enter the Cape Verde Islands, which belonged to Lisbon, posing as Portuguese. Then it turned out that, traveling from west to east, the sailors “lost” one day. The deception was exposed, and 13 sailors remained arrested on the shore.

On September 6, 1522, the Victoria reached the mouth of the Guadalquivir, completing a trip around the world. For some time, Magellan's record remained unbroken until it was done by one gentleman, a subject of Queen Elizabeth, whose expedition did not at all resemble a trade or scientific one.

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